Marketplace Scams
Marketplace scams happen on buy-and-sell platforms and classified sites. A fake buyer may send a screenshot of a 'payment' that never arrives, ask for a shipping or verification fee, or try to move the conversation to email or text. A fake seller may take a deposit for an item that does not exist. The common thread is pressure to act quickly and to step outside the platform's protections.
Common red flags
- A buyer or seller who wants to move the chat off the platform immediately
- Payment 'screenshots' instead of money actually arriving in your account
- Requests to pay or refund a fee before you receive funds
- Overpayment followed by a request to send the difference back
- Pressure to ship or pay before you have confirmed details
Marketplace scam guides
Facebook Marketplace Buyer Email Scam
A fake buyer claims to have paid through an email service and asks you to confirm a fee or send the 'difference' before any real money arrives.
Google Voice Verification Code Scam
On a marketplace, a supposed buyer or seller asks you to share a verification code texted to your phone to 'prove you are real'. The code is actually used to set up a Google Voice number linked to you, which the scammer then uses for further fraud.
Concert Ticket Scam
Scammers advertise resale tickets for sold-out or popular events on social media and marketplaces. After you pay, often by a method that is hard to reverse, you receive no valid ticket, or a duplicate that will not scan at the door.
Puppy Sale Scam
This scam advertises pets at attractive prices, then asks for a deposit before you can meet the animal and keeps adding fees for shipping, crates, or insurance, while the pet does not actually exist.
Car Deposit Scam
This scam uses an underpriced vehicle listing where the seller claims to be away and asks for a deposit or full payment through gift cards, wire transfer, or a fake escrow service before you can inspect the car.
Fake Escrow Scam
In a high-value marketplace deal, the other party insists on a specific 'escrow' or 'secure payment' website to hold the funds, but the site is fake and simply collects your money or card details.
Vehicle History Report Scam
When buying or selling a vehicle, the other party insists you first get a history report from one specific website, which is set up to harvest your card details or charge hidden fees.
Electronics Deposit Scam
This scam advertises a cheap phone, games console, or laptop, then asks you to send a deposit to 'hold' or 'reserve' the item before you can meet or before it ships. After you pay, the seller disappears.
Marketplace Gift Card Payment Scam
This scam involves a buyer or seller on a marketplace insisting on paying or being paid with gift card codes. Once the codes are shared they are drained almost instantly and are extremely difficult to recover.
Fake Shipping Label Scam
This scam targets sellers when a 'buyer' sends a prepaid shipping label or claims to have overpaid for shipping and asks for the difference back, or sends a fake label so the parcel is redirected. The underlying payment is usually fake or later reversed.
Bait and Switch Listing Scam
This scam uses an attractive, underpriced listing as bait. Once you enquire, the seller says the item is gone and pressures you toward a different, inferior or overpriced item, or to pay a deposit on a 'similar' one.
Frequently asked questions
Why do scammers want to move off the platform?
Is a payment screenshot proof that I was paid?
How can I trade more safely on marketplaces?
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