Facebook Marketplace has become the new hub for people to buy and sell used goods. However, just like any online destination, Facebook Marketplace has also become a hotspot for scammers to steal people’s hard-earned money. And these can happen to anyone, regardless of whether you are buying or selling. So, if you’re buying something or listing your old goods on the app, then buckle up as we take you through different types of Facebook Marketplace scams and how to spot them.
Overview of the Most Common Facebook Marketplace Scams
Whether you are selling your old stuff or spotted a listing that looks too good to be true, you must remain cautious and check out these common Facebook Marketplace scams. So, you don’t fall for scammers’ tricks.
| Facebook Marketplace Scams | Tips to spot them | Ways to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Gift card scams | Buyer/ Seller makes an excuse to meet in person, asks for payment in gift cards, or cryptocurrency | Always meet with the buyer or seller in person, check the item and then make the payment |
| Fake payment scams | A company representative reaches out, asking for a return or overpayment, or tries to get your credentials | Be careful and vigilant. Check your bank account amount to ensure you have not received any overpayment |
| Phishing scams | Buyer or scammer trying to get you to click on a link with lucrative deals | Avoid clicking on third party links that take you outside the Facebook Marketplace. Also, refrain from installing any unknown apps |
| Wealth distribution scams | Someone trying too offer you enormous amounts of money, promising lottery spoils or something similar | Next click on unknown links or send money to strangers |
| Immediate interest scam | Sellers ask for contact details and advance payments to book the item for you since it is quite in demand | Refrain from sharing your contact details or any advanced payments before hand |
| Bait and switch | Seller marking their product at very lucrative low price | Meet the seller in person, and thoroughly check the item |
| Facebook Marketplace shipping scams | Difficult to spot, check seller reviews | Meet the seller in person, and thoroughly check the item |
| Overpay PayPal Scams | Buyer asking to pay the rest of the money later | Take the full amount and never agree for the buyer to pay later |
| Stolen goods scam | Seller is offering a product at way less price than its market value | Reverse search the image of the product on Google, it could probably be a fake |
| Faulty product scams | Seller refuses to meet in person, emphasizes shipping the product, and the product is too cheap | Try to meet the seller in person, check the product thoroughly, take someone who is knowledgeable about the product |
Facebook Marketplace Scams You Should Look Out For in 2026
From gift card scams to phishing for your personal details, there are a lot of tricks that these scammers have up their sleeves, and they have only become more sophisticated over time. So, here are some of the most popular Facebook Marketplace scams you should look out for in 2026.
Facebook Marketplace Gift Card Scams
These payment scams are hands down the most common way people get scammed on Facebook Marketplace. The recurring theme in payment scams is anonymous payment links, paying the seller with gift cards, where they will ask you to buy the gift card instead of payment, and send them the code for it without redeeming it, and overpayment scams if you’re selling something.
How to spot: If the buyer or seller even remotely brings a gift card, cryptocurrency, or any untraceable currency to the conversation, it’s likely a scam.
How to avoid: No matter what the case, if you’re the buyer, always meet up with sellers in person, inspect the item thoroughly, and only then pay the amount. Do not make transactions in advance, even if the seller seems genuine or has a reason not to be available. Always be wary, as this is one of the most common Facebook Marketplace scams people fall for.
Fake Payment and Representative Scams
One of the other more popular Facebook Marketplace scams to avoid is fake representative scams. The opposite party might reach out to you, claiming they represent a particular company and could try to gain access to your account by asking for your credentials.
How to spot: No company representative will reach out to you personally to do you a favor for YOUR gain. If someone does, it’s likely a scam. Do not send back the overpaid amount immediately.
How to avoid: Be careful about fake payment confirmations and scammers. They overpay and then request a full chargeback once you send back the overpaid amount. Make sure to check your bank account details to ensure that you have not received any payment.
Phishing Scams on Facebook Marketplace
Phishing is another long running Facebook Marketplace scam. It gets you to click on links from the opposite party on your phone or computer/ This can be quite dangerous. The websites can steal your data and, if you’re on a phone, prompt you to install apps that can inject malware and text-forwarding apps.
Elderly people are more prone to succumbing to phishing scams. A good deal is very hard to miss on the Facebook Marketplace, and that’s one of the things scammers take advantage of.
How to spot: When a seller or buyer sends you a suspicious link on Facebook Marketplace, cancel the deal there and then because this kind of scam could take you to a phishing website.
How to avoid: Avoid clicking on suspicious links. Moreover, do not install any app without your knowledge. Scammers often list the items at a price that’s too good to refuse, and that suspiciously good price should immediately alert you.
Wealth Distribution Scams
We’ve all had a Nigerian prince reach out to us to distribute his loads of wealth. Sorry to break it to you, but it’s a common scam which is also prevelant in Facebook Marketplace too. Many of us, especially our elders, are too gullible, and those are the types of people these scams target, and sometimes succeed, sadly.
How to spot: If someone sends you a message saying they’re super-rich and want you to take a portion of their savings, it’s a scam.
How to avoid: First up, never click on a link, and even if you do and the text on the website or from the sender reads, “Hey, you’ve won a lottery!”, just back off. Next, don’t send money to anyone, no matter how hard they try to convince you
Immediate Interest Scams
The very reason people use Facebook Marketplace is to quickly sell the items they don’t need, and scammers can take advantage of your impatience. You end up sharing your contact details, and the scammers use that to their advantage.
Most of these scams also involve platforms such as Venmo or Zelle, where the scammer asks for your contact information for advanced payments when, in reality, they’re just trying to get something out of you via your mistake. This is, again, an extremely common scam among elders.
How to spot: If the person is impatient and asks you for your location details and phone number in the initial few messages of the conversation itself, it’s likely a scam.
How to avoid: Do not immediately share your contact info; check the buyer’s profile to see if they seem legit or have any negative reviews.
Bait and Switch Scams
Many people in the Facebook Marketplace tend to “order” stuff, thinking they’d receive the exact thing, but what they receive will be completely different. Say you ordered the latest iPhone, you could get a dummy phone or a first-copy device that looks like an iPhone.
These are the Facebook Marketplace scams where you don’t immediately realize you’ve been scammed until you receive the product. Or, when the seller scams you with false lies about shipping and payment. You may be sold faulty or stolen products in some cases.
How to spot: Try to meet the seller in person. Check for seller reviews to figure out if they’re genuine.
How to avoid: Product scams can be easily prevented by meeting sellers in person and not paying until you have the product in your hand.
Facebook Marketplace Shipping Scams
Another common Facebook Marketplace scam is when the shipper “ships” the product, but in reality, it’s never shipped and is fake. It’s the 21st century. Creating fake shipping labels and payment confirmations is child’s play.
How to spot: There’s no way to spot it except by looking at seller reviews and deciding not to go ahead with the deal. Always deal with sellers in person.
How to avoid: I might sound like a broken record at this point, but again, this can, again, be avoided by meeting the seller in person or by paying the amount only when the waybill number shows the item has been shipped on the official website of the shipping company.
Pay Later or Overpay PayPal Scams
If you’re selling something, make sure to take the full payment for the product at the time of purchase. If you agree, well, congrats as you have just been scammed on Facebook Marketplace. You can kiss the rest of your money goodbye. This applies to both selling online and when meeting in person.
Another similar scam is when Facebook Marketplace scams request to send PayPal screenshots and say they only accept PayPal. They may either overpay (when they faked the screenshot and didn’t pay you) so that you can send back the “overpaid” amount, which is your hard-earned money. It’s a pretty common scam.
How to spot: Do not agree for the buyer to pay the rest of the amount later. It’s a red flag in itself that you might not get the money back.
How to avoid: Refuse if the buyer says they’ll give some amount now and pay the rest later.
Stolen Items on Facebook Marketplace
There might be sellers out there on the Facebook Marketplace who will try to scam you by selling you stolen items. These types of deals are not uncommon and are usually very easy to spot. Some of the ways to do this are when the seller is in a hurry to sell the item for quick money, or if they don’t present a valid proof of purchase. Dealing with these sellers can even get you in trouble, another common Facebook Marketplace scam.
This kind of scam usually happens in the automobile category, so yes, car scams do happen on Facebook Marketplace. Common factors to spot a car scam are usually a too-good-to-be-true price for the mileage.
How to spot: Check if the price of the listed item is far less than the market rate. Check if the profile has many items on sale for incredibly low prices.
How to avoid: Search for the image the seller posted via Google Lens. This way, you’ll know if the seller has picked the image from an existing, genuine eBay listing or car-selling website.
Faulty Product Scams
Most buyers who are buying electronics often become the victim of this scam. Tech is tech, and it might break over time when not taken off. You will find a lot of people selling electronics while trying to hide the fact that they may not be working properly. So, some people on the Facebook Marketplace will sell their products without informing you about their defects.
So the device or machine may look pristine from the outside, just like the ad, but it might not work, or could be a complete fake. This happens mostly with smartphones, where people have reported receiving fake iPhones while paying a hefty amount.
How to spot: The seller refuses to meet in person, or the price of the product looks too good to be true.
How to avoid: Meet the seller in person and check the product thoroughly. Besides, we also suggest taking someone who’s knowledgeable about the product with you to ensure everything’s working fine.
What to Do If You Get Scammed on Facebook Marketplace?
If you get scammed on Facebook Marketplace, act quickly. The faster you respond, the better your chances of limiting damage. Here are the steps you should take:
- Report the seller or buyer on Facebook immediately: Use the “Report” option in the chat or listing to report the seller and help Facebook investigate and prevent further scams.
- Stop all communication: Don’t contact the scammer if you have a gut feeling that you have been scammed as it could prevent further loss of money.
- Secure your account: Change your Facebook password and enabling two-factor authentication.
- Contact your bank or payment provider: If you shared payment details or sent money; contact your bank or credit card provider right away and request a chargeback or transaction reversal if possible.
- Save all evidence: Make sure to take a screenshot of all details, including chats, payment receipts, and listing details.
- Report the scam to local authorities or cybercrime portals: If there is a cybercrime portal then report this Facebook Marketplace scam to them. If not, report it to the official authorities in your country for official documentation.
- Warn your friends and family: If the scammer has your details, they could go after your friends and family next. Inform them about the scam, and inform them to beware of any suspicious calls or activities.
Taking these steps won’t always guarantee recovery, but they significantly reduce further risk and help protect other users.
Did you meet anyone who tried to scam you on Facebook Marketplace? What did you do about it? Let us know in the comments below.
