Facebook Marketplace has a scam problem. With hundreds of millions of listings and minimal verification, it’s a playground for scammers. Here’s how to protect yourself.

The Most Common Scams

The Too-Good-To-Be-True Price

A brand new iPhone for $200. A $2,000 designer bag for $150. If the price seems impossible, it probably is.

Scammers price items absurdly low to create urgency. You’re so excited about the “deal” that you don’t think critically. You send money or show up with cash, and either the item doesn’t exist or you get robbed.

How to spot it: Research the actual market value. If something is priced 70%+ below what similar items sell for, be extremely skeptical.

Stock Photos Instead of Real Pictures

Legitimate sellers photograph their actual items. Scammers use stock photos, manufacturer images, or pictures stolen from other listings.

How to spot it: Reverse image search the listing photos. If they appear on retail sites or other marketplace listings, it’s not the seller’s actual item. Also look for inconsistencies—different backgrounds in different photos, professional lighting on a “used” item, or watermarks.

The Deposit or Shipping Scam

“I’ll hold it for you if you send a $50 deposit.” “I can ship it—just pay via Venmo/Zelle/CashApp.”

Once you send money through non-reversible methods, it’s gone. The seller disappears.

How to spot it: Never send deposits. Never pay before seeing the item in person. If they insist on Zelle/Venmo/CashApp, walk away. Use Facebook Pay for any remote transactions—it has buyer protection.

The Fake Verification Code

You message about an item. The seller says “I need to verify you’re real—what’s the code I just sent to your phone?”

They’re trying to use your phone number to set up accounts or steal yours. The “verification code” is actually from Google, Facebook, or your bank.

How to spot it: Never share any codes sent to your phone. Legitimate sellers have no reason to verify you this way.

The Bait and Switch

The listing shows one item, but when you arrive, it’s different—lower quality, different model, or damaged in ways not disclosed.

How to spot it: Ask for additional photos before meeting. Confirm the exact model, specs, and condition in writing via Messenger. If it doesn’t match when you arrive, walk away.

The Counterfeit Item

Particularly common with designer bags, watches, sneakers, and electronics. The item looks real in photos but is a knockoff.

How to spot it: Ask specific authentication questions. For designer bags: “Can you show the date code?” For sneakers: “Can you photograph the insole and box label side by side?” Scammers usually can’t produce this evidence or ghost you when asked.

Red Flags to Watch For

New Account, Expensive Items

A Facebook account created last month selling a $1,500 MacBook? Major red flag. Scammers create new accounts constantly because their old ones get banned.

Urgency and Pressure

“I have someone else interested, need to decide now.” “I’m moving tomorrow, has to sell today.” Legitimate sellers let you take reasonable time. Scammers create pressure so you don’t think.

Won’t Meet in Person

Most Marketplace transactions should be local, in-person, cash. If someone can’t meet or insists on shipping, ask why. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons. Often there aren’t.

Vague or Copied Descriptions

Read the description carefully. Does it sound generic? Does it answer basic questions about condition? Copy and paste it into Google—if it appears on other listings, it’s been stolen.

Refuses to Answer Questions

Ask about condition, age, reason for selling. Legitimate sellers answer. Scammers get evasive or hostile.

How to Protect Yourself

Meet in Safe Locations

Police station parking lots, bank lobbies, busy coffee shops. Many police stations have designated “safe exchange zones” with cameras. Never meet at someone’s house for a first transaction.

Bring Someone

Don’t go alone, especially for valuable items. Scammers target solo buyers.

Inspect Before Paying

For electronics, power it on. Check every function. Verify it’s not locked to someone else’s account. For furniture, look for damage. For designer items, check authentication markers.

Pay Cash or Use Facebook Pay

Cash is king for local transactions—you can inspect before handing over money. For shipped items, Facebook Pay has buyer protection. Never use Zelle, Venmo, or wire transfers for strangers.

Trust Your Gut

If something feels off, it probably is. There will always be another deal. Don’t let FOMO push you into a bad situation.

What Spottable Does Differently

This is part of why we built Spottable. Our AI automatically flags suspicious listings:

  • Price anomalies (way too cheap for the item type)
  • Stock photos and images that appear elsewhere online
  • New accounts selling high-value items
  • Patterns that match known scam templates

When you analyze a listing with Spottable, you see fraud risk indicators before you waste time messaging or—worse—showing up to meet a scammer.

You still need to be smart. No tool catches everything. But having AI as a first line of defense catches a lot of the obvious scams before they waste your time.

Stay safe out there. And if you want an AI watching your back, use Spottable AI for Chrome today. Spottable for iOS is coming soon.

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