Marketplace fraud is not improvised. The same scripts keep coming back, and once you can name the one in your inbox, you already know which detail to check.

The FTC reported that in 2025, nearly 30% of people who lost money to a scam said it started on social media, with $2.1 billion in reported losses, roughly eight times the 2020 figure. People reported more money lost to scams that started on Facebook than on any other social platform. (FTC Data Spotlight, April 2026)

Each section below covers what the scam looks like, the tell, and what to do. The seven checks that apply to every listing are at the end.

Venmo, Zelle, and Cash App payment scams

What it looks like. The other person will only use one payment app and treats any alternative as a problem. If you are buying, you are asked to send the money before you see the item. If you are selling, you are shown a screenshot of a payment that never lands in your bank account.

The tell. The insistence is the point. Zelle states that it “does not offer a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle” if you do not receive the item or it is not as described, and tells people to send money only to those they know and trust.

Venmo does cover some purchases, but only when the payment is tagged as goods and services, sent to a business profile, or made with the Venmo debit card. A friends-and-family payment is never covered.

What to do. Read the protection terms published by the app you are being asked to use, and check whether your specific payment type is covered rather than assuming the brand name protects you. When you cannot inspect the item first, pay with a credit card or an in-app checkout that documents a dispute process. If you are selling, wait until the money has cleared into your own bank account. A screenshot is not proof of anything.

The fake payment confirmation and overpayment scam

What it looks like. You are selling something modest, often under a few hundred dollars. The buyer moves the conversation to text, asks which payment app you use, and asks for the email address attached to it. Then an official-looking email arrives saying the funds are held because you need to upgrade to a business account, or that the buyer accidentally sent several hundred dollars too much and needs the difference back.

The tell. No payment platform makes you send money in order to receive money. The Better Business Bureau documented this script with a $300 upgrade fee, sent from an address built to resemble the payment company. One victim was told “the funds were waiting, but the buyer had to send an additional $300 in order to upgrade my account because the transaction was over $600.”

What to do. Open your banking app or payment app yourself and look at your actual balance. Do not act on an email, a screenshot, or a phone number that arrived in the same conversation as the offer. Never install remote access software for a buyer.

The Google Voice verification code scam

What it looks like. A buyer says they have been burned by fake listings and want to confirm you are a real person. They send a six-digit code to your phone and ask you to read it back or screenshot it.

The tell. No genuine buyer needs a code from your phone to establish that you exist. The FTC says scammers target people selling on sites like Facebook Marketplace, and that the code creates a Google Voice number registered to your phone number, which they then use on the next person they target. The FTC’s rule is blunt: do not share a verification code with someone if you did not contact them first.

What to do. Stop replying. If you already sent a code, reclaim the Google Voice number through Google’s own account pages, change the password on any account tied to that number, and turn on two-step verification. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Deposits taken before you have seen the item

What it looks like. Someone else is supposedly on their way with cash, but the seller will hold it for you if you send a deposit now. This runs on anything in demand: puppies, event tickets, appliances, tools, and anything scarce locally.

The tell. Urgency arrives before evidence. The seller can describe a rival buyer in detail but will not send one new photo of the item, and the deposit is always requested through a method that is hard to reverse.

What to do. Meta’s own guidance is to verify the item before paying or sending a deposit. Ask for a photo that would be difficult to lift from another listing, such as the item beside a handwritten note with today’s date, or a close-up of the specific damage described. If the seller cannot manage that, the deposit is the whole transaction as far as they are concerned.

Shipping scams where the item never arrives

What it looks like. The seller cannot meet because they have moved, are working away, or are shipping on behalf of a relative. They will arrange delivery, but they want payment outside Facebook first. Tracking either never appears or belongs to a different package.

The tell. Any seller offering shipping while refusing checkout on Facebook is removing the only part of the transaction that could get your money back. Meta says Purchase Protection covers eligible purchases made with checkout on Facebook, and does not cover in-person cash payments or other person-to-person payments.

What to do. If the item has to ship, insist on checkout on Facebook and read what the protection actually covers for your order before paying. The FTC’s advice on buying from any online marketplace is to check the site’s refund policy first, confirm the protection applies to your seller and your item, and pay with a credit card because of its legal protections.

Rental and apartment listing scams

What it looks like. A flat priced well below the rest of the area, photographs that look professional, and a landlord who is out of town but happy to arrange a self-guided tour or hold the place for a deposit.

The tell. The listing has usually been copied. FTC reports show scammers take real listings, change the contact details, and repost them elsewhere at a lower price, and many renters later discover the property was for sale rather than for rent.

Since 2020, people have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams to the FTC with about $65 million in losses and a median reported loss of $1,000. In the 12 months to June 2025, about half of people reporting a rental scam said it started with a fake ad on Facebook.

Renters aged 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money this way, and many said they were targeted in Facebook groups students use to find housing near campus.

What to do. Search the street address on its own. If the same property appears at a different price, under different contact details, or listed for sale, walk away. Do not send a Social Security number, a driver’s licence photo, or a credit score screenshot before you have agreed to rent. See the property in person, or send someone you trust, before any money moves.

Vehicle scams

What it looks like. A car priced thousands below anything comparable, with a seller who is deployed overseas, relocating for work, or selling on behalf of a late relative. They offer an escrow service or a shipping company that will hold your money until the car arrives, and they send you a link to it.

The tell. The seller supplies the escrow site. ProPublica documented sellers falsely claiming eBay’s Vehicle Purchase Protection applies to a Marketplace deal and forging paperwork to match, when that programme only covers vehicle purchases made on eBay’s own platform. ProPublica also found the same vehicle listed across multiple states, so searching the exact year, make, and model text is worth a minute.

What to do. Never buy a vehicle you have not seen and inspected. If you want escrow, choose the provider yourself and type the address in rather than following a link from the seller. Treat a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift card request as the end of the conversation.

Counterfeit goods and counterfeit cash

What it looks like. On the buying side, popular brands at a fraction of retail, arriving as convincing fakes. On the selling side, the money itself is the fake. Mission RCMP warned in April 2026 about a buyer who paid a seller for a laptop and tablet with an envelope of counterfeit $50 notes, every one carrying the same serial number and a poorly attached metallic strip.

The tell. For goods, the price sits far below every legitimate listing and the seller cannot answer a specific question about the model. For cash, a stack of identical denominations handed over in an envelope at the moment you are focused on the item.

What to do. The RCMP asks sellers to verify the authenticity of payment before handing over the item, which means counting and checking the notes in front of the buyer rather than after they have gone. For goods, compare against the same model, age, and condition elsewhere before you accept that a price is simply a bargain.

Buyer scams and seller scams

Everything above this line is a buyer scam, run against the person handing over the money: the deposit before viewing, the item that never ships, the fake rental, the counterfeit note. If you are buying, those are the ones to know.

The rest of this section runs the other way, against the person selling.

Scams aimed at sellers

What it looks like. A buyer who never asks a question about the item, agrees to your price immediately, refuses to meet, and takes over the logistics. Common variants include a prepaid shipping label they supply themselves, a request that you post the item before the payment shows up, and a push to keep talking somewhere other than Messenger.

The tell. A buyer who is uninterested in the item but very interested in how it will be paid for and delivered. ProPublica lists moving off Messenger as a red flag for both sides of a deal, and Meta recommends keeping the conversation on Facebook and Messenger because activity elsewhere is harder to track.

What to do. Arrange your own shipping through checkout on Facebook so the label, the tracking, and the address belong to the transaction rather than to the buyer. Ship nothing until the payment has cleared into your bank account. Answer in Messenger and keep it there.

What it looks like. A link that takes you to something resembling a Facebook login, a payment page, or a courier tracking site, sent to confirm your identity, release your money, or complete a purchase.

The tell. Meta lists phishing, link manipulation, and smishing among the scams running on Marketplace, and describes link manipulation as messages containing “a link to a fake site that looks like the official business.” A hacked account is part of the same pattern: an established profile with real history that suddenly avoids Messenger and directs you to an outside site.

What to do. Reach any page through the app or by typing the address yourself. If you have entered credentials into a page a stranger sent you, change that password immediately and turn on two-step verification.

Meetups that turn into robberies

What it looks like. The buyer or seller wants to meet at a home, a quiet car park, or somewhere with no one around, and often at night.

The tell. Resistance to a public location is the signal on its own. Portland Police Bureau said in June 2026 that its Major Crimes Unit had investigated at least ten incidents since the start of that year in which online marketplace transactions turned into robberies or other crimes.

What to do. Portland Police recommend meeting in a well-lit public place with people nearby, using a designated safe exchange zone such as a police station car park, and researching the other person before agreeing to anything. Some large items have to be collected from a home. In that case, tell someone where you are going, bring another person, and leave if the situation feels wrong.

The seven checks that apply to every listing

These work regardless of which scam is being run.

1. Keep the conversation in Messenger

Be careful when someone quickly asks to move to text, email, WhatsApp, or another account. Meta recommends keeping the conversation on Facebook and Messenger because moving it elsewhere makes suspicious activity harder to track.

Do not contact a separate relative, courier, or payment agent unless you can independently confirm who they are and why they are involved.

2. Make the seller prove the item exists

Ask for one current photo that would be hard to copy from another listing. For example:

  • a chair photographed from underneath
  • a laptop showing its model information screen
  • a bike beside a handwritten note with today’s date
  • a close-up of the damage mentioned in the description

Search the listing images with Google Lens or another reverse-image tool. A reused image is not automatic proof of fraud, but it means you need stronger evidence before travelling or paying.

3. Compare the price with real alternatives

A low price is a reason to check more carefully, not a reason to panic-buy. Compare the same model, age, condition, and included parts. A damaged or incomplete item can legitimately be cheap.

Walk away when the seller uses the price to create pressure but will not answer basic questions about the item.

4. Check the seller’s story

Read the profile, ratings, other listings, and Marketplace activity available to you. Then ask simple questions:

  • How long have you owned it?
  • Why are you selling it?
  • What is damaged or missing?
  • Can I test or inspect it before paying?
  • Is the pickup suburb shown in the listing correct?

Look for contradictions, not a perfect profile. A new account is not proof of fraud. A new account, copied photos, pressure, and a payment request together are a strong reason to stop.

5. Never share a verification code

Nobody needs a code sent to your phone to prove that you are real. That code may unlock your email, social account, payment account, or a new account created with your number.

Do not read it out, send a screenshot, or type it into a link the other person provides.

6. Inspect before you pay

For a local purchase, check that the item is real, matches the listing, and works before handing over money. Meta specifically advises buyers to inspect items closely before completing an in-person transaction.

For valuable items, meet in a public place when practical and bring another person.

7. Check what protects the payment

Do not assume a familiar payment app will refund you. The FTC warns that scammers prefer payment methods that are hard to reverse, including wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, and payments made outside a marketplace’s system.

Meta says Purchase Protection covers only eligible purchases made with checkout on Facebook. Read the protection shown for your exact transaction before paying.

A message you can send before meeting

Copy this and replace the brackets:

Hi, I’m interested in the [item]. Before I travel, could you confirm the exact model, any damage or missing parts, and the pickup suburb? Could you also send a current photo of [specific angle or screen]? I would like to inspect and test it before I pay.

A genuine seller may be busy or brief. You are checking whether they answer the actual questions and can provide evidence, not whether they write a perfect reply.

If you have already paid a scammer

Stop communicating and send nothing further. Save the listing, profile, messages, receipts, and payment details before anything disappears.

Then:

  1. Report the listing or account to Facebook.
  2. Contact the payment provider or card issuer immediately and ask about stopping or disputing the payment.
  3. Change any password connected to a code or login you shared, and turn on two-step verification.
  4. In the United States, report the fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Elsewhere, use your national fraud-reporting service.
  5. Contact local police if you were threatened, robbed, or believe the item is stolen.

What Spottable can check

Spottable checks a listing’s price against what that model and condition usually sell for, and flags details in the description that do not add up. It cannot tell you who a seller really is, and it cannot make a meetup safe.

Check a listing on iPhone or in Chrome.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Facebook Marketplace scams?

The recurring ones are payment app scams using Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App, the fake payment confirmation and overpayment scam, the Google Voice verification code scam, deposits taken before you have seen the item, shipped items that never arrive, fake rental listings, vehicle scams built around fake escrow services, counterfeit goods, and counterfeit cash handed over at a meetup.

Is Cash App safe for Facebook Marketplace?

A person-to-person transfer in any payment app behaves like cash, so treat it as money you cannot get back. Read the protection terms published by the app you are using, check whether your specific payment type is covered, and prefer a credit card or an in-app checkout that documents a dispute process when you cannot inspect the item first.

Why do Facebook Marketplace buyers ask for a verification code?

They are running the Google Voice verification code scam. The FTC says scammers target people selling items online, send a code to your number, and ask you to read it back so they can create a Google Voice number in your name and use it on their next victim. Never share a code you did not ask for.

Does Facebook Marketplace Purchase Protection cover every payment?

No. Meta says only eligible purchases made with checkout on Facebook are covered. In-person cash payments and other person-to-person payments are not eligible. Check the protection shown for your exact transaction before paying.

How do I report a scam on Facebook Marketplace?

Report the listing and the seller or buyer inside Facebook, contact your bank or payment provider straight away and ask whether the payment can be stopped or disputed, and save the listing, profile, and messages before they disappear. In the United States, report the fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Elsewhere, use your national fraud reporting service.