Facebook Marketplace Payment Scam
Scammers use fake payments, overpayment schemes, or shipping fraud on Marketplace. Cash and local meetup is safest.
🚩 Red Flags
- ⚠Buyer wants to overpay or pay by check
- ⚠Won't meet locally
- ⚠Payment outside Facebook
- ⚠Payment "sent" but not in your account
🛡️ Protect Yourself
- →MEET LOCALLY in public places
- →CASH ONLY or verify payment in actual account
- →NEVER REFUND "overpayments"
- →DON'T SHIP unless payment verified
More Details
- “My movers will pick it up”
- “Can you ship it? I'll pay extra”
- “I sent Zelle, go ahead and ship”
- “Pay deposit to hold the item”
Common Questions
Gift cards are untraceable instant cash. Once you read the codes, money is gone in minutes. No legitimate entity ever asks for gift card payment.
Usually no. Zelle is instant and irreversible. Banks rarely refund "authorized" transfers. Report immediately but prepare for loss.
Scammer sends check for more than owed, asks you to wire back extra. Check bounces weeks later — you owe the bank everything.
Almost certainly fake. Call your boss on a known number to verify. Scammers research companies and impersonate executives.
Report This Scam
If you've encountered this scam, report it to help protect others.
Warn Someone You Know
Know someone who might fall for this? Share this warning with them.
Related Scams
Zelle Payment Scam
Scammers trick victims into sending money via Zelle through fake bank fraud alerts or overpayment schemes. Zelle transfers are instant and irreversible.
Fake Check Overpayment Scam
Scammers send a check for more than agreed, then request you wire back the "extra." The check bounces days later—you owe the bank everything.
Fake Rental Listing Scam
Scammers create fake apartment listings with stolen photos, collect deposits for properties they don't own. FBI IC3: 9,359 complaints, $174M losses in 2024.
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73% of Americans targeted(Pew, 2025)
|$470M lost to text scams in 2024(FTC)
|$16.6B total losses(FBI IC3, 2024)