By Kayla DeKraker
Ah, Facebook Marketplace…the place where you can find that quality used item for a discounted price — well, hopefully.
The Meta-run shop is a popular place for people to find everything from baby shoes to dishwashers, but is it safe? Scams on the app have been rising, and there are a few key signs to make sure that new dishwasher doesn’t turn into a new financial loss.
The first tip? Use cash only when making a transaction.
“If the buyer doesn’t want to do a cash transaction, it’s most likely a scam,” retail strategist and founder and CEO of RETAILBOSS Jeanel Alvarado warned, via Women’s World. Some may think payment apps like Venmo or Zelle are safe, but this is not always the case, especially if a seller asks for payment ahead of time. They could easily take your money and disappear from the chat.
Another common scam is the offer of “free” items. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Sellers may say an item is free and get your information, only to charge you a large fee. Product owner and marketing manager Michelle Nguyen explains, “Prominent high-value items like furniture, electronics or designer goods at no cost draw interest to these listings. The catch is that purchasers must pay for shipping or provide sensitive personal information to claim the item.”
Selling items on Marketplace doesn’t keep you from getting scammed, either. Phishing scams affect sellers and are something everyone should be aware of. A “buyer” (who is really a scammer) may send a link that is said to “verify their identity,” however once opened, it can hack into personal information, including bank account information and logins. Never click on a link from someone you don’t know!
One victim of a phishing scam named Hella Bertrand shared her frightening experience with CBC News. “[I] got messages from my bank saying that $700 had been withdrawn,” she explained after opening a link from a potential “buyer,” “and an attempt to withdraw $2,200 had been rejected did because there were insufficient funds in that particular account.”
Related: Video Game Scams on the Rise, New Report Warns
“Scams can happen to both buyers and sellers,” Facebook explains. “Some listings may also be scams. Scams come in different forms, so it’s important to know what scams are, and how to recognize them when buying and selling on Marketplace.”
One viral video that you might recognize comedically shows just how wild Marketplace scams can be:
So maybe before the “attorney general” gets contacted, take these steps and be wise with what you say, do and click on when snagging that next hot deal on Facebook Marketplace.
Read Next: Meta Says Facebook Will Soon be Filled with AI Bots
- Content: +4Share:
- Content: +1