How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023) • Hacker News Board

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#121

Post by Symbiote » Wed, Feb 07, 2024, 10:06 PM UTC

masto wrote: post #58

I like to think I'm pretty scam-savvy, but it only takes a moment of the holes in the swiss cheese aligning. I saw a recreation of a movie prop that looked like a good gift idea for a friend and made an impulse purchase. Something was nagging at the back of my head and a couple of minutes later I had a sinking feeling that it might be a scam -- sure enough, a little research showed that the product photos were stolen…

In Britain you have the right to cancel an online or mail-order purchase up to 14 days after delivery.

This is not new, I think the origin is probably from disappointing catalogue ordering.

The business refusing to cancel the order would make an easy claim to reverse the payment.

https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesse...

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#122

Post by Symbiote » Wed, Feb 07, 2024, 10:16 PM UTC

jayrobin wrote: post #87

JohnnyD10 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's another red flag I've seen: buyers ask to pre-pay on the spot without having seen the item. They usually want to use Zelle or Venmo, and say they're going to have a relative come pickup the item.

Happened to me the other day. I got a weird feeling when they responded with a long message within seconds of me messaging (maybe it’s partially automated?), then when they wanted to pay upfront with Zelle and asked for my email I knew it was a scam. At that point they’d send you a fake Zelle/Venmo phishing email, saying you need to upgrade to a business account, or “login” and do something else to accept the payment…

It's helpful being outside the USA. Many scammers are easier to spot.

Profile pictures are obviously American, and often show more breast than face.

Instant replies.

Quickly ask for an unusual payment method which no local would use.

Write in the local language (machine translated) and don't switch to English if I write in English.

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#123

Post by ivraatiems » Wed, Feb 07, 2024, 10:32 PM UTC

A couple of similar, now-common scams I have experienced on Facebook Marketplace and eBay:

1) Buyer messages you, wanting local pickup, but claims they can't pick it up themselves and wants to prepay (but won't pay through Facebook or an eBay or Mercari link if provided). They ask you for your Zelle info. Then they'll tell you your Zelle isn't working and needs you to confirm it with them, you'll get a confirmation code, give it to them, and they'll have your Zelle account.

These scammers' accounts typically look legitimate but are often from other cities/countries with no relation to yours. They will engage you in complex conversation about arranging pickup but typically will disengage and block you if you tell them flatly that you do not accept prepayment via Zelle.

2) On eBay, as a buyer, scammers seem to have access to tracking numbers for nearby but not actually the same place. They'll ship things to you with an apparently legit tracking number, and when it never shows up, blame the shipper.

I have to say that I am not sure how this latter case is making money - eBay nearly always sides with the buyer in these kinds of disputes.

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#124

Post by emmanuel_1234 » Wed, Feb 07, 2024, 10:41 PM UTC

mvdtnz wrote: post #97

I got scammed on a Facebook group (not marketplace). It was a surprisingly sophisticated scam but now that I'm aware of it I see it constantly in every group that has people posting wanted to buy posts. I was searching for a hard-to-find car part. I asked in the group and got a reply saying "try this page" with a link to another Facebook page that appeared to be a business a few cities away selling car parts. The pos…

The infuriating part is how easy it apparently is to highjack dead people / inactive accounts, and use them for fraud.

Case in point, I never use FB except for the marketplace every now and then. I naturally forgot my login/password, hit the "Forgot password" option, put my phone number and... got given access to someone else's account, that they've not used in years. They likely had my number before, I guess, passing away.

I contacted FB and did my best to try to lose access to the account, starting with login out, but I kept receiving notifications through text messages, and was permanently given the option to "switch account" with no authentication whatsoever. Out of option, I ultimately deactivated the account in question, but that pisses me off because I really really did not want to alter it in any way.

Long story short, it's not a surprise Facebook is riddled with shit like that.

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#125

Post by emmanuel_1234 » Wed, Feb 07, 2024, 10:45 PM UTC

ivraatiems wrote: post #123

A couple of similar, now-common scams I have experienced on Facebook Marketplace and eBay: 1) Buyer messages you, wanting local pickup, but claims they can't pick it up themselves and wants to prepay (but won't pay through Facebook or an eBay or Mercari link if provided). They ask you for your Zelle info. Then they'll tell you your Zelle isn't working and needs you to confirm it with them, you'll get a confirmation c…

I sold a few piece of furniture on Marketplace, and had so many occurrences of "My employer is relocating me and I need to furnish my new place, I'll send movers to pick up the piece". Looking at the seller profile, it's often an account that has seen no activity for a while, and the job rarely matches the type of position that would get an envelope for relocation (e.g.: Amazon warehouse workers surely don't get a package to move to a new location).

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#126

Post by fakename » Wed, Feb 07, 2024, 10:56 PM UTC

vvilliamperez wrote: post #100

I just had a Facebook marketplace camera scam happen to me Today. Seller marked as shipped, and delivered, but my package wasn't there. After some sleuthing (I knew a guy who works in UPS) the seller put a different ship to address. So Facebook marketplace isn't doing something as simple as verifying the tracking label is heading to the right destination. Only doing E-bay from here on out. They have this problem solv…

I've had the exact same thing happen to me on ebay, FYI.

Bought an A7IV for a very good price. Seller sent a bogus tracking number. After it was delivered to not me, I got USPS to confirm it didn't match my address and got a refund from ebay. It was a pain, and I've learned to never buy from sellers without a reasonable history.

It made me very aware to how many times the best price for an item is from an account with no feedback. Ebay doesn't seem to care about these obvious scams.

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#127

Post by nothercastle » Wed, Feb 07, 2024, 11:23 PM UTC

EdwardDiego wrote: post #48

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the way. Does FB Marketplace even have any sort of reputation system? Or are you banking entirely on the age of the account? I'm a heavy Facebook user, but I avoid FB Marketplace like the plague. Just seems like a great place to get scammed.

It's a great place to get goods cheap. Stolen goods, that is.

Is seems like people selling hot goods want near msrp prices it’s pretty silly.

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#128

Post by chihuahua » Thu, Feb 08, 2024, 12:25 AM UTC

sokoloff wrote: post #43

RajT88 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get downvoted for saying this every time I post it here, but a huge number of facebook adverts are scams of various sorts. Some are as you say - you order something and never receive it. Straight up Some are fast fashion companies which get spun up quickly with slick ads and websites, which are somehow "going out of business" even though they were registered less than 2 months ago. Some are kickstarters for product…

The last of those is at least a value-added service for some people.

I don't really see it as a scam:

* I see an ad that says "do you want to buy this item for this price?"

* If I like the price, I can buy the item. I got what was promised.

The fact that maybe I could have bought the same item elsewhere for less doesn't make it a scam. Lots of things are offered at different prices in different places at the same time. That's not a scam.

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#129

Post by Anthony-G » Thu, Feb 08, 2024, 12:27 AM UTC

Symbiote wrote: post #121

masto wrote: post #58

I like to think I'm pretty scam-savvy, but it only takes a moment of the holes in the swiss cheese aligning. I saw a recreation of a movie prop that looked like a good gift idea for a friend and made an impulse purchase. Something was nagging at the back of my head and a couple of minutes later I had a sinking feeling that it might be a scam -- sure enough, a little research showed that the product photos were stolen…

In Britain you have the right to cancel an online or mail-order purchase up to 14 days after delivery. This is not new, I think the origin is probably from disappointing catalogue ordering. The business refusing to cancel the order would make an easy claim to reverse the payment. https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesse...

In the EU, We have similar consumer protections for online purchases¹: a cooling off period of 14 days where no reason has to be provided for cancelling an online purchase of products or services (I’d wager the UK consumer protections are pre-Brexit rules that remain in effect). You’re actually better off making an impulse purchase online than you are in a bricks-and-mortar store.

¹ https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/gua...

Re: How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

#130

Post by chihuahua » Thu, Feb 08, 2024, 12:28 AM UTC

gnicholas wrote: post #64

purpleflame1257 wrote: post #4

When I do FB marketplace I go cash and in-person. It lets you assess the quality of whatever you're buying.

I know others have had good success with FB Marketplace, but man I only see scams. I've posted stuff there and on Nextdoor and CL, and I get 10x the number of scam buyers on FB. I stopped even trying to post stuff there, since it was all chaff and no wheat. Kind of surprising, considering I live in SV, just a few miles from FB HQ. I'd think there would be plenty of legit users here!

I sold a handful of items on FB Marketplace. Sold in-person for cash. No problems, except for one attempted fraudster who was very obvious. People show up in person, hand over cash, take away items to declutter my garage.

I even managed to sell a nearly-new MacBook Pro for $1900 on FB Marketplace (employer let me keep it after layoff). Local buyer for cash. The buyer was super careful and had the Apple store verify everything about the MacBook.