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How I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace (2023)

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

#131

Post by sokoloff »

chihuahua wrote: post #128
sokoloff wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Did you perhaps reply to the wrong comment? I completely agree.

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

#132

Post by sokoloff »

burningChrome wrote: post #115
meindnoch wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Sadly, we're closing our shop... :( The whole inventory is 80% off while the stocks last." Oldest trick in the book.

Back in the day, you'd see some semi-truck park in a lot and then two dudes with thick AF Southern accents would get out and tell people they tried to deliver all these items to the warehouse, but the warehouse refused the shipment (insert various reasons why) and they can't go back to Ken-tuck-yee without getting rid of it all. They said they're selling (furniture, electronics, clothing, art) it all for 80-90% off r…

I bought two of the “white van speakers” in the late 80s. They were unexceptional but okay and lasted 5+ years of heavy college and immediately post-college usage.

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

#133

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

burningChrome wrote: post #115
meindnoch wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Sadly, we're closing our shop... :( The whole inventory is 80% off while the stocks last." Oldest trick in the book.

Back in the day, you'd see some semi-truck park in a lot and then two dudes with thick AF Southern accents would get out and tell people they tried to deliver all these items to the warehouse, but the warehouse refused the shipment (insert various reasons why) and they can't go back to Ken-tuck-yee without getting rid of it all. They said they're selling (furniture, electronics, clothing, art) it all for 80-90% off r…

There's a truck I've seen that sells meat at stupidly low prices, but they're sold in boxes so you don't really know what you're getting.

They'll sell you a box of 20 ribeye steaks for only $40, but you open the box and realize that each "steak" is only about 1/4 inch thick and is absolute dog-food level marbling, completely zero intra-muscular fat.

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

#134

Post by cutemonster »

bombcar wrote: post #65
sandyarmstrong wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I wonder what the author should have done differently. Second paragraph in the article is: > I bought the camera from a profile that was created in 2017. They had some other things for sale, too. The account looked legit — lots of family photos and comments from family members.

I still think of https://xkcd.com/325/ often (bobcat) as especially when dealing with companies/individuals. You could outright scam one in twenty and be 95% perfect/good.

Or scam only when selling something expensive

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

#135

Post by ssss11 »

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…

I’m savvy too and had a similar one recently that I stopped myself at the check out. I was surprised I got so far before realising.

I clicked a Facebook link for a clothing brand’s factory outlet, which went to a site that had all the logos, a web store with correct looking products, and really great prices. Like 80% off.

I hurriedly loaded up some stuff in the cart and checked out.

At the credit card entry I realised the URL wasn’t tied to the brand’s website.. it wasn’t a subdomain, it was like https://brand.outletfactory.com or similar… still could be legit as a business partner may have been running the site.

Before entering the cc details I went to the brands website to see if there was a link to follow to their outlet site and there wasn’t.

At this point the dread set in as there was no actual link between the brand and this site despite the right logos, products and a nice looking webstore, so I googled for a scam and found people had been caught out.

I promptly backed out of the transaction and reported the ad to Facebook. I can’t remember the exact response I got but I remember being underwhelmed as if the scam ad would continue but I had been taken out of the filter.

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

#136

Post by ssss11 »

bhouston wrote: post #40

Been using Marketplace for 5 years with probably +100 items sold. Scammers in my experience usually exhibit these traits: * They have a new account, and have no Marketplace reviews. * They want it shipped and will pay extra for shipping. (While some real sellers will want it shipped, most will come by to pick it up.) * They do not try to low ball you or even negotiate. (Facebook sellers are notoriously cheap.) * Ther…

Yeah on marketplace I always do the “pick up only, cash only” thing. The scammers try to talk me into some other arrangement but if I hold to it they disappear.

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

#137

Post by hakfoo »

LiquidPolymer wrote: post #80
balderdash wrote: post #72

Somewhat tangential - but one of my friends used to buy lots of concert tickets off Craigslist - but he had one simple rule - he’d only buy them unless the seller emailed from a corporate or school email account - it was pretty simple and effective - how is Facebook marketplace worse than Craigslist

I'm curious how Craigslist is bad? I'm a regular user and love the functionality of CL. I'm certainly aware of the many scammers operating on CL but have found them to be rather easy to spot and avoid. Of course, I have a rule - always meet in person and test the item. I'm not aware of anybody shipping items in CL which is where many of these problems arise. FWIW - I collect vintage portable music players (minidisc,…

I recall years ago I tried to sell something via Craigslist (it was like a 7" LCD monitor with a serial touchscreen, back before cheap touch devices were everywhere), and someone started sending me all a whole song-and-dance of fake postal order documents and insisting I mail the device out. No.

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

#138

Post by masto »

w-ll wrote: post #77
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…

Was it the Jurassic Park Barbasol Can? I got it as an Instagram ad, $30 lesson.

That was the one. Two for $70 in my case.

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

#139

Post by [deleted] »

javajosh wrote: post #5

Interesting story - I wonder how they managed to manipulate the Paypal account of the victim. Clearly Paypal has a problem there. But the other issue is that of general lawlessness and the fact that this scammer will get away with the attempted scamming, and probably do it to other people, too. For every person like the OP who manage, somehow, to protect themselves, there are 1000 others who don't. And there is the i…

[deleted]

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

#140

Post by pasttense01 »

Gortal278 wrote: post #62
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…

It's time to move away from Paypal and use a credit card when buying online. Fraud protection with credit cards is much stronger. Paypal has proven itself bad for consumers again and again.

Paypal is available for a great many small, part-time sellers while accepting credit cards are not. Suppose you were selling some stuff and I wanted you to mail it to me. Could you accept a credit card for payment?
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