New City, NY – A homeowner has reported to us that several people have come to her home expecting to receive items they “purchased” on Facebook over the past few days. These individuals have all stated that they prepaid via Zelle for the items. These listings have been placed in local community groups making them seem more legitimate, consumers should do their best to verify all listings prior to making any purchases online. Below we have listed several red flags you should be aware of when purchasing items online.
Facebook Marketplace Scam Red Flags
Scammers prey on your emotions to make you think you’ll be missing out on a great sale or amazing deal if you don’t follow through on their rules. This emotional response is the basis of social engineering attacks, and they rely on you acting quickly rather than taking time to investigate. If you encounter any of these while buying or selling, it’s best to abandon the transaction:
-Low prices for what should be high-ticket items
-Refusing to meet up in person for exchanges
-Moving conversations outside of Facebook Messenger
-Asking for payment in the form of a gift card
-Requesting deposits on items before receiving them
-Asking for items to be shipped before payment is received
-Buyers providing a prepaid shipping label
-Buyers overpaying then asking for a refund of the difference
-Transactors without a profile picture
-Requests for your personal phone number or other information
