Facebook Marketplace shipping scams: how fake buyers and sellers get your money
Quick answer
A Marketplace buyer who wants to pay with an app, sends a payment screenshot, or asks you to ship before the money clears may be a scammer. Check that the payment actually landed in your own account before you ship, and report the account at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
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Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
How it works
Shipping scams on online marketplaces run in two directions, and the FTC describes both.
When you sell. A buyer offers your full asking price, sometimes more, and insists on a payment app or a check. They then send a fake payment notification or screenshot, or a check that looks real. The FTC warns that a check can look genuine for days, and it can take weeks for the bank to flag it and pull the money back out of your account. Some buyers claim they overpaid and ask you to send back the difference. Others ask you to read out a verification code sent to your phone.
When you buy. A seller says the item has to be shipped, asks for payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app, and then the item never arrives. The FTC says that if a seller will only take one of those payment methods, it's probably a scam.
There's also a third twist: fake shipping texts or emails that push you to click a link to "track" or "confirm" an order. What the scammer wants is your money, your login or a code that lets them into your account.
Sources checked: consumer.ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
Red flags
- A buyer who offers full price without asking a single question about the item
- Payment only by app, wire, gift card or crypto
- A payment screenshot or email instead of the money showing up in your own account
- A check for more than the price, with a request to send back the difference
- A request for a verification code that was texted to you
- Pressure to ship today, or to move the chat off Facebook
- A brand-new profile with no history, or a seller who won't meet or explain delays
Example message
Hi, I'll take it at your price. I've sent the payment, check your account. My shipper will pick it up tomorrow, so please send the label and tracking number to me at [link] today. If it hasn't shown up yet, it can take a day to clear.
What to do
- 1
Don't ship until the money is in your account
Open your own bank or payment app directly, not through a link in a message, and confirm the funds have arrived and cleared. A screenshot or notification email proves nothing.
- 2
Never send back an overpayment or share a code
The FTC's rule is not to deposit a check for more than the selling price. Don't read out a verification code to someone you don't know.
- 3
If you shipped or paid, call your bank or card issuer
Tell them it was fraud and ask them to stop or dispute the payment. Paying by credit card gives you dispute rights if you never received what you paid for.
- 4
If you gave out a code or login, secure the account
Change the password for the account that was affected, turn on two-step verification and check recent activity. Reset your email password too if the same one was used.
- 5
Report the buyer or seller
Report the profile and the listing to Facebook through the app, then file a report with the FTC. Keep screenshots of the chat, the profile and any payment details.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
Scammers pick sellers from public listings, and they use what they can find about you to make the pitch feel real. Your name, phone number and city often sit on people-search sites, and they also turn up in data breaches. Serus finds the data brokers that list you and removes you from them, and alerts you when your details appear in a breach, so fewer scammers can reach you directly. See our guide to removing yourself from people-search sites.
More Facebook scams
Frequently asked
Is Facebook Marketplace itself a scam?
No. Marketplace is a real service, and scammers use it like any other place where strangers trade. Treat each buyer or seller on their own merits.
A buyer sent a payment screenshot. Is that enough to ship?
No. Check your own account for the funds. The FTC warns that fake payment confirmations are a common way to get sellers to ship.
Why do they ask me to send back extra money?
That's the overpayment scam. The check or payment is fake or reversible, and the money you send back is real. The FTC says never to deposit a check for more than the price.
Can I get my money back if I already shipped?
Call your bank or card issuer right away and ask about a dispute or stop-payment, then report it to the FTC. Speed helps, but there are no guarantees.
Sources
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