Facebook Marketplace Scams to Avoid

Quick answer

Stop when a buyer or seller pushes the conversation off Facebook, demands a deposit before inspection, sends a payment screenshot instead of cleared funds, asks for a verification code, overpays, or insists on gift cards, crypto, or an unfamiliar shipping service.

What this means

Marketplace scams target both buyers and sellers. The story changes, but the pressure pattern is consistent: urgency, unverifiable payment, an off-platform link, sensitive information, or a transaction that cannot be reversed.

Facebook changes labels and rolls out account features gradually. The exact wording on your device can differ from screenshots or older guides, but the underlying task should remain inside the official app, facebook.com, or Accounts Center. Read the page that appears on your own account instead of forcing a menu path that is no longer present.

Step-by-step

1. Review the other person's profile, listing history, price, photos, and communication pattern.
2. Keep early messages in Messenger and refuse links that ask you to sign in or upgrade a payment account.
3. Inspect local items before payment and confirm received funds inside your own bank or payment app.
4. Do not share email or phone verification codes, even if the person says they prove you are real.
5. Stop communication, preserve evidence, report the profile or listing, and contact the payment provider quickly if money was sent.

Checks before you continue

• Payment screenshots and emails can be forged.
• An overpayment followed by a refund request is a common seller-targeted scam.
• Eligible onsite checkout protection does not automatically cover local cash or off-platform payments.
• Rental, vehicle, ticket, and shipped-item deposits deserve extra scrutiny.

Common reasons it does not work

• A compromised long-standing account can look more trustworthy than a new scam profile.
• A copied listing can use real photos and descriptions.
• Moving quickly to text or email makes platform reporting and investigation harder.

If the result is different from what this guide describes, stop and note the exact message. Try the desktop website if the app hides a setting, update the app if a menu is incomplete, and use a familiar device for identity or recovery checks. Avoid repeating the same request many times because temporary rate limits can make diagnosis harder.

Safety and privacy notes

Keep early conversations on Facebook, inspect high-value items before paying, and stop if the other party demands gift cards, crypto, a verification code, or an unexplained deposit.

Never use remote-access software or share a screen with an unknown “support agent.” Facebook does not need your password, two-factor code, gift card, or cryptocurrency payment to complete a normal account setting. When a permanent action is involved, keep an independent backup of the information and access records you may need later.

Official source

Review Facebook Help Center: About scams on Marketplace for the latest labels and eligibility rules. This guide explains the process in plain language, but the options displayed by Facebook for your account are the final authority.