Facebook Marketplace Scams Every Seller Should Know

Facebook Marketplace scams for sellers tend to follow a few recognizable scripts. A buyer "accidentally" overpays and asks for the difference back. A screenshot or an email stands in for a payment that never happened. A courier, a mover, or a prepaid shipping label appears that you never asked for. Someone wants the verification code that just arrived on your phone, or pushes the chat to text or email. The defense barely changes: confirm payment inside your own account, never send money or codes to a buyer, and keep negotiating on Facebook. Below, each scam is broken down with what Meta and the FTC say about it, replies you can copy, and a recovery plan if one already worked.

How Facebook Marketplace Scams for Sellers Usually Work

Meta's help page on scams on Facebook Marketplace organizes the threats into communication red flags, payment scams, and phishing attempts that go after codes, passwords, and financial details. Seller-side scams often combine two or more. A typical sequence: the buyer builds a little trust, adds urgency, moves the chat somewhere Meta can't see it, and then makes the ask.

It helps to know what the scammer needs from you, because it's nearly always one of three things:

• Your item without real payment. Fake screenshots, fake payment emails, checks that bounce later, and grab-and-go meetups all end with the item gone and nothing in your account.
• Your money. Overpayment refunds, mover and courier fees, and gift-card requests turn you from the person getting paid into the person paying.
• A key to something of yours. A verification code, a login, a card number, or your personal phone number opens doors the scammer can keep using after your listing is gone.

Once you see marketplace seller scams through that lens, the cover stories stop mattering. The buyer might be deployed overseas, traveling for work, buying a surprise for a relative, or someone who has "been scammed before" and wants to verify you. The ask underneath is still one of those three.

That gives you one rule that covers nearly every case: if a buyer's plan needs you to send money, share a code, sign in through a link, or release the item before the payment shows up in an account you opened yourself, walk away. A real buyer can work with a seller who says "cash at pickup" or "I'll hand it over once the payment shows in my app." A scammer can't, because the whole plan depends on you making one of those exceptions.

Judge the request, not the greeting. Plenty of genuine buyers send nothing more than "Is this still available?", and a short or clumsy first message tells you very little. Real buyers tend to ask about condition, size, pickup times, and price. Scam buyers often skip past the item entirely, because they have no intention of owning it.

This guide covers the seller side of Facebook Marketplace. For a platform-neutral overview that also covers Craigslist and eBay, see our guide to avoiding scams when selling items online.

The Overpayment Scam and Fake Checks

Meta lists overpayment among the common payment scams on Marketplace, and it comes in two versions. In one, the buyer says they accidentally sent more than your price and asks you to refund the extra. In the other, the buyer offers more than you asked from the start and pretends to overpay, often saying the extra covers third-party movers who will collect the item. Meta's Marketplace scam guide notes that the movers explanation can itself be a sign of a scam.

Either way, the math is the same. The payment is fake or will be reversed, and the refund you send is real money from your account.

Example overpayment scam

+1 (201) 555-0187

Text Message

Hi, saw your sectional on Marketplace. I will take it at your price, no need to negotiate.

I travel for work so my moving company will collect it. I am mailing a check for $1,450, that covers your $850 plus the movers fee.

Once you deposit it please Zelle the extra $600 to the movers so they can book the pickup.

Thanks, but I only take payment at pickup, for the listed price. I don't send money to movers.

Why a check can look fine for days

Checks are the classic delivery method, and the FTC explains why they work. According to the FTC's guide to fake check scams, banks are required by law to make deposited funds available quickly, but it can take weeks to find out a check is fake. By then the scammer has whatever you sent, and you're the one repaying the bank. The FTC also points out that fake checks generally look just like real ones, even to bank employees, and that seeing the money in your account doesn't mean the check was good.

That last point trips up careful people. You deposit the check, wait for the balance to update, and only then send the "refund." It feels like verification, but money being available and a check actually clearing are two different things, and this scam lives in the gap between them. The FTC calls the online-sale version, where a buyer "accidentally" sends too much and wants the balance back, a scam outright.

Overpayments through payment apps

Many overpayment scams skip paper entirely. The buyer claims they sent too much through Zelle or Venmo, then produces a screenshot or an email as proof. In that version, usually no money arrived at all, which the next section covers. And if money really did arrive from a stolen card or account, it can sometimes be pulled back later through a dispute, long after your refund is gone.

What to say instead

You don't need to argue or accuse anyone. Pick a line and repeat it:

• "The price is the listed price. I don't send refunds or pay movers."
• "Please cancel that and send the exact amount. The item stays here until I see it in my account."

If an extra payment genuinely lands in your account, don't send money back from your own balance just because the buyer asks. Contact your bank or payment service, ask how to return it through them, and keep the item until it's settled. The FTC's broader rule applies too: never use money from a check to buy gift cards, send money orders or cryptocurrency, or wire money to anyone who asks you to.

For local sales, the cleanest fix is to stop accepting checks and money orders from strangers altogether. If a sale is large enough that cash or an app payment won't work, the car-selling advice further down covers how to handle a bank-issued check.

Fake Payment Screenshots, Emails, and Links

Meta's Marketplace scam guide is blunt about screenshots: "You should never trust screenshots of payments as confirmation." A screenshot is just a picture. It can be edited, borrowed from someone else's transaction, or show a payment that was canceled a minute later. The buyer who sends one usually adds pressure, too: they've "already paid," so now you're the one holding things up.

Meta also lists a close cousin: a buyer who asks for a refund on a payment they never made. They might claim they paid twice, or that they want to back out and get their money back. Meta's advice is to check your account before refunding anything. If the payment isn't there, there's nothing to refund.

Fake emails from payment apps

The more convincing version arrives by email. Meta warns about fake emails that look like they come from payment apps such as Zelle or Venmo and tell you to do something before you can accept the money, such as upgrading your account or paying a fee. The story might be that the payment is on hold until you switch to a business account, or that the buyer has paid extra to cover your upgrade and you need to refund the difference.

This is why so many scam buyers ask for your email address early. With it, they can send a message with the right logo and a sender name that looks close enough on a phone screen. Treat any message that makes you pay to get paid as a scam, whatever logo is on it.

Links that ask for your login or card number

Some scams skip the email and send a link to "accept" the payment, "confirm" the sale, or "verify" your listing. Meta warns that someone sending a link that requires your username and password is likely running a scam, and it describes links to outside sites designed to collect credit card or banking details. The page might imitate a bank, a payment app, or Facebook itself. Anything you type into it goes to the scammer.

How to confirm a payment

1. Leave the conversation, and don't tap anything the buyer sent.
2. Open your bank or payment app from your home screen, the way you normally would.
3. Find the transaction in your activity or balance, and check that the amount and sender make sense.
4. If it isn't there, it hasn't happened. Say so plainly and keep the item.

If a payment arrives from a name that has nothing to do with the buyer's profile, pause before handing anything over. It can mean the money came from someone else's account, which raises the chance it gets disputed later.

Which payment methods hold up best

Payment methods aren't equally safe for sellers. Here is how the common options compare on the two questions that matter: can you confirm the money yourself, and how do scammers abuse it?

Shipping and Courier Scams That Target Sellers

Shipping lets a scam buyer avoid ever meeting you or showing up with real money. Be wary of a buyer who wants shipping on an item you listed for local pickup, especially one who agrees to your price without asking a single question about the item.

The courier or mover who needs a fee

A familiar script: the buyer is out of town, so their "courier," "mover," or "shipping agent" will collect the item. Then comes a fee for insurance, customs, or a pickup deposit that you're asked to cover now and will supposedly get back in the buyer's payment. Meta's Marketplace scam guide lists both the movers overpayment story and requests to pay with a gift card among common Marketplace payment scams. A real courier bills whoever booked it. You never owe anyone money to sell your own item.

Prepaid labels from the buyer

Some buyers offer to email a prepaid shipping label so you "don't have to pay anything." It sounds considerate, but it creates problems:

• The shipment is tied to the buyer's account, and depending on the carrier, that can let them reroute the package after it leaves your hands.
• The address on the label may have nothing to do with the buyer's profile or payment, which makes a later "never arrived" claim harder for you to dispute.
• If you ship before you're paid, you have an item in transit and nothing in your account.

The safer version is boring. Wait until the payment is visible in your own account, buy the label yourself, ship to the address attached to the payment, and keep the receipt and tracking number. Payment services that offer seller protection typically attach shipping conditions, such as proof of delivery to the address on the transaction, so read your provider's rules before you ship anything valuable.

Fake tracking numbers

Tracking numbers turn up in seller scams too: a "tracking number" for the check that's supposedly in the mail, or for the courier who's supposedly on the way. Meta tells buyers to verify tracking numbers on the delivery company's own website and to confirm the delivery address and details are correct. The same habit protects sellers. Go to the carrier's site or official app yourself, and never follow a tracking link the buyer sends.

When checkout makes more sense

If your listing offers checkout on Facebook, keeping a shipped sale inside it means payment runs through Facebook rather than through screenshots and outside links. Meta says eligible purchases made with checkout are covered by its Purchase Protection, while items exchanged in person for cash or paid through other person-to-person methods aren't eligible. That protection is aimed at buyers, but it tells you something as a seller: a buyer who insists on shipping and also insists on paying outside Facebook is steering the sale away from the system that would confirm the payment for you. Checkout and shipping options vary by country and listing, so check what yours offers.

If you'd rather skip all of this, put "local pickup only" in the listing and hold to it. A real local buyer won't mind. A scam buyer who can't get the item shipped tends to lose interest.

The Verification Code Scam (Google Voice and Account Codes)

This one catches careful sellers because it sounds like a safety step. A buyer says they've been burned by fake sellers, so they verify everyone. They're sending a code to your phone, and you just need to tell them what it says. Sometimes the story is that Facebook needs to confirm you own the listing, or that the code proves you're a real person.

No legitimate buyer check works this way. Meta's Marketplace scam guide lists verification codes sent to your phone or email among the things phishing scammers try to get, and names two-factor authentication codes and Google Voice codes as examples.

Example verification code scam

+1 (201) 555-0142

Text Message

Hi! Is the road bike still available? I can pick up tomorrow.

Quick thing, I got scammed by a fake seller before so I verify everyone. I just sent a code to your phone, can you text it back?

I don't share codes with anyone. You're welcome to see the bike in person before paying.

It's only for safety and takes one second. Otherwise I can't buy.

What the Google Voice version gets them

Google Voice gives people a phone number that runs through their Google account. Google's Voice Help center explains that Google texts a verification code when someone signs up for Voice or adds a phone number to an account, that you shouldn't reply to requests for that code, and that Google employees will never ask for it.

Put those facts together and the scam is clear. The "buyer" has started setting up Google Voice and entered your phone number as the one to link. Google sent the code to you, because it's your number. If you read it back, you've completed their setup. They end up with a working Google Voice number verified with your phone number instead of theirs, which makes it harder to trace them when they use it on the next target.

Other codes scammers ask for

Google Voice codes get the most attention, but the same trick works with any code:

• A Facebook login or password-reset code can hand over the account your listings, messages, and Marketplace history live on.
• A WhatsApp registration code can move your WhatsApp account to their phone.
• An email or bank code can open the account that receives your password resets or holds your money.

The buyer may ask you to read the code aloud on a call, send a screenshot, or forward the text. Every format hands over the same key. A code belongs to whoever requested it, and a buyer never needs one from your phone.

If you already shared a code, skip ahead to what to do if you were scammed as a seller.

Why Scam Buyers Push You Off Facebook

Nearly every Facebook Marketplace scam you'll meet when selling gets easier once the conversation leaves Facebook. Meta's Marketplace scam guide treats it as a warning sign when a buyer asks to continue by phone, text, or email, especially early on, because conversations moved off Facebook, Messenger, or WhatsApp make scams harder to detect. The same page flags two related moves: being asked to deal with someone other than the person who owns the Facebook account, such as a relative, and being contacted about your listing from outside Marketplace. It also warns about buyers who pressure you to finish a sale immediately, which can be an attempt to get you to skip your usual precautions.

Meta's broader page on avoiding scams on Facebook lists requests to move a conversation off Facebook among its red flags, and Meta's checklist for buying and selling responsibly includes communicating on Facebook and protecting your privacy.

What your phone number gives a scammer

Your number is more than a way to reach you. Once a scam buyer has it, they can:

• Run the verification code scam, since the codes go to your phone.
• Send smishing texts aimed at sellers, such as fake Facebook warnings about your listing, fake payment alerts, or fake courier updates.
• Look you up. A phone number can connect to your name, past addresses, and other accounts through people-search sites.
• Keep it. A number that answered once is worth trying again, by the same person or whoever they share it with.

Our explainer on what someone can do with your phone number walks through the realistic risks, from spam up to account takeover. Posting your number in a listing's description invites exactly the out-of-Marketplace contact Meta warns about, and it keeps working for scammers long after the item sells. It's the first entry in our list of phone number privacy mistakes.

Texting a buyer without giving out your number

There are legitimate reasons to text on pickup day. You're running late, the buyer can't find your building, or they want to confirm before driving across town. You can handle that without handing over your personal line.

Ghost sends the text with your real number masked, so the buyer sees a protected sender ID rather than your number (how the masking works). If they need to answer, Reply Links let them reply without seeing your number. Credits are pay-as-you-go at about 20¢ per text as of September 2026, they never expire, and there's no subscription (pricing).

Be clear about what masking does and doesn't do. It hides your number from the buyer, not from Ghost, your carrier, or lawful legal process, and it doesn't make a scam buyer honest, so every rule in this guide still applies. Ghost is also built for sending messages, not for receiving verification codes or opening accounts on other services. If you'd rather have a full second number that can also take calls, our comparison of second-number and masking apps lays out the trade-offs, and protecting your phone number when selling online covers the other options, from platform messaging to a dedicated selling number. You can also see how sellers use Ghost on Marketplace.

Safer In-Person Sales: Cash, Swaps, and Test Drives

Local, in-person sales sidestep most shipping and payment tricks, and Meta's checklist for buying and selling responsibly includes tips on meeting in person and on taking extra care when buying or selling cars. In-person deals have their own scams, though, and they're built around confusion and speed at the handoff.

Set up the meetup

• Meet somewhere public, busy, and well lit, ideally in daylight. Some police departments set aside lobbies or parking spaces for online-sale exchanges, and a bank lobby works well for larger amounts.
• Bring someone, or at least tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.
• For furniture or appliances that must be collected from home, have another adult present, move the item to a garage or porch if you can, and keep the buyer out of the rest of the house.
• Confirm the time, place, and price in Messenger so there's a record on Facebook.

Handle cash and app payments at the handoff

Count cash before the item changes hands, and look closely at large bills. For bigger sums, meeting at your bank lets you deposit on the spot and have a teller look at the money. For app payments, the earlier rule holds in person: the buyer waits while you open your own app and see the payment. Meta's advice to always check your account to confirm a payment matters most when someone is standing in front of you, impatient to leave.

Watch for last-minute changes: a lower price once they've seen the item, a different payment method, a friend who'll "send the rest later." Any change at the handoff is a reason to pause, and you're allowed to say no and leave.

Swap and return tricks

With electronics, tools, and anything else that has identical-looking copies, a buyer can come back claiming the item is broken, ask for a refund, and hand back a different, broken unit. Before you sell, photograph the item and note its serial number. If you sell as is, say so in the listing and in your messages, and check the serial number before accepting any return.

Selling a car

Vehicles attract their own scripts:

• The test drive that doesn't come back. Ride along on every test drive, and look at the buyer's driver's license before they get behind the wheel.
• The vehicle history report request. The buyer insists you buy a report from a specific website before they'll commit. A serious buyer can run their own report, so decline and move on.
• The bank check that isn't. Cashier's checks can be counterfeit too. The FTC notes that fake checks generally look like real ones, even to bank employees, so the safest approach is to complete the payment at the buyer's bank, where you can watch it being issued, before you sign over the title.

How to Spot a Scam Buyer on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace scam buyers give themselves away through what they ask you to do far more than through how they write. This table matches the requests that come up again and again to what's usually behind them, with a reply that ends the conversation or puts it back on safe ground.

If the buyer says	What's usually going on	A reply that ends it
"Can you text me? I'm not on Messenger much."	An early move off Facebook, which Meta flags	"Messenger works for me until we set a pickup time."
"I'm sending a code to make sure you're real."	The verification code scam	"I don't share codes. You can see the item in person."
"I sent extra for the movers. Please send them the difference."	The overpayment scam	"Please send the exact price. I don't send refunds."
"Here's the screenshot. Payment's done."	Fake payment proof	"I'll hand it over once it shows in my account."
"Zelle says you need to upgrade to receive it."	A fake payment-app email	No reply needed. Check your own app.
"My cousin will handle it. Email her instead."	Contact with someone who isn't the account owner	"I only deal with the person I'm messaging."
"The courier needs an insurance fee. Can you cover it with a gift card?"	A fee scam paid in gift cards	"No. I don't pay fees to sell my item."
"I'll send a prepaid label. Ship it today."	A shipping scam or a setup for a dispute	"It's local pickup only."
"Click this link to accept the payment."	Phishing for your login or card details	No reply needed. Don't click.

Check the profile, but don't over-read it

Meta suggests that buyers review a seller's profile, where they can see ratings and reviews, mutual friends, other listings, and Marketplace activity (Meta's Marketplace scam guide). The same signals are worth a look when you're the one vetting a buyer. Meta's general page on avoiding scams also flags accounts with no friends, no profile photo, or no real-looking activity, along with messages full of spelling and grammar errors.

Treat those as reasons for more care, not proof. Plenty of real people keep sparse profiles, and a scammer can use a stolen account that looks established. The request is what decides it.

One soft signal, such as a thin profile or an odd message, is a reason to slow down; Meta's general scam advice starts there, because scammers rely on urgency. Any request involving money flowing to them, a code, or a link is a reason to stop. Meta's guidance for buying and selling responsibly says that if you see signs of suspicious activity, you should cancel the transaction, stop communicating with the other person, and report the listing or person.

What to Do If You Were Scammed as a Seller

If a scam already worked, act quickly and in the right order. Meta's Marketplace scam guide says to stop communicating with the buyer and report the suspected scam to Facebook. Before you block anyone, capture the evidence your bank, payment service, or police may ask for.

If you handed over or shipped the item

Report the buyer to Facebook and keep every screenshot. If a payment app was involved at any point, contact it through the official app and ask whether a dispute is possible. For a shipped item that hasn't been delivered, contact the carrier with your tracking number; if you bought the label yourself, ask whether the package can still be stopped or redirected. For a significant loss, a police report creates an official record that your bank or insurer may ask for.

If you deposited a check and sent money back

Call your bank as soon as you realize what happened. The FTC warns that once a fake check is discovered, you're the one left repaying the bank, so speed matters; a transfer you sent may still be stoppable if you catch it early. The FTC points people to three places to report fake check scams: the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and your state attorney general.

If you sent money, a gift card, or a fee

Contact the company you used right away: your bank for a transfer or wire, the payment app for an app payment, or the card's issuer for a gift card. Tell them it was a scam, ask whether the money can be stopped or returned, and keep the gift card and receipt. Recovery isn't guaranteed, but your chances are better the sooner you call.

If you shared a verification code

What to do depends on which code it was:

• Google Voice code. Google's Voice Help center covers this situation directly. If you don't use Google Voice but were tricked into sharing a code, its article on protecting your verification code explains how to disconnect your number from Google Voice. If you do use Voice, its article on reclaiming a Voice number covers taking back a linked number that another account is using.
• Facebook code. Change your password from the official app right away, then review where your account is logged in and remove sessions you don't recognize. Look for Password and security in Meta's Accounts Center, though menu labels shift between app versions. Meta's page on avoiding scams recommends turning on two-factor authentication and login alerts, so you're notified if someone tries to get in. If you're already locked out, use the hacked-account recovery option in Facebook's Help Center.
• WhatsApp, email, or bank code. Go to that service's official app or site, secure the account, and contact the provider if you can't get in. For a bank, call the number on your card.

If you typed a password or card number into a link

Change that password from the real app or site, plus anywhere else you've used it, and turn on two-factor authentication. If you entered card details, call the number on the back of the card to cancel and replace it, then watch your statements.

If your number is now getting strange texts

Once a scam buyer has your number, you may start getting follow-up texts: fake Facebook warnings, fake payment notices, "wrong number" openers. Don't reply, even to say no. Our guide on what happens if you reply to a scam text explains why, and how to protect yourself from SMS scams covers blocking and reporting. If strangers keep reaching you this way, it's worth reviewing the signs you should stop sharing your number.

How to report the buyer to Facebook

Open the Marketplace conversation or the buyer's profile, tap their name or the menu icon, choose the report option, and pick the reason that fits; labels vary between app versions. Report even if your money is gone, since it gives Meta a chance to review the account before it reaches the next seller. Then block the buyer.

Reporting options and remedies differ by country and state. This is general information, not legal advice. For a large loss, your bank, your local police, or a consumer protection lawyer can tell you what applies where you live.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Meta: About scams on Facebook Marketplace
• Meta: Buy and sell responsibly on Facebook Marketplace
• Meta: Avoiding scams on Facebook
• FTC: How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams
• Google: Google Voice Help