Scam collection
Facebook Marketplace scams
Facebook Marketplace scam searches are usually practical and urgent. People want to know whether a buyer, payment screenshot, courier story, or refund demand is a known scam pattern before they lose money or hand over an item.
Common searches
Why you should know this
- Marketplace fraud is usually time-sensitive, so people need a page that explains the pattern fast instead of making them decode a generic fraud category.
- The same payment-reversal story appears in slightly different forms across Facebook Marketplace, peer-to-peer payments, and local pickup scams.
- Victims often search with the platform name first, not the fraud-family name, so this collection captures that real intent.
What to check first
- Confirm the payment inside the real app or bank balance, not from a screenshot, email, or chat message.
- Keep the conversation inside Facebook Marketplace or Messenger until the deal is finished.
- Do not hand over goods to a buyer, relative, or courier until the money is truly visible and irreversible.
Where to report it
Report a buyer, seller, or listing
Facebook Help Center
Use the listing or message thread to report the buyer, seller, courier pressure, or fake payment behavior inside Marketplace.
ReportFraud.gov
Federal Trade Commission
Best for consumer fraud, imposters, fake payments, shopping scams, and phishing attempts that target U.S. consumers.
File an IC3 complaint
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
Use for internet-enabled fraud, crypto scams, account takeover, fake job offers, and marketplace scams.
Report fraud to CAFC
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Use for fraud, impersonation, romance scams, phishing, and follow-on recovery scams affecting people in Canada.
Report a scam
Scamwatch
Use for scam reporting and consumer guidance when the scam affects someone in Australia.
Official resources
FTC online shopping guidance
How to vet sellers, preserve receipts, and dispute payments when a seller does not deliver.
FTC guidance on social-media shopping scams
How fake ads and fake storefronts are used to steal money and identity information.
FTC travel and booking scam guidance
Useful for rental, booking, and travel-related marketplace scams.
Facebook Marketplace reporting
How to report a buyer, seller, or listing from inside Marketplace.
Zelle business account upgrade scam
A buyer sends a fake payment email claiming the seller must upgrade to a business account by refunding extra money first.
Trust only the balance shown inside your actual bank or payment app.
Casual sellers
U.S.
Fake shipping insurance buyer scam
A buyer says a courier requires insurance or verification fees before pickup and asks the seller to pay first.
Decline third-party shipping payments arranged entirely by the buyer.
Casual sellers
Global
Fake shipping protection escrow scam
A marketplace deal moves to a fake escrow or shipping-protection service that asks the buyer to release funds before delivery is verified.
Use only the platform's native checkout or a payment method with real buyer protection.
Buyers
Global
Marketplace payment reversal scam
A buyer on a marketplace uses fake payment confirmation, overpayment stories, or refund pressure to get goods without completing a legitimate payment.
Only trust the actual payment app or bank balance, not screenshots.
Casual sellers
U.S.
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