Old craigslist fraud turning up on Facebook Marketplace
One of the oldest scams on craigslist, if not the oldest, is exactly what’s called the fake check scam. A seller will list a product for sale on the questionable classifieds website then they’ll get a look for more than the amount they’ve asked for. The scammer will state the overpayment is for shipping expenses and will ask the seller to return any cash over the asking price to be sent back to them. The seller will transfer the check and usually wire the loan back to the scammer. The check then turns out to be a phony which ends up leaving the seller on the hook for the amount of the check with their bank.
More recently a comparable scam has been appearing on Facebook Market. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that this new twist on the old rip-off has declared a couple of victims in Georgia. Instead of sending a bogus look for more than the asking cost, the fraudster is now said to be asking for the seller’s savings account information so the funds can be transferred digitally. When again, the cash transfer turns out to be a phony deal so not just does the scammer have your loan but they have your bank information as well which puts you at risk for future frauds like identity theft.
Any online marketplace worth its salt will inform you that if something appears too good to be real it usually is. If you go to the main page of Facebook Market it offers no such caution. If you search for any tips or suggestions on how to handle dishonest buyers or sellers on Market you really have to understand exactly what you’re looking for in Facebook’s maze-like structure of resources. There’s no connect to click from the Marketplace page. Instead, you have to sign up with a different community about Marketplace then want to find the link that you’re searching for. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if rip-offs like this weren’t against Facebook’s vague and approximate community guidelines.
Leave a Reply