Be alert when using online marketplaces like Facebook.
Scammers use tricks like advertising faulty or counterfeit goods or requesting upfront payments for items or deals like cars, rental properties or puppies that don’t exist. Fake giveaways could lead to people compromising their personal and financial information.
Marketplace scams can also turn into physical threats or unsafe in-person encounters when people agree to meet with a scammer in an unknown location.
Follow these tips to stay safe when buying on online marketplaces:
- Check seller profiles for ratings and reviews and be cautious if a seller’s profile is new
- Beware of ads for popular items at prices way below market value. If it sounds too good to be true, it is likely a scam
- Inspect items in person before parting with your money
- Meet in a public place ideally during daylight hours
- Don’t enter your personal details in a form that you opened through a link in an offer for a giveaway
- Keep your conversation on the marketplace platform. Scammers like to move the conversation to another platform so it can’t be traced
