See more below about identifying and reporting potential scams on Facebook Marketplace. This form of payment is typically associated with scams. Similarly, be cautious of buyers or sellers asking you to pay with gift cards. If they’re pushy, vague, or overly anxious to complete the transaction, this could be a sign of a potential scam. Avoid sharing your phone number or email address, as some scammers might try to move the conversation outside of Facebook Messenger to avoid being reported or blocked.Īdditionally, pay attention to any red flags in the language, style, or behavior of the person you’re communicating with.
This allows you to keep a record of your conversations and helps protect your personal information. When using Facebook Marketplace, always use Facebook Messenger to communicate with the other party. Communicate Safely with Sellers and Buyers
Digital profiles are an easy way to pretend to be someone or something we’re not. It’s also pretty easy to hack a Facebook account or other user profile and use a hacked account to fraudulently transact on Marketplace or other sales platforms. Related Reading: Answers To Your Buy Nothing Group Concerns and Questions But it could be an indication of something suspicious. Some people create stand-alone profiles just to use Marketplace or Buy Nothing Groups, for example, even though they don’t use Facebook for social updates. But be especially aware of slim profiles without much substance. Some profiles are sufficient enough to suggest they are real (though we can never be sure, of course). It’s very easy to create fake user profiles and many of the fraudsters on Facebook Marketplace use fake profiles to lure in potential victims. Don’t place a lot of stock in user profiles. Others, like Facebook Marketplace, offer a false sense of security by requiring users to complete a profile. Some peer-to-peer sales platforms don’t require user profiles. Be sure a spouse or adult family member, neighbor, or friend is home with you if you must have the person come to your home to pick up their item. In all cases, we will not accept pickups when one of us is home alone. At least it limits the number of people who will ask for the information and fail to follow through on picking up the items.įurthermore, in all cases where items were picked up at our home, we have left them for contactless pickup or put them in our driveway or garage so the person is not entering our home. But we’re pretty particular about not giving out specific information until just before the person arrives. In some cases, for example, we’ve had people come to our house to pick up large items like doors and heavy carpets we couldn’t transport. You may even consider creating a separate Facebook account just for Marketplace transactions to separate your personal and business activities.Īt times it may be useful to share personal information like your address. Disclose this information only as needed and with caution. There’s rarely a need to disclose personal information about your family, personal identification information, or other private data.
Be sure to consider these when exchanging goods and services with neighbors or buying and selling secondhand with those in your community (and specifically, those who appear but may not actually be in your community). There are certain things to look out for when considering if posts and profiles are fraudulent, misleading, or dangerous.īelow, I’ve gathered ten tips to stay safe when using Facebook Marketplace and other peer-to-peer selling and swapping sites. However, as an advocate for peer-to-peer swapping and selling platforms, I thought it was worthwhile to share some Facebook Marketplace safety tips and ways to stay safe when using these platforms. I believe that by and large, people are good and the vast majority of transactions on Facebook Marketplace are genuine and safe. This is definitely not the first article of its kind but one of the deeper dives into and critiques of the media giant. Not long ago, ProPublica issued an article criticizing Facebook for its lack of due care in managing the rising crime associated with Facebook Marketplace. While consumer-to-consumer buying, selling, and swapping sites provide a lot of value, they also bear their fair share of risks when not used or managed with care. I shared several articles about how Buy Nothing groups have worked out well for us and some really helpful tips for making a bit of extra money on Facebook Marketplace. If you’ve been around the blog for a hot second, you know I really like Buy Nothing groups, Facebook Marketplace, and shopping secondhand.
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