How to Avoid Online Marketplace Scams
The Online Marketplace Risk
Online marketplaces — Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, and similar platforms — connect buyers and sellers directly, offering great deals but also fertile ground for scams. Because these transactions often involve strangers, cash or peer-to-peer payments, and limited platform protection, both buyers and sellers face risks. Understanding the common scams protects you on either side of a transaction.
Common Scams Targeting Buyers
Item never arrives: You pay for an item (especially when shipping is involved) and it never ships. The seller disappears.
Counterfeit or misrepresented goods: The item is fake, significantly different from the listing, or defective.
Bait and switch: An attractive listing draws you in, then the actual item differs or the seller pushes a different deal.
Overpayment refund scam: For higher-value items, complex schemes involving fake overpayments and refund requests.
Phishing for information: "Buyers" or "sellers" who try to extract personal or financial information rather than complete a genuine transaction.
Off-platform payment pressure: Pressure to pay through untraceable methods or move off the platform, removing any protection.
Common Scams Targeting Sellers
Fake payment confirmations: Buyers send fake payment confirmation emails or screenshots, hoping you ship before realizing no payment arrived.
Overpayment scam: The "buyer" sends a check or payment for more than the price, then asks you to refund the difference. The original payment later bounces, leaving you out the refund.
Shipping scams: Buyers claim items never arrived (when they did) to get refunds while keeping the item.
Phishing links: "Buyers" sending links to fake payment verification or platform pages to steal your information or credentials.
Code verification scam: A "buyer" asks you to share a verification code sent to your phone (claiming to verify you are real), actually using it to hijack your accounts or create accounts in your name.
How to Protect Yourself as a Buyer
Meet in person for local deals: For local transactions, meeting in person to inspect the item and exchange payment is safest. Meet in safe, public locations (many areas have designated safe exchange zones).
Inspect before paying: Examine the item thoroughly before handing over payment.
Use secure payment methods: Prefer payment methods with buyer protection where available. Be cautious with cash for shipped items and avoid untraceable methods to strangers.
Be skeptical of great deals: Prices far below market value are often bait. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is.
Keep transactions on-platform: Platform messaging and payment systems offer more protection and record than moving off-platform.
Verify before shipping deals: For items requiring shipping, the risk is higher. Research the seller and be cautious.
How to Protect Yourself as a Seller
Confirm payment before shipping or handing over: Verify payment has actually arrived in your account — not just a confirmation email or screenshot, which can be faked. Wait for funds to clear.
Beware overpayment: Never accept overpayment and refund the difference. This is always a scam. Legitimate buyers pay the correct amount.
Never share verification codes: A "buyer" asking for a code sent to your phone is trying to hijack your accounts. Never share these codes with anyone.
Be cautious with checks: Checks can bounce after you have shipped. Wait for full clearance, or prefer other methods.
Meet safely for local sales: Use public, safe locations for in-person exchanges.
Do not click buyer-provided links: "Payment verification" links from buyers are often phishing. Use only the platform's official systems.
The Verification Code Scam (Important)
A common and dangerous scam: a "buyer" or "seller" asks you to share a verification code "to prove you are real" or "to verify the transaction." This code is actually a verification code for YOUR accounts (or for creating accounts using your phone number). Sharing it lets the scammer hijack your accounts or commit fraud in your name.
Never share verification codes with anyone, for any reason, in a marketplace transaction. Legitimate buyers and sellers never need codes sent to your phone.
Protecting Your Contact Information
When listing items or inquiring about them, you expose your contact information to strangers:
Use Temp90 for marketplace communications: Where a marketplace allows email-based contact, Temp90 protects your real email from scammers and spam harvested from listings.
Be cautious with your phone number: Sharing your phone number exposes you to spam and the verification code scam. Use platform messaging where possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to buy and sell on Facebook Marketplace?
It can be safe with precautions. Meet in person in safe public locations for local deals, inspect items before paying, confirm payment actually arrived before handing over items, never share verification codes, and be skeptical of deals that seem too good. The platform offers limited protection, so your own caution is the main safeguard.
A buyer wants to send me a code to verify I'm a real person. Should I?
No. This is a scam. The code is a verification code for your own accounts or for creating accounts with your phone number. Sharing it lets the scammer hijack your accounts. Legitimate buyers never need codes sent to your phone. Never share verification codes with anyone.
What is the safest way to pay or get paid in a marketplace transaction?
For local deals, in-person exchange with inspection is safest. For payments, use methods with protection where available, confirm funds have actually cleared (not just a confirmation message) before handing over items, and avoid untraceable methods to strangers. Never accept overpayment with a refund request — that is always a scam.
Conclusion
Online marketplaces offer great deals but expose both buyers and sellers to scams ranging from fake payments to the dangerous verification code hijack. Protecting yourself means meeting in person for local deals, inspecting items before paying, confirming real payment before handing over goods, refusing overpayment refund requests, and never sharing verification codes with anyone. Using Temp90 to protect your contact information and keeping transactions on-platform add further safety. With these precautions, you can enjoy the genuine value of online marketplaces while avoiding the scams that target them.