MARKETPLACES

Social media sales scams

Fake sellers use attractive listings to take your money and disappear.

How it can happen

Marketplace seller

“Brand-new phone - half price. Pay a deposit now and I'll hold it.”

LIMITED OFFER · PAY NOW

A seller offers an unusually low price, pressures you to send money upfront, then stops responding.

VERIFY THE SELLER BEFORE YOU PAY

Warning signs

  • The price is much lower than similar items or seems too good to be true
  • The seller pressures you to pay a deposit or transfer money immediately
  • They ask you to leave the platform or pay outside its protected checkout
  • The profile is new, reviews look copied, or the seller will not meet safely
Never send advance payment to a seller you have not independently verified.
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