Marketplace Buyer and Seller Scams

Overpayment checks, fake verification codes, and fake payment screenshots on sites like Facebook Marketplace.

Selling something online, on a site like Facebook Marketplace? Scammers target sellers too. One trick: a buyer sends a check for more than your asking price and asks you to deposit it, then send back the difference. The check looks real, and your bank may even show the money in your balance within a day or two.

But it can take weeks for the bank to discover the check is fake. By then you have sent the scammer real money and shipped your item, and the bank takes the fake amount back out of your account.

Another trick: a buyer says they need to "verify you're a real person" and asks you to read them a code they just texted you. That code actually lets the scammer open a new phone number in your name to scam other people. Never share any code sent to your phone, for any reason.

Also watch for a screenshot of a "payment sent" email. A picture of a payment is not a payment. Always check your real bank balance or the real app, not a photo someone sends you.

Rule to remember: never deposit a check for more than the price, and never share a code sent to your phone, no matter the reason someone gives you.