Scammers are swindling shoppers out of money by using bad checks and money-sending apps like Venmo or Cash App, according to the BBB.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As holiday shoppers hunt for the best deals online, a new study shows how scammers are trying to take advantage of them.
An analysis by Been Verified of more than 165,000 complaints found that the fastest-growing scam in 2022 is on Facebook Marketplace.
“Online purchases from the start of the pandemic until today have become the number one scam,” Tom Bartholomy with the Better Business Bureau told WCNC Charlotte.
Bartholomy warned that both buyers and sellers are at risk for payment scams on Facebook Marketplace. He explained that scammers are swindling sellers with bad checks and buyers with money-sending apps like Venmo.
“So you go ahead and send them the money via that Cash App,” Bartholomy explained, “and lo and behold, what you bought never shows up because all they had was a nice-looking ad on Facebook.”
He suggested buyers only do deals locally and meet face-to-face to get the product.
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