Scams, and the con artists behind them, are forever evolving and becoming more sophisticated and harder to spot.
ACM has compiled a list of current scams identified on sites such as scamwatch.gov.au, cyber.gov.au and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s website dedicated to informing people about fraudulent and dishonest activities.
Facebook marketplace scams
Marketplace users are encouraged to be familiar with the telltale signs of fraudulent activity. File picture.
- Facebook Marketplace has become one of the most popular online selling platforms worldwide, making it an attractive platform for scammers.
- Scammers may pose as a buyer or seller so Marketplace users are encouraged to be familiar with the telltale signs of fraudulent activity.
- These signs may include a request to sent an item before payment is received; a deal that looks too good to be true and requests for payments that are hard to reverse such as gift cards or unregulated payment methods such as cryptocurrency.
- Scammers are using Facebook Marketplace to advertise rentals properties that don’t exist or aren’t available, taking deposits before disappearing.
- Other scammers are using the platform to sell broken, damaged or stolen goods.
- Facebook has commerce policies and community standards that aim to regulate consumer activities.
- You can report policy breaches via its Report Seller function within the platform.
- For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/help/196126404168290
You can report scams to…
