Common Facebook Marketplace Scams to look out for!

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Facebook Marketplace is kind of like Craigslist, where it offers a place for people to search for goods to buy from people in their local community as well as sell items in their community.  All you have to do to use Facebook Marketplace is have a Facebook profile and selling something is as easy as taking a photo, setting the price, posting and then selling! Buying the items are just as easy!


However, Marketplace comes with a range of annoying scams, including fake items, catfishing and even hacking.

Because of the downside to Facebook Marketplace, you need to always be on the lookout for these common Facebook Marketplace scam scenarios…

- Someone will be selling authentic items at a very low price, but it turns out they’ve sold you a counterfeit.

- There are a range of dating scams (catfishing) that include someone using a fake photo to lure the desperate in.

- A family members Facebook may be hacked and a user will receive a plea from them for money.

- You’ve won! You may get a notification that you’ve won a whole lot of money, but first, you have to fill in your personal information.

- Someone is selling something but requests that you have to pay for the item first before they mail it or give it to you.

Use your common sense. If the deal is too good to be true, then it probably is! Always be on the lookout and do not be the next victim of a scam!


Contact our OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) department on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za. Alternatively, you can visit the website www.osint.co.za to find out more.

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