Scam Examples Secria

Facebook Marketplace scams

A "buyer" wants to check you're real and texts you a code. Read it back and they can try to set up a Google Voice number tied to your phone.1

+1 (202) 555-0118

Text Message
Today 9:41 AM

Hi, saw your bike on Marketplace. Still available? I've heard about fake listings, so I just want to make sure you're a real person.1

I'm sending you a code now. Can you tell me what it says?2

  1. A buyer who wants to "verify" you. The FTC describes this exact line.1
  2. A code sent to your phone. It's a Google Voice verification code, and they want it to create a number linked to yours.1

What to do Don't share a verification code with anyone you don't know.1

Rebuilt from the FTC's description; the wording and number are made up. Checked 4 November 2026 against the sources.

Five scams, from both sides

People reported losing $2.1 billion to scams that started on social media in 2025, more on Facebook than on any other platform. Shopping scams were the most reported.2

  1. Selling: "Are you a real person?"The code trick above. The scammer can use the number to cheat other people and hide who they are.1
  2. Selling: "I've sent the money."A fake payment notice from a payment app, hoping you ship before you notice. Or a claim they overpaid and want some back.3
  3. Selling: "Here's a check for a bit more."The check is fake. The money may show up, and the bank can take it back weeks later.3
  4. Buying: "Pay me directly."A seller who wants payment outside the marketplace's own system. You lose its protections, and likely the item and a refund.4
  5. Buying: "Gift card or crypto only."Paying this way, or by wire, is like sending cash and generally can't be recovered.4

Safer ways to buy and sell

Selling

Many sites suggest selling to a local buyer you meet in person and taking cash. Don't accept a mobile payment from someone you don't know.3

Never deposit a check for more than the selling price.3

Buying

Read comments from recent buyers rather than star ratings alone, and look for photos of the actual item. An expensive item at a very low price might be fake.4

Pay by credit card or the marketplace's own payment system.4

If it already happened

  1. Gave a buyer a code: follow Google's "Reclaim your Voice number" steps to add your number back to a Voice account you control.1,5
  2. Paid by credit or debit card: dispute the charge with your card company.4 Paid another way: call the company that moved the money and ask for it back.6
  3. Report the seller or buyer to the marketplace, then to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and your state attorney general.4 Where to report each kind of scam

Questions people ask

Why does a buyer want my phone number?

In the scam the FTC describes, so they can text you a Google Voice code and ask you to read it back. They may also want other details to pose as you or open accounts in your name.1

Is it safe to take a payment app transfer?

The FTC says not to accept a mobile payment from someone you don't know. Scammers send fake payment notices and hope you ship first.3

The buyer overpaid and wants the difference back.

That's the overpayment scam, by check or by payment app. Don't send money back.3

The item never came. What now?

Contact the seller, then the marketplace. If you paid by card, file a dispute. Keep copies of every message.4

More scam examples

Sources 6
  1. The Google Voice scam: how this verification code scam works and how to avoid it (29 October 2021), Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Read 4 November 2026.
  2. Reported losses to scams on social media eight times higher than 2020 (27 April 2026), Federal Trade Commission, Data Spotlight. Read 4 November 2026.
  3. Selling stuff online? Here's how to avoid a scam (27 July 2022), Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Read 4 November 2026.
  4. Buying From an Online Marketplace (November 2024), Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Read 4 November 2026.
  5. Reclaim your Voice number, Google Voice Help. Read 4 November 2026.
  6. What To Do if You Were Scammed (June 2026), Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Advice. Read 4 November 2026.

Every example is rebuilt from an official alert and made safe, and every source shows the day we read it. How we check