Facebook Marketplace Scams To Watch Out For in 2026
Written by
Tiffany Lew
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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While Facebook itself shows signs of decline, Facebook Marketplace is extremely popular with an estimated 491 million online shoppers buying something on Facebook Marketplace, according to Capital One Shopping. Over 51% of all social media consumers made their most recent social media purchase from Facebook Marketplace.
With the abundance of activity comes an abundance of scams. Here are suggestions experts share on tackling Facebook Marketplace scams in 2026.
Be Wary of Fake Merchandise
Does the seller include their own images of merchandise or do they solely use stock images? Is the low price too good to be realistic? Does the listing provide a detailed description?
“Scammers take advantage of those scrolling social media and trick them into purchasing items that don’t actually exist, like concert tickets, cars from online auctions or furniture for their new apartment,” said Darius Kingsley, head of consumer banking practices at J.P. Morgan Chase. “You may be asked to pay using Zelle, wires or gift cards, but don’t realize that once you send the money, you can’t get it back.”
Be Aware of Advance Deposit Schemes
Avoid sending money on items you can’t confirm exist.
Advance deposit schemes “prey on your desire to secure high-value items like vehicles or electronics,” said Amy Mortlock, vice president of marketing at ShadowDragon.
“Scammers may create false urgency, by claiming that multiple buyers are interested, in convincing you to send deposits through untraceable methods such as gift cards or wire transfers. They will vanish once they receive your payment, leaving you with nothing but financial loss.”
Verify Seller and Products
Poke around online and see if you can get more details about the seller and products. Have they sold any items before? Is the product listing comparable to others?
“Look up the seller’s website, social media channels and search for the products to make sure they actually exist,” said Kingsley. “Fraudsters may create fake seller webpages that may appear real, so do your due diligence.”
Avoid Going Off Platform
A big red flag in the social commerce marketplace is when a user asks you to go off platform. Avoid providing personal information like your address or account information.
“It can be tempting to engage with a user that asks you to send pictures or communication directly, but do not engage offline, because you will lose protections available through the platform and compromise your privacy,” said Kingsley.
Think Before You Click
How wide is your digital footprint? Do you know where it’s gone? Your personal information can easily be used outside the parameters of a seemingly simple transaction.
“Resist the urge to engage in online and social media quizzes or gift card giveaways as your personal data, like birthdays, home and email addresses, etc. may be taken and used for scammers’ financial gain,” said Kingsley.
Stay Vigilant
Exercise caution given the prevalence of scam listings today.
“Advances in technology, including the democratization of AI, have dramatically lowered the bar for creating high-quality scams,” said Al Pascual, CEO of Scamnetic. “Basically, scammers are so good that anyone can be scammed.”
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