The Facebook Marketplace is a great way to get rid of your old junk and make a few bucks, or pick up awesome finds at discounted prices. Unfortunately, some people are ready to rob you, cause drama and ruin sellers’ good names.
Last week the Krugersdorp Police’s spokesperson Captain Raymond Sebonyane issued a warning that there had been an increase in fraud cases being opened by complainants who had bought items on Facebook, deposited the money but never received their purchases.
He shared some tips on how to protect oneself:
• Always exchange at the same time; never give someone an item and allow them to make payments later. Exchanging the money and the item at the same time is always your best bet.
• Do research about the seller.
What to look out for:
• Does the person live in your area? If they are on a local sales page but don’t live near you that is a red flag.
• Do they have a lot of friends or just a few? Scammers tend to have either just a few friends, or a lot of friends with names that sound made-up.
• Do a quick reverse image search on their profile picture. If it comes up as someone else, you know you are dealing with a scammer.
• No personal picture is a bad sign too. If their profile picture is of a car, flower or some inanimate object be wary, especially if they exhibit other signs of being a scammer.
