Greg's Corner

Marketplace scam could send angry strangers to your home

By Greg Collier

Typically, when we discuss scams carried out through Facebook Marketplace, they’re the ones that plague a lot of online marketplace platforms. Of course, there’s the fake check/overpayment scam. Lately, the Google Voice verification scam has been popular on Marketplace. There have also been a number of rental scams, just to name a few. Now, a new scam has been reported that could have unintended consequences for all victims involved.

According to a report out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, scammers are hijacking the Facebook accounts of their victims through phishing attacks. The report states specifically that the scammers are posing as old friends that you may not have heard from in a while. However, the scammers use the hijacked accounts to place items for sale on Marketplace that didn’t actually exist. While some of the items have been mundane, like furniture, other listings have been advertising purebred puppies.

As we have seen with previous puppy scams, scammers will often list a fake address to make their scam seem more legitimate. This has led to victims showing up to homes where they think they’re about to get a puppy, only to be turned away in disappointment. While some victims understood the situation, others have become angry at the people living at the address listed, thinking that the residents are part of the scam.

If scammers are collecting money through apps like Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle, they could be sending their victims to the address of a person with a hijacked Facebook account. This scam could potentially lead to a violent encounter.

The best way to protect yourself is to keep your Facebook account secure. Consider making your account private to your friends and family only. Use a password that can’t be guessed easily. For that, you can use a password generator service. Even most modern web browsers have a password manager built in. Lastly, you should enable two-factor authentication on your Facebook account. This means there would be a two-step process into signing in to your Facebook account.

While none of these methods are foolproof, they do go a long way in keeping your digital life secure.

Video: Stolen Facebook account posts fake ads, sends strangers to woman’s doorstep