Greg's Corner

The $150 Couch That Never Existed: How Marketplace Scammers Are Targeting Holiday Shoppers

By Greg Collier

Every holiday season sparks a frenzy of buying and selling—and scammers know exactly how to slip into that chaos.

A Cozy Deal You Wanted… and a Lie You Never Saw Coming:

You’re scrolling through your favorite buy-and-sell app when you spot it: a clean, modern sectional at a steal of a price. It looks perfect. It’s available now. And the seller is friendly, helpful, and ready to deliver. What could go wrong?

Plenty, as one Missouri buyer found out the hard way.

She paid a deposit. The seller promised delivery. The messages were polite, reassuring, and downright helpful. Then the delivery time came… and went. And the “seller” vanished. The couch never existed.

It’s a textbook example of a growing holiday scam, one built not on AI images or fake charities this time, but on trust, pressure, and buyers who want to believe a good deal really is a good deal.

What’s Going On:

• A desirable item appears on a marketplace app, priced low enough to feel urgent but not suspiciously cheap.
• The seller offers delivery—solving the buyer’s transportation problem and seeming generous.
• A deposit is requested. Usually $50–$150. “Just to hold it.” “Just to confirm delivery.”
• The buyer pays. The communication stays friendly to keep doubts at bay.
• The scheduled meetup arrives… and no one shows.
• Reverse image searches reveal the photos came from somewhere else entirely.
• The seller’s profile? Brand new. No history. No real identity.
• By then, the money has already vanished.

Scammers rely on the fact that many buyers, especially during the holidays, are eager to secure items quickly and will pay a small deposit without thinking twice.

Why It Works:

• Convenience manipulation: The offer to deliver makes the scam feel helpful, not predatory.
• Trust-building: Scammers respond politely, promptly, and sympathetically. They mimic “good seller energy.”
• Deposit psychology: A small upfront payment doesn’t feel risky, especially if the item seems in high demand.
• Profile gaps go unnoticed: Many shoppers don’t check seller histories or reverse-image search photos.
• Seasonal urgency: People want to finish holiday shopping fast, and scammers know it.

This is how honest people get fooled, not because they’re careless, but because scammers are shockingly good at pretending to be human.

Red Flags:

• Profiles with little or no history: no posts, no reviews, no community presence.
• Requests for deposits before meeting, regardless of the amount.
• Offers to solve your problem (“I can deliver!”) that seem almost too convenient.
• Photos that look polished or generic—reverse image search exposes them instantly.
• Sellers who avoid video calls or refuse to show the item in real time.

Quick Tip: If you haven’t physically seen the item, touched it, tested it, or met the seller, you shouldn’t send a cent. Deposits are a scammer’s favorite door into your wallet.

What You Can Do:

• Only exchange money in person once you have the item in front of you.
• Examine seller profiles for history, reviews, and real activity.
• Reverse-image search every suspiciously good photo—one click can save you hundreds.
• Ask sellers to send a real-time photo or short video of the item.
• If something feels off, trust your instincts and walk away.

If You’ve Been Targeted:

• Contact your bank or payment app immediately—some platforms can freeze or reverse transfers.
• Report the fraud to your state’s Attorney General’s office, the Better Business Bureau, and the marketplace platform.
• Warn your local community groups so the same scammer doesn’t hit someone else.
• Keep screenshots, receipts, and timestamps—these help investigators trace patterns.

Final Thoughts:

Marketplace scams aren’t always glamorous or high-tech. Sometimes they’re built on nothing more than a fake couch, a friendly message, and a well-timed request for a deposit. But the damage feels just as real.

In the rush of the holiday season, the smartest move you can make is slowing down. Real deals don’t demand deposits from strangers. Real sellers meet you in person. Real items exist in the real world, not just in stolen photos.

Pause. Check. Verify. That’s how you keep the Grinches from stealing your money this year.

Further Reading:

• Neosho woman loses $150 in holiday marketplace scam
• BBB: How to spot and avoid online purchase scams
• FTC: Online Shopping and Deceptive Sellers