Scammed on Facebook Marketplace? What to Do Right Now

If you got scammed on Facebook Marketplace, stop sending money and contact your bank or payment app right away to ask them to reverse the payment. Then save screenshots of the listing, the chat and your payment, report the seller to Facebook, and file reports with the FTC and your local police.

Whether you get your money back depends mostly on how you paid. A credit card or a PayPal goods and services payment comes with a formal dispute process. With Zelle, a bank transfer or cash, it's much harder. Scams catch careful people too, so there's no reason to feel ashamed. At TrustCamera we build a camera app that lets sellers show their listing photos haven't been altered since capture. For this emergency plan, we pulled together what the FTC, the FBI, Meta and PayPal say.

Scammed on Facebook Marketplace? Your first steps at a glance

What you do in the first hours after getting scammed on Facebook Marketplace matters most. Stop all payments, tell your bank or payment app, and save every piece of evidence. Then report the seller to Facebook and file reports with the FTC, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and your local police. The order matters because some payments can only be stopped quickly.

1. Stop paying: Don't send more money for any reason, and don't open links the seller sends you.
2. Call your bank or payment app: Report the scam and ask them to reverse the payment.
3. Save the evidence: Screenshot the listing, the seller's profile, the chat and your payment.
4. Open a dispute: File with your card issuer or PayPal while the deadline is still running.
5. Report the seller to Facebook: Give Facebook a chance to review the account before it reaches the next buyer.
6. File official reports: Tell the FTC, IC3 and your local police.
7. Stay alert: Ignore anyone offering to recover your money for a fee, and protect your identity if you shared personal details.

Steps 1 to 3 are the most urgent. The rest can wait a few hours, but ideally not until tomorrow. To understand how the common tricks work and spot them earlier next time, read our guide to Facebook Marketplace scams. If you paid an online store that turned out to be fake rather than a private seller, our guide on how to report a fake website covers that case.

The first hour: stop paying and call your bank or payment app

Once you realize you've been scammed on Facebook Marketplace, don't send another cent. That includes a "refundable" deposit, shipping insurance or a fee to "unlock" your payment. Stop replying and don't open any links the seller sends. Take screenshots of the chat before you block anyone.

Next, call your bank, credit union or payment app, using the number on your card or inside the official app. The FTC's guide on what to do if you were scammed says to report it immediately and ask the company to reverse the payment and refund your money. It's also frank about the odds: scammers ask you to pay in ways that make them hard to track down, and your money might be gone already. Asking costs you nothing, though.

Have the date, amount and recipient details ready, and say clearly that you were scammed. Write down who you spoke to, when, and what they said they would do.

How to get your money back, payment method by payment method

If you were scammed on Facebook Marketplace, your options depend almost entirely on how you paid. In our view, the more a company stands between you and the seller, the better your chances. Here's what to try for each payment method.

Zelle, bank transfers and wire transfers

For Zelle and bank transfers, the FTC's advice is simple: report it to your bank or credit union immediately and ask it to reverse the payment. If you used a wire transfer company such as Western Union or MoneyGram, contact that company right away, tell it a scammer tricked you into sending money, and ask for a refund. Be prepared for a no, since these payments move fast and are hard to undo.

Venmo, Cash App and PayPal

For payment apps, the FTC says to report the scam immediately and ask for a reversal. PayPal adds a formal process: under its Purchase Protection Program, you have 180 days from the payment to open a dispute for an item you never received. For a fake or an item far from the listing, you have 30 days after delivery, or 180 days after payment if that's sooner. If you and the seller can't agree, escalate the dispute to a claim within 20 days of opening it.

PayPal's terms exclude payments sent with friends and family, vehicles, and "item not received" claims for things you pick up in person, unless you paid on the spot with a PayPal goods and services QR code. If you funded the payment with a card, you may be able to dispute it with your card issuer instead, but not both at once: PayPal closes its case when you file with the issuer.

Paid a stranger with friends and family? Report it to PayPal and the police anyway. Our article on the PayPal friends and family scam explains why scammers push for that option.

Credit and debit cards

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you can dispute credit card charges for things that weren't delivered as agreed, as the FTC explains. Write to the issuer at its address for billing inquiries, so the letter arrives within 60 days after the first bill with the charge was sent to you. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says to call right away and still send the letter. With a debit card, the FTC says to report it to your bank or credit union right away and ask for a refund.

Cash at a meetup

If you paid cash in person, there's no payment company to call. Your main options are a police report and a report to Facebook. Write down the meeting place, the time, and a description of the person and any vehicle while your memory is fresh. For tickets or other items that turn out to be fake, the rule is the same as everywhere else: what you can recover depends on how you paid.

Save the evidence before the listing disappears

Your bank, Facebook, the FTC and the police will all ask for the same details about how you got scammed on Facebook Marketplace. Save them now, because listings and profiles can vanish fast. Take screenshots that show the date and time, and keep copies somewhere other than your phone, for example in an email to yourself.

• The listing: title, price, photos, description and the link to it.
• The seller's profile: name, profile link and any other listings.
• The whole conversation: Messenger plus any texts, emails or calls, with phone numbers and email addresses.
• The payment: receipt or statement with amount, date, recipient name or username, and any transaction ID.
• Shipping details: tracking numbers or shipping confirmations, even if they look fake.

IC3 says it doesn't accept attachments, so keep your original emails and copies of web pages in a safe place in case investigators ask for them later. It also helps to write a short timeline: when you found the listing, when you paid and when you last heard from the seller. That makes every report faster and more complete.

Report a Marketplace scam to Facebook

Reporting gives Facebook a chance to review the seller before they reach the next buyer. Facebook's Help Center describes the steps: on a computer, open the listing, click the seller's name, then choose Options, Report and Scam. To flag the listing itself, click Options below the listing title, then Report listing and Scam. If the seller has blocked you, the Help Center also explains how to report content you can't see.

Don't wait for Facebook's response before you contact your bank, card issuer or payment app, because their deadlines keep running. According to Meta's help center, eligible purchases made with checkout on Facebook are covered by Purchase Protection, while items exchanged in person for cash or through other person-to-person payment methods are not eligible. If you paid through Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or your bank, that company is the one to ask for your money back.

File a Marketplace scam police report and tell the FTC

You can report a Facebook Marketplace scam to the police like any other fraud. Call your local police department's non-emergency line or check whether it accepts reports online, and have your evidence ready. Keep the report number. PayPal's terms, for example, say it may ask for police reports during a claim, and your bank or card issuer may want documentation too.

Next, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. According to the FTC, reports help it build cases against scammers, spot trends and educate the public.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center also takes complaints about online fraud. According to IC3, analysts review complaints and share information with law enforcement and partner agencies as appropriate. IC3 doesn't investigate cases itself and won't send you status updates, so contact local police directly if your case is time sensitive.

You can also file a complaint with your state attorney general, the top legal officer in your state. USA.gov keeps a directory of all state attorney general offices. On the office's own website, look for its consumer protection or complaint page.

Beware of recovery scams after a Marketplace scam

People who just got scammed on Facebook Marketplace are prime targets for a second scam. The FTC warns about refund and recovery scams: someone promises to get your money back, then asks for an upfront fee or your bank details. Government agencies and legitimate organizations will never ask for money to help you get a refund, the FTC says, and won't guarantee that you'll get your money back.

According to the FTC, these offers come by phone, email, text, social media or letter, from people who claim to be with a government agency, a consumer advocacy group or a law firm. The FBI has also warned that criminals pose as IC3 staff and offer to recover lost money. After you file with IC3, don't expect a call from it: its FAQ says you won't hear from IC3 directly. So anyone who claims to be from IC3 and wants a fee is a scammer.

If you shared your ID or personal information

Maybe the seller talked you into sending a photo of your driver's license or your Social Security number, supposedly to verify you. If you gave a scammer your Social Security number and they used it, the FTC says to report it at IdentityTheft.gov and follow the recovery plan you get there. If you're not sure whether it was misused, IdentityTheft.gov has steps to protect yourself. Gave away a password? Change it everywhere you use it and turn on two-factor authentication.

A credit freeze adds another layer of protection. According to the FTC, a freeze makes it harder for scammers to open new credit accounts in your name. It's free, and you place it by contacting all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

If you shared a code that was texted to your phone, find out which service sent it and secure that account right away. Our guide to Facebook Marketplace seller scams explains why scammers ask for these codes.

Next time: check the photos and pay the safe way

A few habits make the next deal much safer. Our guide to the safest way to pay on Facebook Marketplace compares your options for local pickup and shipping. Before paying for a shipped item, run a reverse image search on the listing photos. If they show up in an online store or an older listing, they probably aren't the seller's own.

Asking for a photo of the item next to a note with your name and today's date used to be a decent test. Current AI image generators can render legible text, though, so that photo no longer proves much. A short live video call where the seller shows the item, or seeing it in person, tells you far more. Our guide on how to tell if a photo is real covers more checks.

At TrustCamera we're working on the problem from the seller's side. Sellers take photos and videos of an item directly in the app and share the check code with you. You check it for free in your browser, without an account, and see that the file hasn't changed since capture, along with the capture time and approximate location. The code can't tell you whether the scene was staged or whether the seller will actually ship. Our Android and iOS app is coming soon.

Frequently asked questions about getting scammed on Facebook Marketplace

Can you get your money back if you got scammed on Facebook Marketplace?

Sometimes. It depends on how you paid. Credit card charges can be disputed with your card issuer, and PayPal goods and services payments come with Purchase Protection if you file in time. Eligible orders paid with checkout on Facebook are covered by Facebook's own Purchase Protection. With Zelle, bank transfers, friends and family payments or cash, getting money back is much harder, but you should still ask your bank or app right away.

Can you report a Facebook Marketplace scam to the police?

Yes. Contact your local police department through its non-emergency line or online reporting system, and bring screenshots of the listing, chat and payment. Also report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, which shares information with law enforcement agencies as appropriate.

What if I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace with Zelle or a bank transfer?

Call your bank or credit union immediately, report the scam and ask them to reverse the payment. The FTC recommends exactly that. A reversal isn't guaranteed, because these transfers move quickly and are hard to undo. File reports with the FTC, IC3 and local police as well, and keep your bank's case number.

What if I paid cash and never got the item or got a fake?

With cash, there's no company that can reverse the payment. Report the seller to Facebook and file a police report with the meeting place, time and a description of the person. If you still have the fake item or packaging, keep it, since it may be useful evidence.

Is it worth reporting if I only lost a small amount?

Yes. The FTC uses reports to build cases against scammers, spot trends and educate the public. A report also gives you a record if your bank or payment app asks for one, or if your information is misused later.

Someone offered to recover my money for a fee. Is that legit?

No. According to the FTC, anyone who asks for an upfront fee or your financial information to get you a refund is a scammer. Government agencies and real organizations never charge you to recover money. Don't pay, don't share account details, and report the offer at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Do the same steps work on OfferUp, Craigslist or Vinted?

Yes, the basic steps are the same everywhere: stop paying, contact your payment provider, save evidence, report the account to the platform and file official reports. What differs is each platform's own buyer protection and deadlines. Our guide to Vinted scams covers the tricks that are common there.

Conclusion: act fast, report everything, pay safer next time

If you got scammed on Facebook Marketplace, speed matters more than anything else. Stop paying, call your bank or payment app, and save the evidence before the listing and profile disappear. Card disputes and PayPal Purchase Protection give you a real process if you meet the deadlines. After a Zelle payment, bank transfer or cash deal, the money is often gone, but reporting is still worth it.

Be suspicious of anyone who offers to help for a fee. And next time, a payment method with buyer protection, a close look at the photos and a quick live video call will protect you better than any gut feeling.