Can someone explain to me how this scam works?
Here is the outline of events:
- Scammer posts free item on Facebook Marketplace
- He just wants a “refundable deposit” to hold the item for me
- I agree, and he said he will do Apple Pay with a phone number to send money to
My question is:
- Does the phone number/Apple Pay account actually belong to the scammer? It is possible I guess, but that would be bad opsec for him. It is certainly possible he is that dumb.
- If it doesn’t belong to him, it could belong to a crypto swapper where someone agrees to allow users to swap Apple Pay for Monero or something. He makes off with the untraceable Monero and the good-hearted vendor gets his Apple Pay account dinged for being involved in a scam.
Which scenario is more likely? How would I proceed with identifying this person?
I could report the Facebook account, but that is not as satisfying as de-anonymizing the guy.
How would I proceed with this type of scam? It is common in my city.
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This is a classic deposit scam that’s been making the rounds on Facebook Marketplace. In most cases, the Apple Pay/phone number does belong to the scammer (or someone they’re working with). Sometimes they use “money mule” accounts—people who let scammers run payments through them in exchange for a cut, which makes tracing harder. Once you send the so-called “refundable deposit,” they disappear, and there’s no item.
The safest move is to never send deposits for Marketplace items—legit sellers don’t ask for that. Report both the listing and the account to Facebook, and if you already sent money, file a fraud complaint with Apple Pay and your bank.
If you want to read more about online scams and how people get tricked into them, here are a couple of resources you might find useful:
Big Write Hook
Dot Trusty
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Zuckerburg belongs in jail. One, he lied to Congress saying they had like 80,000 Security Staff (he was including all the employees). Two, I have reported multiple scammers and they leave the majority of them active after their “investigation.”
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I get items quite a lot through free listings on marketplace, offerup, and nextdoor. I have not had any of them ask for a deposit. I, personally, have only seen one basic type of scam on marketplace items. The one I would see a lot of went like this:
Someone is giving away a high priced item for free (a computer, designer bag, a rare antique piano was once posted) . They always add some sob story for why they have to part with the item and just want it to go to a good home. When you send them a message to ask if its available, they write back that they just posted it for their sister or cousin, etc. And to contact them to arrage for a pick up. Then i text the number and and the scammer will tell you that the item is actually with a moving company who wont release the item until a bill is paid, they are asking i cover the cost of $300 (this was for the piano)
For smaller electronic items they usually tell me they no longer live in my area and they now live in a different city. They are asking that i send them money to cover the shipping cost.
They usually have want me to send it by Zelle. Although i have also been told to use venmo and cashapp. When i look up the pay code it usually shows no obvious info leading to a name. I always insist on paypal and pay as a business. Which they obviously wont be interested in using.
Twice when they told me the new city they live in, i tell them “oh thats great actually, I grew up there. I can ask my mom is she can pick it up from you.” I come back and say “yeah, she said she can meet you when ever is conveinant for you”. One scammer seemed to think they still were going to get money from this somehow, so they set up a time at a walmart. I then told them my mom was waiting near the front and shes wearing xxxx, she said shes been there 30 min and csnt find you. He said he needed gas money to get there. I told him that my mom will drive to where hes at and then he doesnt need gas money. He said he doesnt feel safe doing that. So then he wanted 40 dollars for gas. I said “how far are you from this walmart? Why dont you tell me a location near where you live and she will meet you” he then relented to 20 bucks and i said that my mom can give him the 20 when he sees her. I then started asking him a lot of questions about his supposed son who died from lung cancer. Eventually he stopped responding to me.
Havent had anyone ask for applepay though.
Ha! Wow, I’m impressed by his persistence and creativity to scam you! I would figure that most of these people are just trying to get through as many people as possible and if you deviate from the script even a little they’d just move on.
Good on you for drawing out the scam a little bit more.
Hm, if it is the scammer, that would help me conduct OSINT on him. If it is an accomplice, that’d be good too.
I’m just afraid that I might try to trace the person and end up accusing an innocent person who is unknowingly participating in a scam.
I wish there was a better way to conduct my own investigations into these deposit scams. I guess the best course of action is to just report it? That’s so unsatisfying since Facebook would probably just ban the account to protect themselves leaving the perp to go on and scam again.