If you think you’re wise to scams online, think again. It seems we’re actually far less educated about the dangers of being conned than we think, with online marketplace scams being more prevalent than ever.
Last year, the FTC revealed that consumers lost $770 million to social media grifts in 2021, a massive jump from the $42 million reported in 2017. Unsurprisingly, marketplace platforms are rife with opportunists looking for an easy cash grab.
Overall usage has rapidly grown in recent years as mobile apps like Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Depop and eBay have made access easier than ever; an estimated 2.91 billion people use Facebook Marketplace on a monthly basis.
“We’re all still beginners,” when it comes to these kinds of apps says Nev Schulman, the face of MTV’s Catfish, who has recently teamed up with mobile-banking app Zelle to help better educate people on how to identify and avoid scams.
“Scammers target sellers on marketplaces because the average internet sale or seller probably hasn’t done it many times.
“Facebook Marketplace probably being one of the biggest [for scams] just because Facebook has the most users.”
Schulman’s previous experience and expertise with catching fake profiles in the world of online dating through MTV’s Catfish isn’t so far removed from spotting the signs of a bad actor trying to trick you out of cash.
“If you don’t know the simple few red flags to look out for it can be easy…
