'Too good to be true': Fraud targets ads on Facebook Marketplace
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Imagine paying for a good or service online, receiving what you paid for and told you owe more money.
A local attorney tells KXAN more people are coming to him in that situation after losing money on Facebook Marketplace.
Attorney George Lobb said not everything posted on the site is what it seems.
“The ads will have a phone number that’s not the business’s phone number. It’s the cellphone number for the scammer.”
George Lobb, Attorney
This year, Lobb said he received at least a half a dozen calls about people posing as legit companies and then stealing thousands. Specifically, he said the ads target Spanish-speakers and are focused on construction-related services.
Lobb said someone will pose as a company on Facebook Marketplace, take someone’s money and call the actual company they’re posing as to then act as the customer they’re targeting.
“Weeks later, the company says, ‘Hey, you didn’t pay us,'” Lobb said. “The law says, well, yeah, technically you benefited from the service. So then you’re going to have to sue the scammer when the company files the lien.”
Lobb said one of his clients rented dumpsters for a discounted price of $5,000 via Facebook Marketplace. The ad posed as a well-known company. He received the dumpsters, but the actual company showed up later and told him he owed them $15,000 because they didn’t receive payment.
“I’ve had several clients come to me because they either have liens filed on their property or they’re threatened with criminal investigation for theft,” Lobb said.
Lobb said it is unlikely a victim would get all their money back, but he’s helped people recover some.
“They have caught a few and they are making payment plans while on probation,” Lobb said.
Ultimately, he stressed the importance of verifying a company’s phone number and physical location and asking a friend for their thoughts on the deal before going through with it.
“If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true,” Lobb said.
‘A lot of these issues arise’
Katie Galan with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said these fake ads online remain a top concern around the state.
“These person to person transactions is where we see a lot of these issues arise,” Galan said. “Once that money is gone, that money is pretty much gone.”
Galan said it’s a red flag if a person is asking you to send them money before you received a product or service.
“With these person to person sellers, we really highly encourage you to meet at a neutral location,” Galan said. “See the product in person first, before you hand over any sort of money or any deposit.”
When it comes to how you pay, Galan recommended using a credit card for online purchases.
She said people lost $1.5 million due to online purchase frauds like this in Texas. However, Galan said that number is likely a lot higher because only about 5-10% of people report the crime.
