Scams are rampant on Facebook marketplace as of recently, even we are baited into it at some point. Whether we can bawl about it, we decided to move on forward and give tips on how to avoid getting scammed on Facebook.
One of the great joys of going to a Facebook marketplace is you’ll never know what you’re gonna get— and you also don’t know what you will encounter and thus, scammers thrive within these waters.
Luckily, you found this article. In this article, we will expose a well-known scammer in the name of Glenn Mayor. We’ve been scammed PHP 2,000 with this guy, and as an avid buy and sell finder, this is our first scam transaction for almost five years, so we’ve seen better days.
So this guy by the name of Glenn Mayor (his Facebook account is here) recently scammed us (the writer, specifically) of the said amount in exchange for a supposed Infinix mobile unit. This is not the writer’s first rodeo with buying and selling through Facebook marketplace — and has since been unresponsive after we made the deal. The supposed ‘Lalamove rider’ has been inactive through his phone number under the alias ‘Eduardo Gacita’ or he just used an old transaction, we assumed he’s just using the poor rider’s picture to his evil schemings.
We managed to temporarily disable his GCash account with the number 09919150849. We will share some of the photos he used to scammed us. But for the meantime, here’s some tips to avoid being the next victim of a scamming.
Step 1: Ask for a videochat.
This is the most essential thing when doing a deal with a stranger, ask for a videochat and insist that you should see his face and the item he/she is selling. Don’t send money if you aren’t sure about it, trust your gut instinct.
Step 2: Make sure the courier is legit also.
Now the seller is seemingly real, now what? Make sure the courier is legit by calling him/her and requesting a video chat, if they refuse to do so — avoid it immediately.
Step 3: Make sure to ask for more pictures.
If they can’t provide any more pics, it’s highly possible that it is a scam.
Step 4: Do a background check on the seller.
The most important of all before making a deal, do a background check, ask for his full name and search through Facebook and other sites to see if there’s any complaints about him/her being a scammer.
Step 5: If scammed, here are the things you can do.
If scammed through GCash, quickly go to the help section and file a ticket with your complaint, also don’t forget all the screenshots to your convo and transactions to reach a seamless chat with the agent. If scammed using a bank, contact the hotline of your preferred bank.
Lastly, don’t get too excited while on a deal because it can impair your decision making leading to lowering your guard down and ultimately, being vulnerable to being scammed.
Then, while it may look a bit hassle, file a complaint to your nearest police station so that your bank/GCash will disable that recipient’s account. Wait for a few days and you should get your money back.
Keep on track of the latest scammers through the SCAMMER ALERT facebook group so you will avoid them and never encounter such horrible experiences by then. But then, here’s to safe buy and sell experience on Facebook.
