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RECOVERY

I was scammed on Facebook Marketplace or an online marketplace — what do I do now?

You're in the right place. Whether you paid and received nothing, received a counterfeit item, or were tricked into paying outside the platform, there are steps you can take right now. How you paid determines your best route to recovery.

In an active crisis?

  • Call your bank
  • Call the platform (Amazon, PayPal, MobilePay, etc.)
  • Call local police

Important — watch out for a second scam: Be very careful of anyone who contacts you promising to get your money back — especially for an upfront fee. No legitimate company or government agency guarantees recovery of scammed funds. Recovery-scam operators specifically target people who have just been scammed. Paying them is a second scam. Never pay a fee to recover money, and never give your details to an unsolicited "fund recovery" service.

Step 1 — Report to the platform immediately

Do this now: Report the seller and the transaction to the marketplace platform. Use the platform's official reporting tool — do not rely on messaging the seller. Most platforms have a dedicated fraud or dispute reporting process. Report the listing as a scam and include as much detail as possible.

  • Facebook Marketplace: Use the "Report" button on the listing or the seller's profile. If you paid via Facebook Pay, report the transaction in the Facebook Pay section of the app.
  • eBay: Open a case in the Resolution Centre. eBay's Money Back Guarantee covers most purchases made through the platform.
  • Craigslist / Gumtree / local classifieds: These platforms offer little or no buyer protection. Your best route is through your bank or card issuer (see Step 2).
  • Other platforms: Use the platform's official help or dispute centre. Look for "buyer protection" or "dispute a transaction" in the help section.

Step 2 — Contact your bank or payment provider

Do this now: Contact your bank or the payment provider you used and report the transaction as fraud. Your options depend on how you paid:

  • Credit card: File a chargeback. Credit cards offer the strongest buyer protection — contact your card issuer and dispute the charge as "goods not received" or "item significantly not as described."
  • Debit card: Contact your bank and request a chargeback. Protections are weaker than credit cards but many banks will investigate.
  • PayPal (Goods and Services): Open a dispute through PayPal's Resolution Centre. Payments made as "Goods and Services" are covered by PayPal Purchase Protection.
  • PayPal (Friends and Family) / Venmo / Cash App / bank transfer: These payment types typically have no buyer protection. Contact your bank and report it as fraud — recovery is possible but not guaranteed.
  • Cash: Recovery is not possible. Report to the police for documentation.

Important: Scammers on marketplaces often ask buyers to pay outside the platform — via bank transfer, gift cards, or "Friends and Family" PayPal — specifically to avoid buyer protection. If a seller asked you to pay this way, that was a deliberate tactic to remove your protection.

Step 3 — Report to the authorities

Report the scam to the authorities. A police report may be required by your bank to process a chargeback, and it creates a record that supports your case.

You've taken the right steps: You have reported to the platform, contacted your bank or payment provider, and reported to the authorities. You have done what you can. This is not your fault.

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This page was last reviewed: June 27, 2026.
Recovery pages are drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed line-by-line by the editor, sourced against official reporting authorities, and tested for tone and clarity before publication.