In one common scam, the scam artist/buyer offers to pay you more for the item than you are asking. The scam artist then says you can mail them a check or money order for the difference.What actually happens here is that the scam artist's payment fails, but they have already received the amount you reimbursed them for the "overpayment." They may also have received the item as well.
There is no legitimate reason a person would need to pay you more than your asking price for an item, expecting you to give them back the difference.
 If you want to buy an item on the Facebook Marketplace, you must have a Facebook profile. A legitimate buyer will have a robust profile, while a scam artist likely will have a skeletal profile created recently.Some users' privacy settings may limit the amount of information you can glean from their profile. However, you'll still be able to see their main profile picture and a general chronology of the profile itself.
 One advantage of the Facebook Marketplace is that it allows you to have a conversation with your buyer within Facebook. However, use caution if you suspect the buyer is a scammer.If the buyer claims to be local but you suspect they aren't, ask them questions about local events or neighborhoods. Depending on their answers, you'll know how familiar they actually are with the area.
Don't ignore gut feelings. If you feel like something just isn't right, don't be afraid to pull out of the transaction and call off the sale.
 Secure payment systems offer protection for buyers as well as for sellers. Scam artists frequently will request to pay in some alternate way, such as by giving you gift cards.With the gift card scam, the gift cards typically have a zero balance, or were stolen and cannot be used.
Money transfer services or wire services don't provide any guarantee that the money will arrive, or give you any protection if you send the item and never receive payment.
 Some scam artists will request that you ship the item they've purchased to another country. During the time it takes the item to arrive, their payment has already failed.The idea behind this scam is that you will see that you've been paid and go ahead and ship the item. Later, the payment fails or the buyer's check bounces, and it's too late for you to reverse the shipment of the item.
You can avoid this scam by stating clearly in your listing where you are willing to ship the item, and refusing to deviate from this.
 Local scam artists may try to steal from buyers, and they can take more than just the item you had listed for sale. Be especially wary if you are selling electronics, or smaller items that can be easily taken.Refuse to meet the buyer in a rundown location or seedy part of town, and don't meet up at night.
Check with your local police precinct to see if you can meet your buyer in their parking lot or just inside the station. A scam artist/buyer who is intending to rob you or rip you off will balk at this location.
Accept only the exact purchase price.
Look at the buyer's profile.
Speak to the buyer on Facebook Messenger.
Limit acceptable methods of payment.
Ship items domestically only.
Meet local buyers in a well-lit, public location.
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