Facebook Marketplace scam

[Cooperjay]

Doing a lot of FB selling at the moment and dealing with the usual flakey messaging that goes nowhere.

Have had several messages of a similar type though and I'm wondering if anyone else has had this and whether it's a scam.

So within minutes after uploading a new item, I'll get a message saying something like 'hi, really interested in your XYZ. Can I just ask, is it similar to this? If so I'll buy'. This is then followed by a link to basically a list of search engine hits related to the item eg skateboard but a search engine I don't recognise? It doesn't link to a specific product. The first couple of times I replied saying 'sorry that link doesn't work but it's this one' then linking to the Amazon or Argos listing for it or similar. No reply. The third time it happened for another item when the brand and model was clearly on the listing, I got suspicious and didn't click the link or reply. I just can't understand how this scam works, if it is one? Does anyone know?

@gullablegirl

I listed something on marketplace and got the same message and the private profile sent through two links, without think I clicked them both but nothing opened, or I wasn't patient enough. I reported the profile to facebook as fake and they came back with they found nothing wrong with it....should have the option to report scammer?

@gullablegirl when I blocked them (via the message they sent) it asked me why and I selected "suspected scam" or something like that.

Had the same thing and found this thread.
I suspect they are 'farming clicks' since most of you say they didn't continue the conversation. The fact that it's automated means that they are probably bots.

There is one at the moment selling cheap garden furniture. I don't need any, but I noticed while scrolling through market place that different sellers were selling the same furniture at the same price.
So I did a bit of digging.
I messaged one of the sellers with the standard ' is this still available?' message.
They replied and gave a link to a website.
I dug around the internet for the website and suprise, surprise, it was nowhere to be found.
I did eventually find a site which is a little like trust pilot, and there it was..... complaints galore about the scam.
So, if you see cheap brand new garden furniture, think £75 for furniture which would usually retail at around £1000, then you've found them.
Currently trading under the name of Nigelmall.shop

@Emsie87 simplist answer would be to block and report the sender to Facebook. Change your fb password too. Clear its a scam/phishing for something.

The ones that always make me suspicious are those click through ads with pretty dresses and handknits from sites with names like DillyLily or RosyDoors (not their actual names, but they follow a formula and I suspect they’re machine generated). ChicWish was one such.

Reading the Trustpilot reviews for these outfits, it seems they just stop short of outright scam territory but don’t have sufficiently wearable merchandise to be proper online shops. They make it near impossible to return stuff and their overseas location means you have no enforceable consumer rights.

The irony 😂

I have had this twice today. Exact same message from 2 different people with the link.

This happened to me today! Did anything happen to anyone after they clicked the link?

Nothing happened to me afaik.

Phew! Need to do some financial stuff on my laptop but I'm too scared. I genuinely don't know how this scam works as they don't ask you to input any details....?

It’s definitely a scam of some sort but I still can’t work out how it’s supposed to work.

It's very weird! Also strange that there's hardly anything online about it.

Some people say it’s doing data collection when you click on the link but I don’t know how it works.

they maybe putting cookies on your computer?

I just had one of these and I’m fucked off.

I clicked the original link but then didn’t click into the second link.

Blocked and reported the scammer but fuck sake.

I've had that same message a lot but have never actually clicked the link as i don't want to be spammed or scammed.
Just delete and ignore.

I just don't know why it's still happening and what the actual scam is?