Facebook Marketplace Car Scams 2025: The Complete Checklist

Why Is Facebook Marketplace a Scammer's Paradise?

Facebook's combination of weak seller verification and user trust creates perfect conditions for fraud. Unlike eBay or Cars.com, Facebook doesn't verify seller identity, check vehicle ownership, or provide meaningful buyer protection for high-value transactions. Yet buyers assume the social context implies legitimacy.

The platform's design works against buyers. Scammers create profiles with photos, friends, and history— all easily faked. Buyers see what looks like a real person and lower their guard. The messenger-based communication feels personal and trustworthy, exactly what scammers exploit.

Facebook's enforcement is reactive and slow. Scam listings often run for weeks before removal. Even after reporting, similar listings reappear from new accounts. The platform's scale makes proactive policing impossible, so buyers must protect themselves.

What Is the Advance Fee / Deposit Scam?

The most common Facebook car scam asks you to pay a deposit before seeing the vehicle. The scammer posts an attractive car at a below-market price. When you express interest, they explain they're "holding it" for you but need a deposit to take it off the market. Once you pay, they disappear.

The stories vary but follow patterns. "I'm relocating for work and need to sell quickly." "My husband passed away and I just want it gone." "I'm deployed overseas but can ship it to you." Each story creates urgency and explains why they can't meet in person.

The request is always for wire transfer, gift cards, or payment apps like Zelle or Venmo. These methods are irreversible—once money is sent, it's gone. Credit cards and PayPal offer fraud protection; scammers never accept them for exactly this reason.

How Do Fake Escrow Services Work?

Scammers create fake websites that look like legitimate escrow or shipping services. After you express interest, they suggest using "eBay Motors Vehicle Protection" or a similar official-sounding service. They send a link to a convincing website that steals your payment.

The fake sites are sophisticated. Professional designs, working forms, confirmation emails that look authentic. Some even have fake customer service chat. But they're entirely controlled by the scammer— there is no vehicle, no escrow, and no protection.

eBay Motors does have a legitimate vehicle purchase program, but it only applies to vehicles listed on eBay's platform. It never extends to Facebook Marketplace transactions. Any seller claiming "eBay protection" for a Facebook sale is running a scam.

What Are the Military Deployment and Inheritance Scams?

These emotional manipulation scams use patriotism or sympathy to lower your guard. The military version claims the seller is deployed overseas and needs to sell their car back home. The inheritance version involves a widow, elderly parent's estate, or deceased family member's vehicle.

Both stories explain why the seller can't meet in person or show you the vehicle. They offer to ship it to you, handle payment through a "secure" third party, and provide documentation after delivery. The price is always well below market—they "just want it gone" or "don't need the money."

Real military members selling vehicles do so through on-base programs, trusted family members (who can meet you in person), or they wait until they return. Real estate executors use attorneys or consignment dealers. Nobody legitimate sells a $15,000 car sight-unseen to a stranger online.

How Do You Verify a Seller Before Meeting?

Start with the Facebook profile itself. Click the seller's name and examine their history. When was the account created? (Settings > About > Contact and basic info shows join date). A profile created in the past few months is suspicious for high-value sales.

Check friends and interactions. Real people have real friends with comments, tags, and shared history. Scam profiles have few friends, no tagged photos, and minimal activity. The profile might have posts, but examine whether they show a real life or are just filler content.

Reverse-image search the profile photo and listing photos. Go to images.google.com, upload the photos, and see if they appear elsewhere online. Scammers steal photos from other listings, dealer websites, or social media. If the car photos appear on other sites with different sellers, it's fraud.

Request a video call before meeting. Ask the seller to walk around the car while on video, showing the exterior, interior, and VIN plate. A legitimate seller agrees—it takes five minutes. A scammer makes excuses because the car doesn't exist.

What Are Safe Payment Methods for Facebook Car Purchases?

Cash is king for private party sales. Yes, carrying $15,000 in cash feels uncomfortable. But it's the safest method because the transaction happens at title transfer. You hand over cash; they hand over signed title. Meet at a police station or bank lobby for security.

Cashier's checks work if verified properly. Get the cashier's check from your bank, not theirs. Meet at your bank branch and have the teller verify the check clears before handing over the title. This takes 30 minutes but eliminates check fraud risk.

Escrow services you choose (not the seller) provide protection for both parties. Escrow.com is legitimate; random websites the seller suggests are not. You should select and initiate the escrow— if the seller insists on "their" escrow service, walk away.