A Perth resident has put up a sign outside his home to warn people about a Facebook Marketplace scam.
Scammers list fake items, including furniture and HDTVs, and ask buyers to pay a deposit to protect them.
To make the scam look legitimate, they use real residential addresses and tell buyers they can pay the rest in cash when they pick up the items.
Frustrated by scammers using his address, the man decided to take action by posting a sign outside his house.
“We do not sell any items on Facebook Marketplace. You have been scammed,” the sign says.
‘We have had over 20 people (that we know of) come to our house trying to buy televisions and sofas.
‘We don’t know why they are using our address and it is very worrying.
“We have reported it to the police and cybercrime, and you should.”
Perth residents are fed up with scammers using their addresses to scam unsuspecting victims.
They also urged victims to report the fraudulent ad and block the associated Facebook account.
One victim shared her experience trying to purchase a 75-inch Samsung 4K TV on Facebook Marketplace, only to receive the resident’s address.
They told 9NEWS the scammer asked them to transfer a $100 deposit and provided them with a BSB and account number. This account was traced to an ANZ branch in Melbourne.
Since then, more people have spoken out about the scam.
One person came forward and said the scammer asked them to transfer $100 as a deposit and gave them a BSB and account number which was traced to an ANZ branch in Melbourne.
Another person, whose address is frequently used by scammers, asked for advice and mentioned that they were considering putting up a sign saying: ‘NO, WE DO NOT SELL MATTRESSES ON FACEBOOK.’
“For the past few months, about once a week, someone knocks on our door saying they’re here to buy a mattress,” they wrote on Reddit.
‘The scammer sends them my home address (as a Google Maps image, without text) and also asks the person to pay a deposit to “secure” it, as stock is limited.
“However, people always want to pay at the time of pickup and show up at my door expecting to buy us a cheap mattress.”
‘Can we do something?’
Another person whose address scammers frequently use asked for advice and said they were also considering putting up a sign outside their home.
Last year, Australians lost $80.2 million to social media scams, according to Scamwatch.
Scammers can create fake profiles on social media, messaging platforms and apps and offer items for sale that don’t actually exist.
Scamwatch advises to always investigate the profile behind the listing to check how long the account has been active, how many friends or followers it has and how much activity it has had online.
“Be careful about the information you share on social media,” the watchdog said.
“Never send money to a person you’ve only met online.”
