Facebook Marketplace scammer asking for deposits, taking off with the cash, Vancouver business owner warns
The owner of a vintage furniture store in Vancouver’s Chinatown is warning about a Facebook Marketplace scammer who’s asking buyers for deposits and taking off with the cash.
Liliana Faisca sources much of the inventory at Relove Furniture online. When she spotted two items on the popular buy-and-sell platform that would appeal to her eclectic clientele, she messaged the seller.
“They didn’t even ask me at first for a deposit. It was a little bit later on they were like, 'Oh I’m getting so much interest in the item, would you mind sending a deposit, and that way I could mark it sold for you,'” Faisca tells CTV News. .
It’s a request she says is common on Facebook Marketplace.
“I’ve probably send over a hundred different deposits in the past, and it’s never been an issue,” Faisca said.
So she e-transferred $100 to the seller as a deposit for the $450 items. The day before she was supposed to pick them up, the seller’s Facebook page disappeared. When Faisca called the cell number she’d been given and it was out of service, she realized she’d been scammed.
“It wasn’t a great feeling,” she said. Faisca got her $100 back after disputing the e-transfer through her bank. And she posted to Instagram to warn others in the vintage community about the scammer.
That’s when she learned she wasn’t the only victim.
“All the comments are filled with people that have been scammed by the same person,” she said.
That doesn’t surprise Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison.
“They are slippery, they’re prolific. They succeed because they’re able to dupe people. They ghost them and change their identities,” he said.
That’s why police warn against sending deposits to hold items being advertised on digital marketplaces.
“If you’ve got someone who’s pressuring you to e-transfer you the money or give money before you’ve met them or seen the product – that’s a red flag. And it’s somebody you shouldn’t do business with,” Addison said.
Faisca has become far less trusting of sellers on Facebook Marketplace.
"I’m definitely more diligent in looking at the person’s online profile and verifying if it’s a legitimate purchase,” she said.
The small business owner recommends buyers check to see how long a profile has been active, what else the person has sold and to ask for a video of the item they’re interested in, to prove it actually exists.
After doing her due diligence, Faisca says for the right vintage item, she’ll still send a deposit.
“After that happened to me I was definitely more hesitant to send deposits to people,” she said. “But I also realized I was missing out on a lot of great pieces that then I would see somebody else had. And I was like, well, no risk, no reward, right?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives, NDP should be 'celebrating' EV deals: industry minister
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne says federal opposition parties should be 'celebrating' the recently announced electric vehicle deals, despite their criticisms the Liberals refuse to make public the terms and conditions laid out in the contracts.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Banking mogul suing government after intelligence leaks leave him shut out of Canadian economy
Chinese Canadian banking mogul Shenglin Xian has launched a $300 million lawsuit against the federal government. It’s a means to find the source of intelligence leaks which Xian says has cost him his livelihood.
His SUV was stolen on Montreal's South Shore. Then he got a $156 parking ticket
A couple is frustrated after their SUV was stolen from Montreal's South Shore in March and they received a parking ticket for the same vehicle last week.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs abuse allegations: A timeline of key events
In the six months since singer Cassie filed a lawsuit against Sean Combs, a wave of similar cases and public allegations against one of the most influential music moguls of the past three decades have occurred.
Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit June 8 unless there's new war plan
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s three-member War Cabinet, threatened on Saturday to resign from the government if it doesn't adopt a new plan in three weeks' time for the war in Gaza.