Facebook Marketplace & Gumtree Scams: ABC Guide & AI Risks
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ABC News has published a practical guide on how scams commonly unfold when Australians buy and sell on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, including clear warning signs and what to do if money is lost.
The advice arrives as national scam data continues to show large losses across Australia, with the ACCC reporting $259.5 million in scam losses recorded via Scamwatch reports between January and September 2025, and noting that online shopping scams are rising.
This article summarises what ABC reported, cross checks it against Scamwatch and platform safety guidance, and explains where AI fits in, based on Australian government and banking sector warnings.
Scammers Posing as Buyers or Sellers
ABC’s report, published on 29 December 2025, describes scams and unsafe interactions affecting users of Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree, and sets out specific steps for safer transactions.
ABC’s central message is straightforward: scammers can pose as buyers or sellers, and victims often lose money or goods when they are rushed, pushed off platform, or persuaded to trust “payment proof” that is not independently verified.
The Most Common Tactics
ABC frames online marketplace scams as part of Scamwatch’s broader shopping scams category, and points to repeated patterns that show up in real incidents.
Pressure and urgency: ABC quotes ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe warning that scammers rely on urgency and pressure, especially in busy shopping periods, and urges people to slow down and check legitimacy before handing over money or personal information.
Fake payment evidence and the “it’s already paid” push: For sellers, ABC emphasises a simple control: if payment is electronic, check your bank account to verify the money is there, and do not rely on buyer supplied transaction evidence. That aligns with Scamwatch’s own buying and selling scam warnings, which explicitly call out buyers who send a payment that is more than the agreed price and then ask you to refund the overpaid amount.
Off platform messaging and suspicious payment links: Gumtree’s safety guidance also warns users to keep chats within Gumtree Messenger and notes that scammers may push people to WhatsApp or SMS and send fake payment links.
What To Do If You Think You Have Been Scammed
ABC’s “what’s next” is consistent with Scamwatch’s official recovery steps.
Scamwatch advises people to act fast by contacting their bank or card provider immediately, stopping transactions where possible, seeking recovery support such as IDCARE, and reporting the scam.
ABC similarly tells readers to contact their bank immediately and report to Scamwatch and police.
AI Helps Making Impersonation Cheaper
AI is making impersonation and social engineering cheaper, faster, and more convincing, which can lift the success rate of the same old scam playbooks.
Australia’s cyber.gov.au guidance on social engineering warns that criminals may use AI tools like voice cloning or deepfake technology to sound convincing, and stresses that urgency should never override verification procedures.
The Australian Banking Association has also warned Australians to watch for AI enabled tactics such as voice cloning, deepfake celebrity videos used to lure victims into dodgy investment schemes, and AI generated phishing that mimics trusted brands or banks.
For Marketplace Users in Practice
In a Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree transaction, AI does not have to “generate the scam” to add risk. It can improve the scammer’s ability to:
Write persuasive, natural sounding messages at scale, reducing obvious red flags
Impersonate real people more convincingly through voice or video in adjacent scam channels, which increases trust and pressure
Create convincing looking supporting material that nudges a seller to hand over goods before funds are confirmed, even though the correct control remains checking your own bank or payment account
The practical takeaway is that you cannot rely on “it looked real” as a safety test anymore. The safer approach is process based: verify independently, and slow down when pushed to act quickly.
Other Official Safety Advices
Government advice: Scamwatch
Scamwatch’s buying and selling page describes common scam setups including fake profiles, fake ads and reviews, and invoice and payee detail manipulation. It also lists warning signs such as buyers overpaying and asking for refunds, and pressure to pay via unusual or fragmented methods.
This supports ABC’s emphasis on not trusting buyer supplied “payment proof” and being cautious about overpayment refund requests.
Platform advice: Gumtree
Gumtree’s safety pages warn users to keep chat within Gumtree Messenger, and highlight attempts to move conversations to other messaging apps and push fake payment links.
Gumtree has also published specific guidance about PayID style scams and recommends verifying payments through official account logins rather than relying on emails, and warns about overpayment requests.
This matches ABC’s warning to verify funds directly rather than trusting screenshots or messages.
A Practical Checklist
These steps are consistent across ABC, Scamwatch, Gumtree guidance, and cyber.gov.au advice.
If you are selling
Do not hand over the item until you can confirm cleared funds in your own bank account or payment account
Treat screenshots, emails, and buyer supplied receipts as untrusted until you verify independently
Be cautious if the buyer wants to switch channels to WhatsApp or SMS or sends payment links
If you feel pressured, pause and verify using a known trusted method, because urgency is a common manipulation technique
If you are buying
Be wary of prices that seem too good to be true and sellers that cannot be verified
Avoid payment requests that push unusual methods, multiple PayIDs, or mismatched account holder details
If someone asks you to click a link in a message, instead go to the official website or app yourself and log in through a verified path
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