How to avoid Facebook Marketplace scams on used electronics
People reported losing $2.1 billion to scams that started on social media in 2025, and Facebook carried the highest losses of any platform, the FTC says. In the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, New York ranked fourth by losses ($1.23 billion) and New Jersey fifth ($660 million). Facebook's Purchase Protection does not cover local pickups or Messenger deals. So a cash or Zelle deal in a parking lot has no refund behind it.
Below are nine scams that hit buyers and sellers of used electronics in New Jersey and New York City: how each works, the warning signs, what an inspection can and cannot catch and, for four of them, a real case.
1. iPhone, Android or DJI drone locked to the old owner's account
How it works. The device works at the meetup. After a reset, it asks for the previous owner's password. Apple's rule: do not take ownership of any used iPhone or iPad protected by Activation Lock. A reset Android that is still protected cannot be used at all without a previously synced Google Account. Since June 19, 2025, DJI strictly enforces account binding on second-hand drones and will not unbind one without the previous owner's consent.
Warning signs. "Already reset", but the seller will not sign out in front of you. "iPhone Locked to Owner". Setup asks for an earlier account. DJI Fly shows flight limits.
What an inspection catches. The report says whether the device reached its home screen without asking for a previous owner's account, and whether Activation Lock, Find My, Factory Reset Protection or DJI account binding was on, on the inspection date.
What it cannot catch. A seller who knows the password but is not the owner.
2. Stolen or blacklisted phones: check the IMEI before you pay
How it works. Stolen phones are resold as "new, sealed" below retail. Once a theft is reported, the IMEI is blocked and US carriers will not activate the phone. Only the carrier that placed the block can lift it. Financed phones are the second trap. An iPhone financed through the AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon installment programs is locked to the carrier until paid in full. If the seller stops paying, months later the buyer finds the phone locked to a carrier that will not talk to anyone but the account holder.
A real case. On February 26, 2025, federal prosecutors in New Jersey charged 13 people, including a Belleville man, in a ring that scraped FedEx tracking data, bribed carrier staff and fenced thousands of devices through the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Warning signs. A sealed current model well under retail. No receipt. In Settings, Carrier Lock shows a carrier instead of "No SIM Restrictions".
What an inspection catches. The report says whether the IMEI was on the stolen-phone block list when it was checked, the time of that check, and the carrier lock status.
What it cannot catch. A clean result only means the phone was not listed at the moment of the check. A theft reported later, or an unpaid installment balance, does not show on inspection day.
More phone checks: how to check a used iPhone before you pay.
3. Fake iPhones, swapped phones and empty boxes
How it works. The seller shows a real phone, then hands over a lookalike when you pay. Or the sealed box holds rice, sand or shoes. Or the "iPhone" runs Android inside Apple packaging.
Warning signs. It will not power on, or you cannot sign in. A sealed box the seller refuses to open. The serial on the box differs from the one in Settings. A handover through a car window.
What an inspection catches. The report covers the device itself, never a sealed box: whether the serial on the device, the box and the maker's records match, and whether Face ID, cameras and display behave like a genuine device. With BiNew the device stays at iPoint until handover, so you receive the unit that was inspected.
What it cannot catch. Deals made without BiNew. A prepared clone can display any serial, so at any meetup, match the serial in Settings to the box and, on phones that have one, the SIM tray.
4. Gutted or relabeled RTX 4090 graphics cards
How it works. A used RTX 4090 at a believable price can be an empty board under a real cooler: the chip and memory were stripped for resale. Or an older chip has been relabeled with a 4090 part number.
A real case. In April 2024, a US gamer bought an MSI RTX 4090 from an individual on Marketplace. A shop called it "fried" and offered $200. Northwest Repair found the core and memory gone, Wccftech reported. Such stripped boards sell for $10 to $20.
Warning signs. "Untested, selling for a friend." No photo of it running. Stickers that were peeled off and put back.
What an inspection catches. The report shows the chip and memory the card actually reports, compared with the model printed on it, plus temperatures under load and photos of the board. A gutted card reports nothing. A relabeled card reports the older chip and performs like it.
What it cannot catch. Mining history cannot be read from a card, and a card that passes on inspection day can still fail later.
More GPU checks: how to test a used graphics card before you buy.
5. Hidden damage on a used PS5, laptop, camera or drone
How it works. A PS5 that took a spill can power on with no picture. A crashed drone can look clean but refuse to arm, or have a dead gimbal. "It turns on" proves none of this.
Warning signs. "No HDMI cable, test it at home." Battery claims with no numbers. No sample photos or footage.
What an inspection catches. What applies to the device: whether a console shows a picture through its own HDMI port and has residue at vents and ports; a Mac's battery cycle count against Apple's rating for that model; an iPhone's Parts and Service History; a camera's shutter count where the body exposes one; a drone's gimbal self-test, battery cycles and binding status.
What it cannot catch. The only sure way to confirm liquid damage is to open the console, so the report does not rule it out unless the unit is opened. Flight totals need the seller's logs. Faults that have not shown up yet are outside any inspection.
6. Missing or fake chargers and accessories
How it works. The photos show a full kit. At the handover the charger is missing, or a fake one is in the box.
Warning signs. "Complete" in the text, but only the device in the photos. Misspellings or no markings on the charger.
What an inspection catches. The report lists every item against the maker's box-contents list and photographs what is there, missing or swapped.
What it cannot catch. Electrical safety needs a lab test, not a photo.
7. Fake Zelle, Cash App and Venmo payments
How it works. This one targets sellers. The buyer shows a payment screenshot, or says it is "pending", and walks off with the device. Or an email dressed up as Zelle holds the payment until the seller pays a "business account" fee. Or the buyer overpays by check and wants the difference back; a fake check can sit in your balance until the bank claws it back. Or the cash is counterfeit. The rule that covers all of it: before you ship anything, log in and check that you actually received a payment. Never trust a payment screenshot.
A real case. In October 2025, one man met three sellers in Marine Park, Bath Beach and Bay Ridge, showed a fraudulent Zelle payment, and left with two cameras and Pokemon cards worth more than $12,000.
Warning signs. Proof of payment that is not inside your own app. "Pending". Any fee, upgrade or refund. Cash counted in a hurry.
What an inspection catches. With BiNew, the device stays at iPoint until the seller confirms, in their own bank or payment app, that the money has arrived. No handover to rush, no screenshot to argue about.
What it cannot catch. iPoint does not see or verify the buyer's payment and does not check cash. A seller who confirms based on an email or a stack of bills carries that risk.
8. Facebook Marketplace robberies in NJ and NYC
How it works. A new or stolen account lists a PS5 or offers to buy your phone, picks a street or a parking lot, and takes the item or the cash by force. The NYPD counted 90 Marketplace-linked incidents by mid-May 2024, against 58 a year earlier.
A real case. On March 26, 2024, in Guttenberg, NJ, suspects used a Marketplace PlayStation 5 listing to set up planned robberies across Hudson and Bergen County. An 18-year-old from Bayonne was charged with robbery and theft by deception, in a case joined by the Bergen County Prosecutor.
Warning signs. A profile created this month. A meeting place you did not choose, changed at the last minute. A buyer who refuses a police exchange zone.
What an inspection catches. With BiNew there is no street meetup. The seller brings the device to iPoint by appointment. After the seller confirms the payment, the buyer collects it at our Hackensack office or has it shipped.
What it cannot catch. The trip to and from iPoint, and any deal made without BiNew, remain your own risk.
9. Deposits, fake escrow and fake "inspected by" claims
How it works. A listing well under market asks for a deposit by Zelle or Friends and Family to hold it. Then the tracking number is dead, or you are blocked. A related trick is a link, sent off the platform, to a fake "escrow" or "report" site. Expect the same with any inspection brand: "Inspected by iPoint" beside a screenshot of someone else's report.
Warning signs. Any request to pay before you have held the device. Any "verify" link. A report sent as a screenshot, PDF or link.
What an inspection catches. With BiNew the device is already at iPoint, so a deposit to hold it has no purpose. The report goes from iPoint to the buyer who booked it, never from the seller. To check an iPoint line in a listing, contact iPoint directly at info@ipoint.net or through the BiNew page.
What it cannot catch. Anyone can paste words into a listing. An iPoint line means the seller is ready to have the device inspected, not that an inspection has happened. If iPoint cannot confirm a claim, treat it as false and report the listing.
How to avoid scams on Facebook Marketplace: the buyer's checklist
- Ask for the IMEI before you meet and run it at stolenphonechecker.org. A clean result means "not reported yet".
- Set the device up to the home screen yourself. Walk away if it asks for an earlier owner's account.
- Open sealed boxes before you pay. Match the serial in Settings to the box and, on phones that have one, the SIM tray.
- Pay in a way you can prove. Zelle payments cannot be reversed and carry no purchase protection. PayPal Friends and Family and untagged Venmo payments have no buyer protection either.
- Never pay a deposit for a device you have not held. Never click a link to "verify" a listing.
- If a listing mentions iPoint, check with iPoint directly at info@ipoint.net.
- Keep the listing, the chat, the payment record and the report.
Safe exchange zones in NYC and Bergen County
Every NYPD precinct is an E-Commerce Exchange Zone: all 77 precincts, plus 12 transit districts and nine housing police service areas. The exchange is made outside the station house, under a recorded camera.
In Hackensack, police have two marked spaces in the lot next to headquarters at 225 State Street, under 24-hour video. They recommend weekdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Officers will not be present, and video is not always monitored live. Wyckoff has a recorded zone at 340 Franklin Avenue.
These zones deter robbery. They do not check the device.
For sellers: avoid buyer scams and show your device is clean
Honest sellers lose deals because buyers cannot tell them from the scams above. A few habits help:
- Put the IMEI in the listing.
- Offer to sign out and erase the device in front of the buyer.
- Refuse every payment you cannot see inside your own app.
- Never read back a verification code. A "buyer" who texts you a six-digit code to "confirm you are real" is hijacking your number for a Google Voice line. BiNew never sends you a code to read back to anyone.
Or show your confidence in your item with a free iPoint line in your listing. It tells buyers you are ready to have the device inspected before they pay. It also helps you:
- Sell beyond local pickup. Facebook Marketplace will not ship anything listed over $500. Through BiNew, a buyer in any state can buy, and iPoint ships the device.
- Get paid before it leaves. The device leaves iPoint only after you confirm the buyer's payment. No waiting for delivery or a platform payout.
- Keep the full price. The line is free and there is no platform fee. The buyer pays for the inspection.
How BiNew works
- Buyer and seller agree on the deal. On Facebook Marketplace or on any other marketplace or classifieds site.
- The buyer requests BiNew and pays the inspection fee up front.
- The seller brings the device to iPoint in Hackensack, NJ, by appointment. From then on it stays with iPoint.
- iPoint inspects it. We check, test and photograph the device and send the buyer a written report.
- The buyer pays the seller directly. iPoint never holds the buyer's money.
- Handover. Once the seller confirms the payment, iPoint hands the device over at our office or packs and ships it to any US state, with optional shipping insurance. If the deal does not close within a week, the device goes back to the seller.