NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — This is the time of year when you normally see lots of yard sales and flea markets or at least that's the way it used to be.
Nowadays much of that second-hand selling is now happening online year-round.
People buy all kinds of stuff from their neighbors on Facebook!
But along with getting a good deal using social media, you can also get scammed. Consumers have lost more than $2.7 billion dollars to Social Media scams since 2021!
Some scammers lurking on Facebook Marketplace aren't after your money – they want your data!
Tip number one: Never share personal information like your address, email or phone number. Only communicate through Facebook Messenger.
Tip number two: think about where the sale will take place. Meet in a public, well-lit area, – and never give away your home address!
Consider a police station. Some even have designated parking spots where marketplace meet-ups are watched by security cameras.
Tip number three: – Never exchange cash. Facebook Marketplace recommends a secure person-to-person payment method. But even with those, Consumer Reports says you should still take care to prevent payment mistakes!
“You always want to make sure that you’re sending money to the right person before you send the full amount. So here’s one tip. Send a one dollar test payment first, then make sure that that person received it!” said Lisa Gill.
And for large purchases – something like that car Michelle bought – pay the old-fashioned way and get a cashier’s check!
Peace of mind to secure your purchase, and your safety.
One other warning about second hand sales: do not buy a used infant or child car seat. You won’t know if the seat has been involved in a crash.
And if the labels and instructions aren’t available, you can’t easily check to see if it's been recalled or the seat has reached its expiration date.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
