By Helena Kelly Consumer Reporter For Dailymail.Com
19:23 03 Jul 2023, updated 19:38 03 Jul 2023
- Monique Sherman, 43, had her Facebook account hacked by scammers who then posted a host of fraudulent adverts for non-existent goods
- Strangers who had paid for a $300 couch which had been advertised on her profile then turned up to her door demanding the goods
- Cybersecurity experts warn Facebook Marketplace has become a ‘Wild West’
A Texas woman has revealed how strangers turned up to her home after scammers hacked into her Facebook account and sold non-existent items under her name.
Monique Sherman, 43, was locked out of both her Facebook and Instagram profiles when hackers compromised her details and posted a host of fraudulent ads for goods that did not exist.
Furious victims paid for the items online before three turned up at her door demanding a sofa for which they had paid $300.
Her story is evidence of how quickly ecommerce scams are rocketing – with cybersecurity experts now warning that Facebook Marketplace has become a digital ‘wild west.’
Sherman, from Katy, Houston, told Click2Houston: ‘I’m at a loss. I’m fearful for myself and I’m also upset for other people.
‘I was online, actually posting and then it flickered and asked me to put in my password.
‘I put in my password and it wouldn’t work. I kept on getting activity to my phone saying I’m selling this, selling that… 73 things.’
Sherman said the crisis came to a head when scammers sold a sofa from her account which she had never seen before.
Innocent Facebook users who had paid for the furniture showed up at her door demanding to take it away.
It left her unable to sleep for two weeks.
She explained: ‘I go out there and he’s like yeah I’m here to pick up a couch. Two guys.’
In all she had three strangers show up at her home in response to the fake adverts.’
They had messages sent from her account including a picture of her ID.
‘That’s what really scared me,’ Sherman said, adding: ‘They made a post. People were tagging me and saying ‘oh yeah, we’re going to get her.’
While she has managed to get some of the fraudulent ads taken down, the one involving the sofa remains on the platform – leaving her concerned more victims will try to contact her.
She has resorted instead to widely republishing the advert with a warning that it is a scam – and encouraging others not to fall victim.
She is also installing a new home security surveillance system and has pictures of the police report plastered to her front door in case any more strangers turn up.
Cybersecurity firm VPN Overview found that searches for ‘Facebook Marketplace scam’ have shot up by 270 percent in recent months.
Jason Meza, senior regional director of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) told San Antonio station Kens5: ‘It’s truly skyrocketing. Facebook Marketplace is truly a wild west.’
The BBB recommends always googling the seller’s name on Facebook marketplace and adding the word ‘scam’ to see if fraud stories pop up.
Meza added to Kens5: ‘Save everything, receipts, transactions, communication, texts.
‘Whatever you have from buyer or seller, everything helps to prove your case.
‘Prosecutions are far and few between. Money back, if you’re not using secure methods is even tougher to get.’
Facebook’s Purchase Protection Policies stipulates the firm will refund many purchases on the site which turn out to be fraudulent.
However, users are not covered for transactions which are made through third-party sites, local pickups or messenger transactions.
Dailymail.com reached out to Facebook owner Meta for comment.
