Revealed: Who’s most affected by social media marketplace scams

To figure out how common scams are on social media marketplaces, Gen, the company behind Norton, commissioned an online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.

We asked whether respondents had encountered a scam on a social media marketplace like Facebook Marketplace, TikTok Shop, Depop, or Poshmark, whether they fell victim, and what item they were trying to buy when the scam attempt occurred. We also asked how confident respondents were in their ability to identify scams in “for sale” listings on social media and social media marketplaces.

Our findings indicate that scam encounters are common on social media marketplaces, often occurring in everyday purchase categories such as clothing, electronics, and home goods. Perhaps surprisingly, older millennials** (respondents aged 35 to 44) are the most likely age group to become victims of social media marketplace scams — even though this age group was also the most confident in their ability to spot scam “for sale” listings.

Read on for a deeper dive into some marketplace scams statistics and get information on how you can stay protected.

11 revealing stats about online marketplace scams — and what generations they affect

1. More than 4 in 10 people (41%) surveyed by Norton encountered a social media marketplace scam.

2. This figure jumps by nearly 19 percentage points for Gen Z respondents (those aged 18-24), 60% of whom saw a social media marketplace scam. Hot on their heels, 56% of younger millennials (respondents aged 25-34) reported seeing a marketplace scam.

3. In contrast, only 25% of baby boomers (respondents aged 55+) said they had seen a scam on an online marketplace. But baby boomers aren’t simply naive: their victimization rates are also fairly low, as shown in the bar graph below, although this may be due to the fact that baby boomers are less likely to use these platforms.

4. Victimization rates for social media marketplace scams are fairly high. Roughly one in three people (32%) who encountered a marketplace scam fell victim, which translates to 13% of consumers overall.

5. Victimization rates were fairly consistent across age groups, with one notable exception: older millennials. Overall, 21% of respondents aged 35 to 44 said they fell victim to a marketplace scam, which means close to half (46%) of older millennials who encountered a scam ultimately became victims.

6. This means older millennials have a victimization rate that’s 21 percentage points higher than that of the age brackets least likely to report falling victim (among those who encountered one)  — Gen Z respondents and younger millennials. In these two groups, only 25% of people who encountered a marketplace scam fell victim.

7. If we look at overall victimization rates, i.e., the percent of people who fell victim to a social media marketplace scam out of the entire sample, whether they saw one or not, then baby boomers emerge as the least likely to fall victim, as shown below.

8. While most people seem to trust their own scam-spotting abilities, a large minority is less sure. 57% of consumers were confident they could spot a social marketplace scam, 15% were not confident, and 28% were neutral.

9. Older millennials were the most confident in their knack for spotting marketplace scams: 70% of those aged 35 to 44 said they were extremely confident or somewhat confident in their ability to discern a scam “for sale” listing on social media marketplaces. Given that this age group also had the highest victimization rates, it suggests overconfidence may be a factor in fraud loss.

10. Clothing was the most common item category in reported scam encounters. 38% of people who encountered a scam said they were trying to buy clothes when the incident occurred. This may point to counterfeit, damaged, or misrepresented apparel as a significant source of frustration on social media marketplaces.

11. Tech products and electronics, alongside home items like furniture or decor, were a distant second (24% of scam encounters each), followed by toys and games (22%), beauty and personal care products (21%), and cars (18%). This indicates that marketplace scam encounters frequently target routine everyday purchases, not just big-ticket items.

What sorts of scams occur on social media marketplaces?

Online marketplace scams can be seen as a subset of broader shopping scams. While different digital marketplaces may have slightly different scam patterns, certain risks appear throughout. Here are some common scams to watch out for as you shop, barter, and trade on social media marketplaces:

• Counterfeit or faulty items: Scammers on platforms like Facebook Marketplace may post listings for designer goods, electronics, event tickets, or vehicles that turn out to be fake, broken, stolen, or completely different from what was advertised.
• Phishing: In phishing scams on digital marketplaces, fraudsters may send malicious links claiming there’s an issue with your order, account, or delivery, tricking you into entering login credentials or financial details on a fake or VibeScammed website.
• Payment scams: Scammers may ask buyers to pay through hard-to-trace payment apps, cryptocurrency, or gift cards. Or, they might send fake “payment received” screenshots, overpay and request refunds, or convince sellers to ship items before legitimate payment clears.
• Social engineering scams: Social engineering scammers manipulate people into acting against their interests. On online marketplaces, scammers often use fake profiles, emotional stories, or urgent requests to build trust and pressure victims into rushing payments, shipping items quickly, or moving conversations and transactions off-platform.

How to protect against online marketplace scams

Buying and selling through social media marketplaces can be convenient (and cheap!), but scammers can take advantage of the speed and informality of these platforms. Learn how to spot suspicious behavior, verify listings, and use secure payment methods to help reduce your risk of falling victim to fraud.

• Check the seller’s profile and history: Be cautious of newly created accounts, profiles with little activity, or sellers with no ratings, reviews, or real photos.
• Avoid deals that seem too good to be true: Deep discounts on high-demand products may be used to lure victims.
• Keep communication on the platform: Scammers may try to move conversations to text messages, messenger apps, or email to avoid marketplace protections and reporting systems, pivoting from marketplace scams into WhatsApp scams.
• Use secure payment methods: Avoid paying via wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or payment apps that don’t offer buyer protection.
• Watch for pressure tactics or urgency: Be wary of sellers or buyers who rush you to act quickly, claim multiple people are interested, or pressure you to pay immediately.
• Be wary of suspicious links: Avoid clicking links sent by buyers or sellers, especially if they claim you need to “verify” your account, confirm payment, or enter login details. These links may lead to phishing sites designed to steal your information.
• Don’t divulge personal information: Never share financial information, passwords, one-time verification codes, Social Security numbers, or copies of personal documents with someone you meet through an online marketplace.
• Get scam detection software: Security software like Norton 360 Deluxe, which includes AI-powered scam protection, can help detect phishing links, fake websites, and other tactics scammers can use to steal your personal information or money.

Survey methodology

*The study was conducted online within the United States by Dynata on behalf of Gen Digital (Norton’s parent company) in March 2025 among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older. Data is weighted where necessary by age, gender, and region to be nationally representative.

**Survey results were grouped into the following age brackets: 18–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, and 55+. For the sake of readability on this blog page, we have labeled these age brackets using approximate generational terms: Gen Z respondents for ages 18–24, younger millennials for ages 25–34, older millennials for ages 35–44, Gen X respondents for ages 45–54, and baby boomers for ages 55+. These labels are intended as shorthand only, since generational definitions vary and some age brackets may include people from more than one generation.

Defining scams

Norton’s definition of a scam is a “deliberate act of deception designed to manipulate a victim into taking harmful action that benefits the attacker, relying on social engineering, psychological manipulation, and misrepresentation to trick people into revealing sensitive information, transferring money, installing malware, or granting access to systems.”

Because this study relies on survey research, respondents may have a broader or narrower understanding of what a scam is.

Norton products can help protect against certain types of online scams, but this protection may not extend to all types of scams present on social media marketplaces. For example, Norton Scam Protection cannot detect counterfeit items in listings.