Guest Post: Malta’s Facebook Marketplace Scam – A Cautionary Tale For Christmas Gadget Shoppers
‘Tis the season for giving… but it seems there are a couple of Grinches lurking on Facebook Marketplace, preying on unsuspecting holiday shoppers. As someone who recently fell victim to a scam involving high-end gadgets, I feel compelled to share my experience to prevent others from a similar fate, especially as Christmas approaches and the demand for gifts soars.
The scam revolves around coveted items, such as the Apple AirPods Max, typically retailing at €650. Scammers acquire these gadgets at a fraction of the cost, around €99, and resell them for a seemingly attractive €450. What sets this scam apart is the use of a cloned chip that mimics Apple’s authenticity, complete with a genuine guarantee – Apple Care.
The usual script unfolds when you meet the seller, often a seemingly innocent 17-year-old claiming the item was an unwanted gift from a reputable store like Intercomp, Scan, Klikk, or iCentre. However, red flags appear when the seller conveniently can’t produce a receipt but insists you can verify authenticity by pairing the device with your iPhone. As an Apple enthusiast myself, I fell for the trap when a genuine Apple animation appeared during the seamless pairing process. There is no way for your phone to tell that it’s not interacting with an Apple chip. Checking through the paired phone, it showed that the pair of headphones carried an Apple Care that was valid for more months.
A quick browse through Facebook Marketplace shows just how prevalent such a scam currently is in Malta
Caught in the hustle and under the seller’s watchful eyes, I hastily sealed the deal, shelling out €400 in cold, hard cash at the nearby ATM as demanded. It’s worth noting that the seller insisted on cash only, a tactic commonly employed in such scams. A savvy move, it seemed, to avoid digital trails.
A piece of advice for future buyers: use payment apps like PayPal or Revolut, as they necessitate some form of Know Your Customer (KYC) verification. This adds a layer of security, allowing you to retrieve the seller’s information if things take a wrong turn.
Yet, despite my attempt to be cautious, doubts crept in. The weight and feel of the purchased item didn’t align with my expectations. Not fully convinced of the smoothness of the volume button, I paid a visit to an authorised Apple dealer for a second opinion. At first, the employee tried the headphones and tested the volume button. At this point, he wasn’t even questioning the authenticity and offered a free replacement for the headphones. Shockingly, when checked on Apple’s international database, the Apple Care ID attached to these counterfeits had a dark history, with over 100 attempted replacements around the world. This is when my suspicions were confirmed – these weren’t genuine Apple AirPods Max but rather sophisticated knockoffs.
Aside from the multitude of scam accounts, I also stumbled upon authentic Facebook accounts trying to resell these counterfeits. After sharing my experience, these individuals came clean, revealing their own struggles to recoup losses from falling victim to the same scam. While I shared their frustration, I felt like scamming other people to sort out my own scam wasn’t the way to go.
My investigation led me to a China-based website where these high-fidelity imitations were being bought, exposing a troubling pattern of bulk purchases. The bulk-buying option on these websites led me to believe that a serial scammer was at play and that he had multiple items yet to sell.
I then took my case to the police, filing a comprehensive report on the fraudulent scheme I had fallen victim to. However, reality hit hard when the police officer bluntly informed me that my case was unlikely to receive any attention. Burdened with a backlog and the prioritisation of more pressing matters, my quest for justice seemed to hit a roadblock.
In essence, it appeared that this 17-year-old scam artist had stumbled upon the perfect crime – one flying under the radar, not high-profile enough to attract swift action, yet with the potential to rake in thousands of euros from this dubious side hustle. The thought of justice eluding me due to bureaucratic constraints only fuelled my determination to seek a more satisfying ending.
Therefore, I took matters into my own hands, creating a fake profile to lure the scammer into a confrontation. While the initial failed physical encounter forced him to go underground temporarily, my vigilance paid off three months later when I spotted another listing matching the scam’s patterns.
It’s worth noting that the area was equipped with multiple cameras that could have aided law enforcement, yet it underscores the need for personal vigilance. The sad truth is that we cannot rely on law enforcement to solve these type of injustices. We must remain proactive in safeguarding ourselves from such scams.
This time, I enlisted a friend to act as bait while I hid in a car and captured photographic evidence to increase the likelihood of a potential police investigation. In the midst of it, I felt like I should give the guy another chance and confront him. The confrontation revealed a sheepish scammer who quickly revealed his identity upon request. I calmly demanded a refund, using his own ATM cash tactics against him, and he obliged in exchange for dropping any police charges against him.
As the holiday season approaches, let this be a cautionary tale: exercise extra caution when purchasing high-value items online, especially from unofficial channels. If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. Spare your little ones from Christmas morning tears as they unwrap a disappointing gadget under the tree. Stay informed, be vigilant, and don’t let scammers steal the joy of giving this Christmas.
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