{
 "@context": "https://schema.org",
 "@type": "FAQPage",
 "mainEntity": [
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "What is the safest way to pay on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "For local pickups: cash, exchanged in person after inspecting the item, ideally in a public place \u2014 many police departments offer monitored safe-exchange zones. For anything shipped: only payment methods with purchase protection, like PayPal Goods & Services or platform checkout. Zelle, Venmo (standard), Cash App, wires, and gift cards offer zero purchase protection and should be treated as cash handed to a stranger \u2014 appropriate only after the item is in your hands."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Why is the \"read me the verification code\" request so dangerous?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Because the code is never about verifying you \u2014 it's a security code for something being created or accessed in your name. Most commonly it's Google Voice: the scammer creates a Voice number linked to your phone, then uses that number to run scams that trace back to you. In worse cases it's a login or password-reset code for one of your own accounts. The rule has no exceptions: verification codes texted to you are for you alone, and anyone asking you to read one aloud is committing fraud in real time."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "How do fake payment screenshots work, and how do I protect myself as a seller?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "The scammer either doctors a \"payment sent\" screenshot or spoofs an email that looks like it's from Zelle, PayPal, or your bank, often claiming the payment is \"pending\" until you ship or provide a receipt. The defense is a single habit: only trust your own app. Open your banking or payment app yourself \u2014 not a link, not a screenshot, not an email \u2014 and confirm cleared funds before anything leaves your hands. No cleared balance in your own app means no payment has occurred, regardless of what any image or message claims."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Is meeting in person actually safe?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Statistically, yes \u2014 with basic precautions it's far safer than shipping to a stranger. Meet in daylight in a busy public place or a police-station safe exchange zone, bring a friend for high-value items, and complete payment only at the exchange. In-person deals eliminate the entire category of payment fraud: no fake screenshots, no reversals, no shipping disputes. The overwhelming majority of marketplace losses happen remotely, precisely because scammers avoid situations where you can see the item and them."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "Is what I describe here stored anywhere?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "No. Per our Security Policy Framework \u00a73.1, nothing you submit is stored in our database. Your description is processed server-side, analyzed, and discarded immediately after your result is returned. We never retain, sell, or train on your submissions."
   }
  },
  {
   "@type": "Question",
   "name": "I got scammed on a marketplace deal. What are my options?",
   "acceptedAnswer": {
    "@type": "Answer",
    "text": "Report through the payment channel first \u2014 bank fraud line for Zelle/wire, the dispute process for PayPal or card payments \u2014 since recovery odds fall by the hour. Report the user and transaction on the platform itself (Facebook, OfferUp, and eBay all have fraud reporting that can ban the account), then file at reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov. If a verification code was involved, reclaim your number at voice.google.com and secure your accounts. Platform payments with buyer/seller protection frequently do result in refunds; irreversible methods rarely do \u2014 which is worth remembering for the next deal."
   }
  }
 ]
}