Australia Post is urging Australians to stay vigilant when buying and selling items online, following an increase in marketplace scams targeting Aussie sellers. Scammers are approaching people selling items on online marketplaces, specifically Facebook Marketplace, by posing as genuine users. They send a link or QR code through Messenger that leads to fake ‘Australia Post courier service’ websites, claiming it will help organise payment and collection for the item. These fraudulent sites are designed to capture and steal Australians’ personal and financial information.  Australia Post Chief Information Officer, Adam Cartwright, said scammers are using the popularity of online marketplaces to target Australians.  “Our latest Annual eCommerce Report shows Australians spent the most on online marketplaces in the past year ($18.9 billion), and scammers are capitalising on that growth with increasingly sophisticated tactics.” Mr Cartwright commented.

“We are seeing scammers targeting buyers and sellers through fake listings, counterfeit items, and payment tricks designed to steal personal and financial information. On Facebook Marketplace, scammers falsely claim that Australia Post is handling payment from the buyer, transferring funds to the seller, and managing pickup and delivery.” Mr Cartwright commented “Be aware that Australia Post does not handle payments for buyers and does not have a courier service associated with Facebook Marketplace. More than 2,500 Australians have already reported being targeted by Facebook Marketplace scams to Australia Post this year.  Staying vigilant and following safe practices can help protect you. If something doesn’t look right, we encourage people to pause and double-check before sharing any details,” 

Key advice for customers when organising postal services:  

• Download the official AusPost app and enable push notifications for parcel tracking. This is the most secure and reliable way to receive genuine delivery updates. 
• Australia Post will never ask for personal or financial details via phone, text or email-including passwords, credit card, or bank details. 
• Don’t click on suspicious links in text message or emails.  

For more tips on how to navigate parcel and delivery scams