A fake seller is using your identity on Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Vinted. What to do.

1. How the scam works

1. A fake seller profile copies your name and profile photo, often taken from your social media or an old selling profile.
2. Your photos (of items, or of you) illustrate listings that will never ship.
3. Your ID is sent to hesitant buyers to reassure them. It usually comes from a copy you once shared (a rental, a job application) or from a data breach.
4. Payment moves off the platform: bank transfer, payment link, gift cards. Scammers push buyers out of the platform's messaging because purchase protection no longer applies there.
5. Sometimes an account opened in your name receives the victims' money. That is financial identity theft: see section 5 of our online impersonation guide.

2. Save the evidence first

Reported listings can vanish within hours, and the scammer often opens a new account. Keep:

1. The exact URL of the profile and each listing, plus the username.
2. Dated screenshots of the profile, the listings and your copied photos.
3. What victims send you: screenshots of their chats with the fake seller, the copy of your ID they received, payment details (account number, link, amount).
4. A timeline: when you found out, who contacted you, what you reported and where.

Do not message the scammer: it only warns them.

3. Report it on Facebook Marketplace

1. Report each listing from the listing itself, using the report option in the listing menu, and choose the scam or fraud reason.
2. Report the seller's profile as pretending to be you. Facebook's impersonation report asks for proof of identity, sent only through the official form. Our fake Facebook account guide walks you through it, including the form you can use without a Facebook account.
3. Ask victims to report too, from their conversation with the seller.

4. Report it on eBay and Vinted

eBay. eBay's Misrepresentation of identity policy bans members from posing as other members. To report a listing, eBay's help center says to select the question mark icon on the listing (or the three dots in the app), then Submit report under "Report content", pick the reason and submit. For the impersonating account itself, contact eBay customer service with the member's username. eBay says it cannot share the outcome of its investigation.

Vinted (UK and Europe). According to Vinted's help center:

1. Profile: open it, tap the 3-dot symbol in the top-right corner, then Report, choose the reason, add details, and Submit.
2. Listing: tap the 3-dot symbol (or the flag on desktop), then Report.
3. Message: in the chat, tap the ⓘ symbol, then Report.

Add one clear sentence: "This account uses my name and photos to scam buyers. I am the person being impersonated and can provide ID." Vinted says it acknowledges reports, investigates, can remove content or ban the account, and tells you its decision with a way to appeal.

If a platform does not act: send a written notice. In the EU, online platforms must process notices of illegal content and offer an internal appeal under the Digital Services Act. Our takedown request template has the wording.

5. Warn buyers and protect your ID

1. Post a warning on your social accounts and on your real selling profile: "A fake account is selling under my name and photos. I only sell from [link]. Never pay outside the platform."
2. Reply calmly to victims: you are not the seller, you have reported it, and they should call their bank and report the fraud.
3. If your ID is circulating: in the US, check IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan and consider a fraud alert or credit freeze; in the UK, check your credit reports and consider Cifas Protective Registration. Replace the document if it is being used for fraud.
4. From now on, watermark every ID copy you send with its purpose and date ("Copy for apartment rental, March 2026").
5. If your personal photos are also used elsewhere, see someone is using my photos.

6. Report to the authorities

• United States: file with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Victims who paid should file too. A local police report helps if anyone blames you.
• United Kingdom: report to Report Fraud (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 0300 123 2040). In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
• EU: report to the police in your country, many of which have an online portal.

7. What the law says

Platform rules ban impersonation, which is why a well-documented report usually works without a court. Selling fake items in someone else's name is fraud: in England and Wales, fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006; in the US, wire fraud and identity theft under federal and state law, and several states (California among them) also have online impersonation laws. This page is general information, not legal advice: for your own case, talk to a lawyer.