Malwarebytes Warns of Facebook Marketplace Text Scam Using Your Name as Seller

Q: If you reply to a fake Marketplace text to defend your identity, what hidden trap is immediately triggered?

The hidden trap is that your reply instantly tells the scammer your phone number is real, active, and monitored by someone willing to engage. That is the real trigger in this fake Facebook Marketplace text. The scam is built as a “conversation lure,” using your name in a fabricated listing to provoke a defensive response such as “That’s not me.” Even that short reply gives the sender something valuable: confirmation they reached a live person. Security researchers and the FTC warn that this can lead to more scam texts, calls, or your number being sold to other scammers as a verified target. In some cases, replying also weakens built-in protections. Apple notes that links from unknown senders in iMessage are restricted until you respond or add the sender, so engaging can open the door to further social-engineering attempts. The scammer’s immediate win is not necessarily your Facebook password. It is validation that you are reachable and responsive. Experts say the message does not by itself prove your Facebook account was hacked. The listing may be completely fake, assembled from exposed personal details such as your name and phone number. The safest move is not to reply at all. Instead, open Facebook independently, check Marketplace activity and account logins, then report, filter, and block the suspicious message.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 13

Malwarebytes flagged a personalized scam in which victims get a text asking if an item is still for sale, paired with a fake Facebook Marketplace image listing the recipient as the seller.
The lure is designed to trigger a reply by suggesting impersonation, but even a response like “wrong person” can confirm a live phone number and make it more valuable for future scams.
Researchers said the screenshot may be fabricated from a name and phone number pulled from breached or public data; they found one example used another Facebook user's photo with the same name.
Apple says unknown iMessage senders cannot open links by default until users reply or add the sender, reinforcing advice to avoid responding, report the message, and block the number.
The warning does not by itself indicate a hacked Facebook account; users should check Facebook directly for suspicious activity and enable protections such as 2FA if anything looks wrong.