A Kirkland man who was the victim of a Facebook Marketplace scam that cost him $2,000 is relieved after he got his money back from TD Bank. Earlier this week, Jimmy Ghadiali told CTV News that he was defrauded while trying to sell his summer tires for $280 to someone named Michael on Facebook Marketplace. Michael told Ghadiali he was out of town but could send the money right away through an Interac e-transfer. Ghadiali was hesitant, but eventually agreed and shared his email address. Soon after, Ghadiali received an email that appeared to come from Meridian Credit Union. It claimed the funds were pending and asked him to select his bank to complete the transfer. He clicked on TD Bank, his actual institution, but was told the transaction couldn’t go through. Later that day, he received a real alert from TD, “saying that $2,000 has been pulled out of my account,” Ghadiali recalled. He quickly contacted his bank’s fraud department and filed a police report, but the money was already gone. Tech analyst Carmi Levy says the scam is part of a fast-growing trend targeting people on resale platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji. “This case sounds like a rogue link scam,” Levy said. “The website he clicked on was designed to either steal his information or access his financial account directly.” Levy says all it takes is an email address and a couple of clicks for scammers to gain access to someone’s personal or financial data. “The intent is to steal your information or your money — or both,” he said. “Then they use that to conduct further frauds.” Levy says users should avoid sending or receiving money digitally when dealing with strangers online. He recommends cash-only, in-person transactions, in a public place — ideally at a designating trading zone such as the ones set up at various Montreal police stations. Levy also warns that scammers are getting better at disguising themselves as legitimate users. Fake accounts often come with friends and reviews. “You can reduce your risk,” Levy said. “But you can’t eliminate it completely.” He also believes platforms like Facebook should do more to protect users. “The companies themselves, like Meta, have simply not risen to the occasion,” he said. “They do not do anything to really rein this in.” Ghadiali said he spoke out to warn others not to fall into the same trap. “Be very careful,” he said. “Only cash transactions — and nothing else.”
