Looking on FB Marketplace I see vehicles and even services listed. Many times the vehicles are nice looking and cheap. If you click on the seller you see the vehicle or service listed in dozens of places around the country. What's the scam and how does it work?

I have wondered the same thing.

I went through this with a guy listing a 72 Buick Sportwagon. He answered all my questions until I told him I lived about 20 minutes away and wanted to look at it. He qhosted me.

Had my cousin message him and he answered all the questions again. Cousin tells him he lives a couple hours away and wants to see it. Guy wants him to PayPal $200 to "hold" it because so many are interested. Cousin told him he had a guy 20 minutes away, he got ghosted too.

That's the scam, PayPal deposits with "Friends and Family" only. Once you figure out you've been scammed, you can't get your money back.

So there are actually fools that would send people money to someone for something they haven't seen and have no recourse on like PP Friends and Family? I'm often disappointed how dumb our society is. Just clicking on the sellers profile shows you it's a sacm of some sort, I just didn't figure people were that dumb.
On the other hand they just had a scam at a local small business. Caller said he was with the sheriffs dept. and was checking for counterfeit bills. The 17yo clerk took all of the money from the register and somehow sent money to the scammer through a QR code he sent her dropping it off at CVS. Don't ask me how someone could dress themselves and be this naieve.

Fools born every day.

I have seen many similar scam listings. Almost always priced "too good to be true". Recently saw a pristine LS-6 Chevelle listed in Wisconsin for $24K. Same deal, told seller I was in Texas, he answered my questions, I told him I would fly up the next day to see it and drive it. Then he asked for a deposit. Nope. He must have suckered at least one person, because it disappeared. Same car showed up on Marketplace a few days later, in Georgia.

Bottom line - Do NOT send ANYONE money through FB, CashApp, Venmo, PayPal, or any other cash transfer service using the Friend / Family option, as there is NO recourse to get the money back.
I have bought and sold stuff locally, it is always on an in-person, cash in hand basis.
And here is another insane way to get taken on FB: My GF's best friend "bought" 4 great tickets to an NFL Playoff game at Kansas City last year. 50 yard line, row 18, for $300 apiece. I told her the deal sounded way too good. She said it was a friend they had gone to high school with. Zapped him the money, he was supposed to transfer the tickets via Ticketmaster. Never happened. She called the friend, and he had no idea what she was talking about. Turns out some scammer had duplicated his FB profile, including his picture. She got no help from FB or PayPal.
$1200 gone in 5 minutes.

It goes both directions, I sold something and got paid thru PayPal, shipped the parts and a couple of weeks later the guy said he never received the part the money got reversed thru PayPal, I fought it showing the tracking number etc, I lost. Paypal only protects the buyer not the seller. Cancelled Pay Pal immediately and never used it again. Now I only sell using Zelle and Venmo. If the buyer wont do it then they dont get the parts.

One of many. I had a guy send me a check for set of zoomies. Looked real and made out for 3300 instead of 300. He called told me if I would please return the overage and keep hundred for myself. Told me his shipper would pick them up. Not being as stupid as hge had assumed. I had by bank send it threw thier fraud people and put the guy off for 2 weeks.Time for them to do what ever. I then informed him his check was only good for toilet paper and if liked would show him how it worked.

Reason for all of that. Yes apparently there are enough people stupid enought to fall for it. Guess if try 500 and 1% fall you have almost 15000 bucks. since never sent info for shipping and probably a drop box for money to be mailed to never get caught.

The system is so easy for these scams and thats why there are so many of them.

I rarely buy anything from marketplace because of how many frauds there are. When I do get something, I vet them pretty well before I send anything. Gotten some good deals that way, but 99% of the time I'd just rather buy new than to try and hopefully save a few bucks only to get scammed

Market place like A LOT OF THINGS THAT START OUT with good intent ends up gateway for low life to scam or defraud others.

As Mark stated research the one you deal with. Old saying applies as often happen. Buyer beware.

Not just buyer beware, people suck and seller better beware also. Used to be common for people to meet at Walmart or another busy place, now it's the police department parking lot. Really don't want some people at your house or shop.