Yash Baker, originally from South Africa, moved to Corsham in March of this year with her husband and recently moved house as the pair switched from rented to purchased accommodation.
During the move, Mrs Baker advertised around five or six different items of furniture that she no longer needed on Facebook Marketplace.
But within 24 hours of posting the advertisements on the site, she became inundated with what she has labelled scam messages, trying to convince her to part with her bank details.
The 38-year-old said: “Within the first 24 hours I had seven people trying to scam me, saying they were interested in pieces and trying to get me to give them my bank details or PayPal details.
“It’s the same ploy each time because they’ll say they’re interested, and want to pay up front, and then ask for your details.
“They say that their brother or sister will collect it later on, but it’s seven people giving the exact same story each time, it’s the weirdest thing.”
The couple handed over their bank details after the first message but soon, instead of payment, got an email claiming to be from Lloyds Bank, littered with spelling and grammar errors, which Mrs Baker believes to be part of the “scam.”
While she and her husband were savvy enough not to click on any links from the alleged scammers, or enter any sensitive information, she told this paper the messages have impacted her ability to safely sell her spare goods.
She added: “I’ve had to start asking people to pay for things in cash and since then it has stopped.
“It’s incredibly frustrating and we’ve now got a garage full of things we don’t have space for, it’s a waste of time and effort.”
Mrs Baker has issued a warning to others in the community trying to sell online.
She said: “Obviously I’m more aware of these things so I wouldn’t just share my details with anybody… but so many people are unaware.
“People need to know what type of scenarios and schemes people come up with, it’s easy to say but you need to be 100 per cent sure.
“It is definitely more difficult for older people, people my age understand social media, but older people might not always be as savvy when purchasing stuff online… it’s important that the communities in Wiltshire know what to look out for”
