Scammer Tactics: How Stolen Goods Are Sold Online

SafeOrStolen

People who sell stolen goods online use the same handful of tricks over and over. Once you know them, most stolen-item listings give themselves away before you ever meet. For payment scams that have nothing to do with stolen goods, paste the listing or message into the <a href="/scam-checker">scam checker</a>.

How do scammers sell stolen goods online?

They list stolen items fast and cheap on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist, hide or crop the serial numbers out of the photos, explain away missing receipts and locked accounts with a story ("it was my late uncle's", "selling for a friend"), and push for cash right now. The fastest way to call it out is to ask for the serial number before meeting and check it on SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com/blog/scammer-tactics-exposed).

The tactics, and what they look like

Tactic	What you see	How to call it out
Hiding the serial number	Photos cropped above the label, a sticker over the nameplate, "I'll show you at pickup"	Ask for a photo of the label before meeting. No photo, no meetup.
Scratching or replacing the number	Ground-off metal, fresh paint, a new label that looks too clean	Don't buy. A tampered number is one of the strongest signs of theft.
The borrowed story	"Selling for my brother", "my ex left it", "estate sale"	Ask questions only an owner would know: where it was bought, what's wrong with it, the passcode.
Locked to someone else	A phone still on a lock screen, a laptop with someone else's login, "you can just reset it"	Have the seller unlock it and sign out in front of you. Nobody else can remove Activation Lock.
Speed and pressure	"Three people want it", "cash only, today", "I'm moving tomorrow"	Slow down. Anyone honest can wait the few seconds a serial check takes.
Many of the same thing	Several new-in-box phones, tools or e-bikes from one new profile	Ask where they came from. A business with stock can show invoices.
Quiet meeting spots	A side street at night, a last-minute change of location	Insist on a police station lobby or a busy store.
Fresh accounts	Profile created this month, no friends or ratings, no other listings	Look at the profile before you reply.

Why stolen goods end up on marketplaces

Marketplaces are local, free to list on, and mostly paid in cash, so a thief can turn a stolen item into money the same day without a pawn shop asking for ID. That's also why the buyer carries the risk: if police find the item, it goes back to the owner, and the money you handed over is gone.

Scams that are not about stolen goods

Fake listings using copied photos, asking for a deposit before you see anything
Overpayment: a "buyer" sends too much and asks you to refund the difference
Verification-code scams: someone asks you to read back a code sent to your phone
Fake payment emails that look like they come from a payment app

What a Stolen Goods check looks for

Every one of these tactics exists to stop you from doing two things: checking the serial number, and seeing whether the seller controls the item. Ask for the number early, and insist on watching them unlock and sign out of it. If you already bought something that turned out to be stolen, read <a href="/what-to-do-if-you-bought-something-stolen">what to do if you bought something stolen</a>.

How to Check if Stolen Goods is Stolen

Look at the seller's profile before you reply.
Ask for a photo of the serial number, IMEI or VIN on the item.
Check the number on SafeOrStolen.
Meet in a public, watched place and match the number on the item.
Watch the seller unlock the item and sign out of their accounts.
If anything doesn't fit, leave and report the listing.

Enter the serial number, IMEI or VIN in the search box. SafeOrStolen searches its own theft reports and public web results, including listings and posts that mention the number, plus extra sources for guns, bikes, phones and Arizona vehicles. You see "reported stolen", "possible match" or "no report found in the records searched", with every source listed.

Why check before you buy

Each tactic above is a story. The serial number check is a fact. A seller who has a good answer for everything but won't share the number has told you what you need to know.

Checks SafeOrStolen theft reports and public web results
Works for phones, cars, bikes, laptops, tools, consoles and guns
Every source listed with the result
Dated record of the check saved to your account
2 free checks with no credit card

What a check searches

Every check searches SafeOrStolen's own theft reports and public web results. Gun serial numbers are also checked against police firearm theft and loss reports from 33 states and Washington, DC and live Ohio law-enforcement records, bicycles against a national stolen-bicycle registry, and vehicles against Arizona law-enforcement records and federal VIN data. A lost-and-stolen phone blacklist check is available as a paid add-on. AI notes are advisory and never decide the result.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you tell if a seller is selling stolen goods?

Watch for a hidden or damaged serial number, a seller who can't unlock or sign out of the item, a story that explains why they don't know much about it, several of the same new item, and pressure to pay cash now. Any one can be innocent. Two or three together, especially a refused serial number, is the pattern.

How do I expose a scammer on Facebook Marketplace?

Don't confront them. Save screenshots of the listing, the profile and the chat, then use the Report option on the listing and on the profile. If you think the goods are stolen, give the screenshots to your local police. If the serial number is reported stolen on SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com), include the result page in what you hand over.

Why do sellers of stolen items want cash?

Cash leaves no record of who was paid. Payment apps and card payments tie the money to an account that police can trace. A seller who refuses anything but cash isn't proof of theft, as lots of people prefer cash, but combined with a hidden serial number it's a strong warning.

Is "selling it for a friend" a red flag?

Often, yes. It lets the seller avoid questions they can't answer, like where it was bought or what the passcode is. Ask them to bring the friend, or to have the friend unlock the item on a video call. Someone legitimately helping a friend usually can.

What should I do if I think a listing is stolen goods?

Don't buy it and don't warn the seller. Save the listing and chat, check the serial number if you have it, and pass everything to your local police on the non-emergency line. If you know the owner, for example from a stolen-bike post, tell them too, and let police handle the recovery.

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Scammer Tactics: How Stolen Goods Are Sold Online

People who sell stolen goods online use the same handful of tricks over and over. Once you know them, most stolen-item listings give themselves away before you ever meet. For payment scams that have nothing to do with stolen goods, paste the listing or message into the scam checker.

2 free checks · No credit card · Updated October 7, 2026

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Quick answer

How do scammers sell stolen goods online?

They list stolen items fast and cheap on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist, hide or crop the serial numbers out of the photos, explain away missing receipts and locked accounts with a story ("it was my late uncle's", "selling for a friend"), and push for cash right now. The fastest way to call it out is to ask for the serial number before meeting and check it on SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com/blog/scammer-tactics-exposed).

The tactics, and what they look like

Tactic	What you see	How to call it out
Hiding the serial number	Photos cropped above the label, a sticker over the nameplate, "I'll show you at pickup"	Ask for a photo of the label before meeting. No photo, no meetup.
Scratching or replacing the number	Ground-off metal, fresh paint, a new label that looks too clean	Don't buy. A tampered number is one of the strongest signs of theft.
The borrowed story	"Selling for my brother", "my ex left it", "estate sale"	Ask questions only an owner would know: where it was bought, what's wrong with it, the passcode.
Locked to someone else	A phone still on a lock screen, a laptop with someone else's login, "you can just reset it"	Have the seller unlock it and sign out in front of you. Nobody else can remove Activation Lock.
Speed and pressure	"Three people want it", "cash only, today", "I'm moving tomorrow"	Slow down. Anyone honest can wait the few seconds a serial check takes.
Many of the same thing	Several new-in-box phones, tools or e-bikes from one new profile	Ask where they came from. A business with stock can show invoices.
Quiet meeting spots	A side street at night, a last-minute change of location	Insist on a police station lobby or a busy store.
Fresh accounts	Profile created this month, no friends or ratings, no other listings	Look at the profile before you reply.

Why stolen goods end up on marketplaces

Marketplaces are local, free to list on, and mostly paid in cash, so a thief can turn a stolen item into money the same day without a pawn shop asking for ID. That's also why the buyer carries the risk: if police find the item, it goes back to the owner, and the money you handed over is gone.

Scams that are not about stolen goods

Fake listings using copied photos, asking for a deposit before you see anything
Overpayment: a "buyer" sends too much and asks you to refund the difference
Verification-code scams: someone asks you to read back a code sent to your phone
Fake payment emails that look like they come from a payment app

What a Stolen Goods check looks for

Every one of these tactics exists to stop you from doing two things: checking the serial number, and seeing whether the seller controls the item. Ask for the number early, and insist on watching them unlock and sign out of it. If you already bought something that turned out to be stolen, read what to do if you bought something stolen.

What a check searches

SafeOrStolen theft reports

Public web results

Police gun theft reports

Stolen-bicycle registry

Vehicle records

Phone blacklist

Step by step

1

Look at the seller's profile before you reply.

2

Ask for a photo of the serial number, IMEI or VIN on the item.

3

Check the number on SafeOrStolen.

4

Meet in a public, watched place and match the number on the item.

5

Watch the seller unlock the item and sign out of their accounts.

6

If anything doesn't fit, leave and report the listing.

Enter the serial number, IMEI or VIN in the search box. SafeOrStolen searches its own theft reports and public web results, including listings and posts that mention the number, plus extra sources for guns, bikes, phones and Arizona vehicles. You see "reported stolen", "possible match" or "no report found in the records searched", with every source listed.

Why check before you buy

Each tactic above is a story. The serial number check is a fact. A seller who has a good answer for everything but won't share the number has told you what you need to know.

Checks SafeOrStolen theft reports and public web results

Works for phones, cars, bikes, laptops, tools, consoles and guns

Every source listed with the result

Dated record of the check saved to your account

2 free checks with no credit card

Common questions

Sources listed

US-Based

2 Free Checks

All 50 States

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Scammer Tactics: How Stolen Goods Are Sold Online

How do scammers sell stolen goods online?

The tactics, and what they look like

Why stolen goods end up on marketplaces

Scams that are not about stolen goods

What a Stolen Goods check looks for

Step by step

Why check before you buy

Common questions

Other checks

IMEI Checker

VIN Checker

Serial Number Checker

Firearm Check

License Plate Lookup

Plate Owner Lookup

Mobile App

Ready to Verify Your Stolen Goods?