Australia and New Zealand Banking Group

New Zealand man loses $300 to Facebook Marketplace scam involving non-delivered Taylor guitar payment to ANZ-linked account

A man in New Zealand lost $300 after being scammed on Facebook Marketplace when he paid for a Taylor guitar that was never delivered. The seller, using the name “Joy Maharni,” asked him to transfer the money into her husband’s bank account, which appeared legitimate through the ANZ app. After the payment on May 4, the listing and all messages were deleted, and the same guitar was later re-listed for $400 under a different profile. ANZ informed the victim it would not reimburse the lost funds and advised him to file a police report. Police declined to investigate further, citing the low value of the crime, and the scammer continued to re-list the guitar multiple times under new profiles. A police detective confirmed Facebook Marketplace remains a common platform for opportunistic scammers.