New Zealand woman loses $250 to fake Facebook Marketplace meat seller scam

Summary

A New Zealand woman was scammed after paying $250 for a whole lamb through what she believed to be a legitimate Facebook Marketplace page called "New Zealand Meat Supplies." The scammer sent a confirmation message and payment instructions, but the woman became suspicious when the payment was directed to a personal bank account. Despite her concerns, she proceeded with the payment after being told the administrator was on holiday. The promised delivery never arrived, and the woman was later blocked by the seller when she tried to contact them. Multiple other New Zealanders also reported being scammed by the same page, which falsely listed their orders as satisfied customer evidence. The woman reported the incident to her bank, but they were unable to recover the money, citing that Facebook Marketplace transactions are not regulated by financial institutions.