Shipping Container Facebook Marketplace Scams

December 2020

There is a current spate of Facebook marketplace scams circulating Facebook.

A shipping container is advertised at a very good price on facebook marketplace and potentially also on local sales groups (often way below market value) – Initially these were for new 20ft and 40ft containers, but the scammers appear to be now offering a range of offices and cabins as well.

You get in touch with the advertiser who gives you someone else’s contact number and / or an email address to work from. (they may say its their partner or boss)

You then receive official looking communications and invoices, the invoice will have a set of personal account details on with no connection to the company or business named on the invoice.  Once you pay this there is no way to contact the scammers as they will stop answering calls or responding to messages.

We believe the people posting the adverts onto facebook marketplace are being duped into posting these and they are being paid £1 (or similar) for each phone number or enquiry they pass onto the scammers. These posters believe they are working for a legitimate business.

Here are the recent guises they have used but we expect they will move onto using new names in a few weeks.

Dorchester Shipping Containers on Facebook Marketplace

The real, legitimate dorchester containers business is a self storage yard and they do not sell shipping containers as a business activity.

The scammers have ripped off this name and are pretending to trade using this legitimate companies details.

Budget Shipping Containers on Facebook Marketplace

The scammers were recently issuing fake invoice using the name and address for Budget Shipping Containers.  We believe the scammers have stopped using Budget Containers name and moved onto using Dorchester Containers

Budget shipping containers (budgetshippingcontianers.co.uk) do sell shipping containers we have been in touch and they would like to clarify that:

• They do not sell shipping containers through facebook marketplace
• The never discount from the prices available on their own website
• They will only ever email you via an official @budgetshippingcontainers.co.uk email address.

Have you been scammed buying a shipping container on facebook marketplace?

Always report any crime to the police and / or action fraud. We cannot make reports on behalf of victims.

Please feel free to lus us know by getting in touch. we would be very keen to see copies of any invoices you have received and any communications with the scammers.

We suspect the people posting the adverts are innocent themselves and earning money for each phone number they forward.

If the scammers are using anew name, please get in touch so we can update this report. This may help prevent others getting scammed.