• Joe France said he paid $300 on Facebook Marketplace for a guitar that was never delivered.
• ANZ says it is not liable and it won’t reimburse the thwarted buyer.
• Police Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton told the Herald Facebook Marketplace is a breeding ground for opportunistic scammers.
• ANZ believes about 30% of the banking industry’s recorded scams come from places like Facebook Marketplace.

A man who says he was duped by a scammer on Facebook Marketplace is warning bargain hunters to beware.

When Joe France saw a $300 guitar listed he thought it would be perfect for his teenage daughter. He told the Herald the 10 photos of the Taylor guitar, and the profile photo of the seller “Joy Maharni” seemed legitimate.

On Sunday May 4, France decided to buy the guitar, which appeared to be available to be picked up the following Thursday.

The Herald has obtained Facebook screenshots of the correspondence between France and Maharni.

“Everything seemed genuine,” France told the Herald. “Joy asked me to transfer the money into her husband’s account. When I made the transfer via the ANZ app, it was a “complete match”- the account name and number confirmed this was a genuine transaction,” he said.

France believed the Taylor guitar listing was in high demand - because Maharni asked him how long the transaction would take to complete.

Joe France said everything seemed genuine when he transferred the money into the seller's husband's account. Photo / Dean Purcell

He also sent an email to the manufacturers of Taylor Guitars to verify the serial number on the guitar to ensure it was genuine, before he picked it up.

“That evening, I messaged Joy to confirm the funds were in her account and asked where I should pick up the guitar. There was no reply,” he said.

“The thing is, on Facebook Marketplace a seller can set up as many accounts and profiles as they want, and delete chats.”

The following morning France got up early to check his messages and had an inkling something didn’t add up. He said the listing for the guitar was deleted, along with all his exchanges with Joy Maharni.

Joe France never received a guitar he bought on Facebook Marketplace and paid for using ANZ online banking. Photo / Supplied.

When he went back to Facebook Marketplace and searched for “Taylor Guitars” France noticed a new listing for the same guitar he‘d just paid for.

“It was the same guitar, same title, description and photo under a different Facebook profile and cost $400. When I realised I’d been scammed I clicked “Report Listing” to Facebook - and the listing disappeared soon after.

“The actions of the scammer are heartless. When the guitar was re-listed a third time, my wife approached the vendor. They were prepared to take more money for the guitar.”

Joe France says the guitar he bought on Facebook Marketplace was re-listed after he'd paid for it. Photo / Supplied

Maharni did not respond when approached by the Herald on Facebook.

Two days after the purchase, on May 6, the father-of-three phoned the ANZ 0800 number to report he‘d been scammed.

France said ANZ advised him to file a police report, where he shared Maharni’s husband’s name and bank account details.

He also sent the police file number to ANZ’s online fraud team, he says.

Three days later, France says police told him they wouldn’t be taking further action - and the money he had deposited into a legitimate BNZ account was not recoverable.

A spokesman from ANZ said to the Herald: “Online scams such as Facebook Marketplace are a significant problem and the most common scam in New Zealand.

“We believe that about 30% of the New Zealand banking industry’s recorded scams come from places like Facebook Marketplace.

“We‘re seeing more and more fake and malicious content online - often paid and promoted - so we urge people to do their research and take steps to protect themselves from scams.

“ANZ regularly reminds customers to be vigilant, providing scam warnings, and general information on how to keep yourself safe.

ANZ Bank says platforms like Facebook Marketplace host the most common type of scam in New Zealand. Photo / NZME

“In the six months to March 31, we prevented more than $15 million in fraud and scam transactions. Of reported cases, 94% resulted in no loss to the customer.

“The total number of ANZ cases was down 9% while total ANZ customer losses fell by 7%. Since November, ANZ NZ has been rolling out our new Confirmation of Payee service to provide an extra layer of protection.”

Joe France notified police to say the guitar was re-listed a third time on Facebook Marketplace. Photo / NZME

France said a few days later he called the police 105 number to report that the Taylor guitar had been re-listed for the third time on Facebook Marketplace for $400 under a new profile “Edna Fiona”.

“I wanted to tell them that if they didn’t investigate, this scammer would continue to defraud other Facebook users. [The operator] said the police are ‘too busy’ to investigate crimes less than $500, even though she said there are hundreds per day,” he claimed.

“The police might be busy, but it doesn’t make it right – it’s sending a bad message to these scammers. We take shoplifting seriously, so we need to take the same approach to online scammers.”

This week, the Taylor guitar has been re-listed a fourth time, by a seller claiming to be “Kristy Marcus”.

A friend of France‘s inquired about the guitar, now $500. The friend was advised to deposit the money into “Jessica Wirihana’s” bank account.

The Herald tracked down a “Jessica Wirihana” for comment, who didn’t respond.

Police say some scammers use fake photos to sell goods they don't have don't have. Photo / Supplied.

Police recommended sellers exercise extreme caution when using Facebook Marketplace.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton, Auckland City Financial Crime Unit confirmed with the Herald that a fraud report was made, and said he appreciated the victim’s frustration.

“The unfortunate reality is that this platform continues to be a breeding ground for opportunistic scammers, who will go to any length to rip good people off.”

Bolton said buyers need to be vigilant and suggested:

• Don’t rely on screenshots of bank transfers as accurate (these can be altered)
• Expensive items advertised at low prices could well be stolen property – if it’s too good to be true, it probably is
• Some scammers use fake photos to advertise goods for sale that they don’t have
• If you are buying or selling an item, find a public place to meet to carry out the transaction 
  France told the Herald he is sorry his daughter has missed out on a guitar.

He has a message for the seller: “Sell some real objects and you’ll have a legitimate business instead of deliberately scamming people. I was looking forward to getting my daughter a guitar. To be deceived like this is callous and disappointing.”

Carolyne Meng-Yee is an Auckland-based investigative journalist who won Best Documentary at the Voyager Media Awards in 2022. She worked for the Herald on Sunday from 2007-2011 and rejoined the Herald in 2016 after working as an award-winning current affairs producer at TVNZ’s 60 Minutes, 20/20 and Sunday.