Every week in Australia, hardworking farmers, contractors and business owners lose tens of thousands of dollars buying machinery on Facebook Marketplace. The scammers are getting smarter, the fake documents look more convincing, and the platforms do almost nothing to stop it.
The 5 Scams We Uncover:
- The Too-Good-To-Be-True Price
- The Overseas Seller
- The Hidden Finance Trap
- The Stolen Machine
- The Deposit and Disappear
The Too-Good-To-Be-True Price
A tractor that should sell for $120,000 is listed at $68,000. The scammer's entire game is urgency. They create artificial pressure — "urgent sale due to divorce" or "relocating overseas" — to get you to pay before you think too hard about it.
⚠️ Red Flags
The Overseas Seller
The machine looks Australian, but the seller is "currently overseas." They claim the machine is with a "shipping agent" who will deliver it once payment clears. There is no machine, only a bank account waiting for your transfer.
⚠️ Red Flags
The Hidden Finance Trap
You buy the machine in good faith, only for a finance company to repossess it six months later. The previous owner had debt registered against the machine on the PPSR. In Australia, that debt follows the iron, not the person.
⚠️ Red Flags
The VerifiedRigs Solution
We built this platform to kill these scams. Every listing on VerifiedRigs goes through a manual audit before it is approved.
- Official PPSR Check: We run the govt check so you don't have to.
- VIN Confirmation: We verify the iron physically matches the records.
- Iron Integrity: Sellers must provide "Proof of Life" photos.
- Secure Handover: We mandate the 10-20% deposit protocol.
What to do if you've been scammed
If you have sent money to a scammer, time is your only ally. Contact your bank immediately to attempt a fund recall. Report the crime to Scamwatch (ACCC) and your local police state cybercrime unit.