Aussies targeted by new 'designer furniture' scam on Facebook Marketplace issue urgent warning - as the note that told buyers of their mistake is revealed

Three Aussies were scammed on Facebook Marketplace  One seller listed a black leather Togo couch set by Michel Ducaroy for $800  Listing was a scam and required a $100 deposit; more than 20 people fell for it Read more: Warning about Facebook Marketplace after 'creepy' trend 

Three Australians have urged others to be diligent when using Facebook Marketplace after chatting to a fraudster who posed as a friendly Sydneysider selling a designer couch.

Jason Fassbender, Georgina Solomon, and Georgina's friend Bec were all conned into thinking a $800 Black Leather Togo set by Michel Ducaroy was authentic with  Bec even paying a $100 deposit to secure the deal.

The listing caught their attention as the designer three-seater and two-seater retails for anywhere between $8,000 to $33,000.

Georgina, 39, was provided an address in Surry Hills and was only told by the resident she'd fallen for a scam when she visited the location.

Georgina, a model and founder of the photography studio Prim Haus, has been a regular user of Marketplace for 10 years and was browsing when she came across what she thought was a remarkable find.

Sydney model Georgina Solomon (pictured) stumbled across a Black Leather Togo set by Michel Ducaroy on Facebook Marketplace for $800 and eagerly messaged the seller as the designer item sells for $8,000 minimum

Jason Fassbender (pictured) messaged another seller and also almost fell for a scammer's trap

The fraudsters posed as friendly Sydneysiders selling 'designer' items and requested deposits from buyers, only to later block them once received

Georgina went to an address in Surry Hills she was given to go see the couch only to meet the resident who alerted her it was a scam. The man then put a sign on his door (pictured)

She said she was always  outsourcing products from Marketplace for her studio, which focuses on sustainability and recycled pieces.

Georgina almost fell over when she saw the price of the couch as she knew such a product usually retails for $8,000 minimum.

'I contacted the seller who would respond at really weird hours such as 2am or 4am,' Georgina recalled.

'I had a gut feeling about it that something wasn't quite right. He would ask me questions and I felt pressured to buy.'

She was then asked to pay a $200 deposit to secure the sale - and she almost did.

But she instead decided to visit the address provided in Surry Hills to go and look at the couch.

'I knocked on the door and this poor guy answers then said, "Oh no, not more",' Georgina said.

'His face said it all and I told him, "Oh no, it's a scam isn't it?" and he nodded.'

'The man said: "I'm so sorry, there's no couches here. You've been scammed. I had over 20 people come to my doorstep yesterday."'

Georgina said the man then grabbed a piece of paper alerting others to report the profile and stuck it to his front door.

Georgina walked home empty-handed but she was glad she didn't lose any money.

'It's the thrill of the chase because you never know, you might find some gold,' she added.

Georgina uses the platform to sustainably source secondhand items for her creative photography studio Prim Haus (pictured)

When she moved from Adelaide to Sydney she also bought items from Marketplace to fill her home (pictured)

That same week Bec lost $100 after paying the scammer a deposit - but she admitted she was willing to lose the money.

The 40-year-old told FEMAIL she came across the same couch as she's moving house and wanted to swap some furniture on Facebook Marketplace.

'You can get lucky sometimes because some people don't know the value of the items they have,' she said.

'I reached out to see if the couch was still available. To be honest it did strike me as too good to be true.'

Bec offered to pay the deposit and admitted she should have done her research first.

'Even if it was a scam I was willing to lose $100. It was worth the risk just in case the listing was real,' she said.

But when she was sent the Surry Hills address and put it into Google, she realised the property didn't match exposed brick house that was in the photos.

Bec then did a little more research on the profile - which although looked authentic with 5,400 followers - there was a location tag to Africa.

'I was still in denial but then I saw a photo on Georgina's Instagram story of the same couch and a note on the front door of the property,' she recalled.

Bec messaged the seller asking for her money back for the deposit and sent a photo of the note but she was instantly blocked.

'It would only take ten people paying a $100 deposit for him to make bank on that one listing,' she said.

[video_shortcode_video_html_5 src="https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2023/09/29/8206290768621058560/1024x576_MP4_8206290768621058560.mp4" itemprop="image" content="https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2023/09/29/8206290768621058560/1024x576_MP4_8206290768621058560.mp4" data-src="https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2023/09/29/8206290768621058560/1024x576_MP4_8206290768621058560.mp4"]

Jason Fassbender also almost fell into another scammer's trap.

Mr Fassbender told FEMAIL he collects classic designer items and is 'always on the hunt' for his next find.

'I was browsing marketplace and saw what appeared to be an unbelievably great deal on a vintage Mario Bellini le bambole sofa, so I started the enquiry process by asking why it was being sold so cheap,' he said.

The seller quickly replied explaining the price was cheap because he 'needed it gone before moving to Melbourne'.

The product was listed for $850 but sells elsewhere for up to $15,0000, so Jason asked for more images which were provided.

What he did next made him one step ahead of the fraudster.

'I reverse image searched them and found all the exact same pictures to a 1st Dibs listing where the sofa was intact - $15,000,' he said.

'When I asked the seller about it, he blocked me.'

While Facebook scams are nothing new, the three separate experiences certainly highlight the importance of being alert online - more so than ever before.