A grand piano for free sounds like kindness: downsizing, a late partner who loved music, a church or family that “must” get it. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has flagged this giveaway pattern on social marketplaces and email — the instrument is free; you only cover shipping. That shipping desk is part of the same fraud.
After you enquire, the “owner” introduces movers who already have an order number. Chat or email produces a polished invoice — often hundreds or more than a thousand in local currency — payable only by payment app, wire or prepaid card. Photos of a wrapped piano in a crate may follow. When you pay, a tracking story appears, then a second bill for storage, tariffs or “unexpected” fees. The piano never arrives because it was never theirs. The same trap runs for free furniture, gym kit and other heavy “gifts” where shipping feels plausible.
Facebook Marketplace’s own buyer guidance is simple: confirm high-value items in person or on a live video before money moves, and beware third-party shipping or escrow stories. Free plus “just pay the courier” is not a bargain; it is the product. Meet locally, lift the lid yourself, or walk away. Never send funds to a mover you cannot independently verify, and never pay a second “release” fee because a stranger says the crate is stuck.
If you already paid a shipping or storage invoice for a giveaway that never showed, keep the emails, fake tracking and payment proof, report the listing, and use Get help. Anyone selling paid recovery of that fee is usually another scam — Fake recovery.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal or financial advice. Details change. If you have lost money, contact your bank or card issuer and use the routes on the help pages.