Calgary woman tangled up in Facebook scam that's hijacked her home address

Heather Hudson sometimes sells things on Facebook Marketplace, but she never gives her home address to strangers.

Yet, random people regularly turn up on her doorstep at all hours of the day to pick up items they've paid a small deposit for — only to find out they've been scammed by someone, and it's not Hudson.

"I just don't know how I got pulled into the middle of it," Hudson said. "Like, why my house and not my neighbour's house?"

The problem started one Sunday night in March. Hudson was getting ready for bed at her home in southwest Calgary when the doorbell rang. It was 10 p.m., so she ignored it. But then the doorbell rang again. And again.

Annoyed, Hudson went to the door and saw a man getting into his truck.

"I was the crazy woman yelling at him, 'What are you doing ringing my doorbell late at night?'" she recalled. "He said he was there to pick up an item, and I was like, 'No you're not!'"

Hudson assumed the man had been given the wrong pickup information, but, once they cross-checked the address, it became obvious the man had been scammed.

The man left and Hudson thought nothing more of the matter.

But the same thing kept happening.

People would come to the door of her bungalow saying they were there to pick up an item they'd left a deposit for, usually $20 to $40, according to Hudson. Each time, she'd have to let them down.

"All of them kinda go, 'I should have known' because the price is too good to be true, or it's something they've been looking for for a long time," Hudson said.

"So I started saying, 'You have to report the ad, report the profile,' because they're all fake profiles," she said.

Up to 20 people have turned up at her home

Hudson estimates she's had 15 to 20 people turn up at her home since March. In one case, she'd just pulled up at her garage only to find a man waiting for her in the back alley.

"He said, 'I'm here to look at the bike.' It was some kid's bike, a trail bike for kids."

She has added locks on her back gate to keep people from walking into the yard looking for items, and even stuck a handwritten sign on her front door that says: "If you are here for a FB Marketplace or Kijiji pick-up: There is no item here. You have been scammed!! Report seller and ad to Facebook. Thanks, and sorry.…"

The latest incident earlier this month was the first in a while. Hudson had even taken the sign down off her front door.

"I've had a good lull since August," she said. "So I thought maybe it was done."

It wasn't done. Hudson has had to tape her homemade sign back up since mid-October.

"I'm just caught in it. And I've had a couple where I'm like, 'just buzz off, leave me alone, leave me out of this scam.'"

Hudson has reported the problem to the police. They've told her there's nothing they can do, because she isn't under threat.

In a statement, the Calgary Police Service told CBC News it is common for scammers to use a real address that is not their own. They advise people "to not make payments for items until they are completely satisfied with the address, purchase and collections being safe and legitimate." CPS also directed CBC News to the Facebook Marketplace safety tips posted on their Instagram feed.

But those tips won't make any difference to Heather Hudson. She doesn't like to answer the door anymore, and even gets anxious whenever a car pulls up out front.

"It does change your nervous system," she said. "Like, all of a sudden you're on high alert."

CBC News has also reached out to Meta, the company that owns Facebook; it's investigating.

Claudiu Popa, a privacy and cybersecurity expert based in Toronto, says it's the first time he's heard of this specific type of scam involving a third party's genuine home address, but he isn't surprised.

"There are so many variations on advanced fee fraud," Popa said. "People are motivated to pay a little bit of money up front to hold an item."

Popa said it's easier to protect the people being scammed than the person whose real address is being used as a go-between. For someone like Hudson, he suggests contacting police to ask permission to put a police contact number on the door sign, or even a sign printed on police letterhead.

He recommended that anyone who uses Marketplace or other online classified advertising websites such as Kijiji never provide a deposit via e-transfer in advance, even if it's just a small amount.

"You need to exercise critical thinking skills before you wire someone the money. You need to get to know them by email or phone."

Popa also suggested that, instead of avoiding Marketplace, it can help to actually list an item for sale and watch for red flags from potential buyers.

"Familiarize yourself with the scams you see," he said.