Quilt Groups, Scammers and Spammers - What to look for!

🧵 Quilt buyers: pause before you pay.

Quilt buying and selling groups have grown, and scammers have noticed. They may copy photos from a real seller, post a beautiful quilt at an irresistible price, collect payments, and disappear.

If a deal seems too good to be true, slow down and check it out. A bargain can be real, but urgency is exactly what a scammer wants.

Before buying from someone you don’t know:

🔎 Look at the seller’s profile. Is the account brand new? Does it have only a few friends, little activity, and no apparent history of selling quilts? Those are reasons to look closer. An established profile isn’t a guarantee, either; accounts can be taken over.

📸 Search the quilt photos with Google Lens. If the same photos appear in an older listing under another seller’s name, ask questions. No search results don’t prove the photos are genuine. You can also request a fresh photo of a specific corner, the backing, or a flaw mentioned in the listing.

🧵 Ask quilt-specific questions. What are the measurements? Is there fabric loss, staining, or seam separation? Can they show the binding and the back? Be cautious if the seller can’t answer basic questions about the quilt they supposedly have.

🚩 Watch for pressure and odd payment requests. “Five other people want it—send a deposit right now” should make you pause. So should a request for gift cards, a wire transfer, or payment through an app with no purchase protection. If using PayPal to buy a quilt, Friends and Family payments aren’t covered by PayPal Purchase Protection

🔗 Be wary of surprise links and verification codes. A buyer or seller who asks you to click a payment link or send them a code texted to your phone may be trying to get into your account. Sellers should also check that payment actually arrived in their account before shipping; a screenshot or email saying “paid” can be faked.

One warning sign may have an innocent explanation. Several together are a good reason to walk away. If a listing looks suspicious, report it to the group admins and Facebook so other quilt lovers can avoid it, too.

Asking you to use Messenger isn’t a scam by itself—plenty of legitimate quilt sellers discuss measurements, condition, and shipping there. A spammer’s goal is usually to get you into a private conversation where they can send a payment request or link, pressure you to act quickly, or ask for personal information without other group members seeing the exchange.

In a quilt group, I’d be especially cautious if someone comments “Message me” on another seller’s post, claims to have the same quilt for less, or messages you pretending to be the seller. Open the original listing and compare the profile carefully before discussing payment.

Never give someone a verification code they claim they need to prove you’re a real buyer or seller. The FTC documents this tactic in scams targeting people selling on Facebook Marketplace. Fake payment notices are another tactic aimed at getting a seller to ship before payment arrives.

If the person sends an unexpected link, insists on an unprotected payment method, or won’t answer ordinary questions about the quilt, stop the conversation and report the account to the group admins.

There will always be another quilt. I know, I know—sometimes that’s hard to believe when it’s a Double Wedding Ring. 😉

Warm regards and many thanks, 

Carol 

Janj Threads - Founder