TDPRI'ers who sell online...what is this scam?

[Junkyard Dog]

I have been selling off guitar equipment for the past year on Facebook Marketplace. Not a lot...10 items. It has all been fine...actually great! A bajillion messages back and forth but...seriously great.

Today I posted an item for $150...ten bucks more than I wanted just so purchasers can enjoy the haggle.

Almost immediatley someone responds, and I quote, "Okay am good with the price ,I won’t be able to come and pick it up or because of my work and am out of town . but I can ask my son to help me pick it at your address. So i will be sending payment through zelle now."

I always cleary specify that only cash transactions will be accepted, so I did not bother to respond to this, but I am curious what the scam is. I see that Zelle is a form of online payment like (I guess) Venmo and Paypal and so forth, and I don't use any of these to know...how do they get ya'?

 

[NoTeleBob]

They likely just want your Zelle username and details to try to hack your Zelle account.

 

[loco gringo]

Why can't he Zelle his son the money and have him pay you cash when he picks it up?

It's because there is no money and probably no son.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

They likely just want your Zelle username and details to try to hack your Zelle account.

Interesting. Again, I don't use these services, so I apologize if this is all obvious to those that do. I assume that a legitamite purchaser needs your username (or some identifier) to send you the money. So when they (the scammer) have that then they can just go to work on hacking into your account? Is this a successful approach? And...then...can they drain your account, or just use it to make their own purchases, or something else?

 

[Junkyard Dog]

Why can't he Zelle his son the money and have him pay you cash when he picks it up?

It's because there is no money and probably no son.

LG, I agree, I am just wondering how the scam (had I fallen for it) proceeds from there.

 

[lowatter]

pass and block

 

[NoTeleBob]

Pretty much. Or sometimes they actually send the money and come get the item. Then the transaction falls through and you're out the item. Not for $100 item though.

Or it will convert to "I'll send you $200 extra plus $50 via Zelle for your trouble; please give the extra $200 cash to my son. He doesn't have Zelle and I need get him some cash.". Then. The money to you fails after you've given $200 to his "son" and he's days gone.

 

[Junkyard Dog]

Hmm. I still don't quite understand how flimsy these Zelle, etc. deals are, and I thought they would be more secure. It sounds like it is similar to someone handing you a personal check, riding off with your item, and then the check bounces.

If the stakes were higher, I would try and sort it out to be able to accept payments via Zelle and Apple and Android and so forth, but...as it is...I am selling $100 pedals for local purchase and pickup, so cash will eventually win out.

 

[Milspec]

That is one of the most common text messages you get from scammers. Text him back and say call me....he never will.

 

[tomasz]

It's probably the usual, where they will present you a fake payment receipt or make you otherwise believe that they already wired the money and ask you to hand out the item immediately to "the son" picking it up.

 

[Peegoo]

Mobile money payment scams via Zelle often play out as follows: the scammer purchases an item from you, sends a payment confirmation to you via the app, and then cancels the payment before it reaches your bank account.

 

[Tarkus60]

Yeah scammers. I got the same response as soon as I listed a guitar. So did a buddy.

 

[teletail]

That’s why I do cash only deals. I’m not smart enough to figure out all the ways they can screw me. I also insist on meeting at the local police station parking lot. It’s funny how many people I never hear from again after I lay out these two sim, nonnegotiable rules.

 

[ale.istotle]

There are several scams. The one I see written about most is sending a fake zelle confirmation.

https://www.yahoo.com/now/zelle-facebook-marketplace-scam-recognize-130047880.html

 

[nojazzhere]

That’s why I do cash only deals. I’m not smart enough to figure out all the ways they can screw me. I also insist on meeting at the local police station parking lot. It’s funny how many people I never hear from again after I lay out these two sim, nonnegotiable rules.

I agree about cash only.....but even that is no guarantee of legitimacy. A few years ago, a ring of thieves around here were buying Harleys with counterfeit money. They were long gone before people caught on.

 

[dented]

Business account scam​

A new kind of scam has been popping up on resale sites like Facebook Marketplace. If you list an expensive item and have a very interested buyer, make sure it’s legit. The Better Business Bureau has warned of fake “buyers” who pretend to pay for an item, then trick you into sending them money back.

After the scammer tells you they want an item, you receive an email that looks like it’s from Zelle, saying the “buyer” paid with a business account and to access the payment, you must also upgrade to a Zelle business account—for $300. The scammer will generously add the $300 onto the “payment” they sent you, as long as you promise to refund them after you upgrade. The “buyer” will use fake emails and screenshots to make it look like they’ve paid you. But when you Zelle the $300 back, you realize the payments were fake, and you’ve just lost your money.

To avoid getting scammed, always check for payments through your Zelle app. Never rely on screenshots or emails as proof, beware of buyers offering more than you listed the item for and don’t agree to refund a payment.

 

[teletail]

I agree about cash only.....but even that is no guarantee of legitimacy. A few years ago, a ring of thieves around here were buying Harleys with counterfeit money. They were long gone before people caught on.

Good point. It’s hard to deter a determined scammer.

 

[Preacher]

From Zelle's website. The reason I know this is my wife was selling something and mentioned it sold really fast. Someone was coming to get it, then she mentioned Zelle.

Zelle® is a great way to send money to friends, family or others you trust such as your personal trainer, babysitter, or a neighbor. If you don’t know the person, or aren’t sure you will get what you paid for (for example, items bought from an on-line bidding or sales site), we recommend you do not use Zelle® for these types of transactions, which are potentially high risk.

Zelle® does not offer a protection program for any authorized payments made with Zelle® - for example, if you make a purchase using Zelle®, but you do not receive the item or the item is not as described or as you expected.

 

[bobio]

Many of these payment systems don't offer any kind of protection.
Even Paypal seems to side with the buyer more often than not.
I too NEVER respond to anyone who asks to deviate from the instructions I laid out in the add to begin with.
One thing I have learned over the years of selling online, there will always be another buyer. Patience is key.

 

[kuch]

I have been selling off guitar equipment for the past year on Facebook Marketplace. Not a lot...10 items. It has all been fine...actually great! A bajillion messages back and forth but...seriously great.

Today I posted an item for $150...ten bucks more than I wanted just so purchasers can enjoy the haggle.

Almost immediatley someone responds, and I quote, "Okay am good with the price ,I won’t be able to come and pick it up or because of my work and am out of town . but I can ask my son to help me pick it at your address. So i will be sending payment through zelle now."

I always cleary specify that only cash transactions will be accepted, so I did not bother to respond to this, but I am curious what the scam is. I see that Zelle is a form of online payment like (I guess) Venmo and Paypal and so forth, and I don't use any of these to know...how do they get ya'?

It's been on the news lately. I think you can read it online if you google zel le scams.

The articles I've read said that FB Mktplace, Zel le, ven mo, and others have had issues with fraud/scams lately. Be careful and like others have said, IN PERSON CASH ONLY.