Yet another Facebook scam
 

I posted some tools to sell on Facebook Marketplace and some guy named "Bossa" offered to pay me for a table saw with Zelle and said his son with the truck would come by and pick it up. The "Zelle" notification went straight to my spam folder. It looked real, but said the transaction was on hold because my bank account wasn't a business account and that the sender would need to raise the amount to $300 so they could convert it to a business account so the transaction would go through. Have you ever heard anything so absurd?

So I asked him what the hell was going on and he said he got the same message, but he would trust me to send me the $300 and then I could just bounce it back to him.

How dumb do these idiots think people are? Does that ever work? I literally copied the text of the fake Zelle message into Google search and it immediately produced a warning of that exact scam. So I clicked the guy's profile and it said he was in Orlando, but the spelling was "Bre Bossa". So I searched for "Bossa" and found a guy in India with a similar empty profile and no real name. And, of course, there was no way to report either fake profile as a known scammer -- all I could do was flag them both as possible fakes.

I don't know why Facebook refuses to clean up their mess. How would you even go about creating a fake profile? I remember being forced to prove my identify when I first started using it years ago. Apparently, that rule only applies to non-criminals.

I think the only way to get through to Zuckerberg is to quit using Facebook until they quit allowing these stupid scams and fake profiles. I deleted my profile. I'm done with it.

I have never used it and never will. It is a security risk.

I listen to my grandkids advising me I would be lame to stay on Facebook basically all social media.
But I’m here finding out CostCo is coming soon.

So how does this scam work? Do they expect you to send the $300 back to them before you confirm that you received it?

Yes, the scammer wants you to think that you have received money that you have not received. You will then "return" money to the scammer that you actually never received.

I'm glad this is all way over my head, so I don't use it.

I got back on Facebook specifically for neighborhood info on the area I bought a house in the Villages. The amount of scams today is insane. Between the autistic kid t-shirt designer, the duct cleaning, and the car detailing I hardly seen any posts.

Is the true scam a means to obtain your bank account number or credit card information? They would then empty your bank account or use your credit card to purchase items more than $300.

I do not use Facebook for groups in the Villages. A friend of mine ended up with an uncomfortable stalking situation. (looking for a romance type) The stalker was at every meeting or social event when not a member of the club. Finally realized it was the Facebook page. Stopped using it, stalker problem disappeared.

Why don’t you donate the tools to Habitat for Humanity?

Zelle is not a security risk any more than a check is. Ditto for Venmo. OTOH, any transaction with a stranger who asks you to refund them money you have not received is an obvious scam. We were victims of ID theft years ago and the scammer started printing checks and issuing them all over town. It took 6 months to get it cleaned up and now we have all three of our credit files locked down so no one can open credit in our name. It is a PITA if you want to open a new account somewhere because you have to go online an Unfreeze the account long enough for the business to verify your credit history, then lock it again.
Zelle, Venmo and PayPal are all accepted, safe means of conducting a transaction, just like a credit or debit card.

SCAM they were using the PayPal exactly like this years ago !

Try eBay
 

I don’t have any experience selling housewares or other items online, because I just donate these items. However, I know people who have had success with eBay. Apparently their rules are stricter and eBay has seller protection policies in place that Facebook doesn’t have.

Facebook, World Wide Web and attitudes are loaded with scams and bad info.
The data that used to be helpful is ruined by all the scammers, social media and advertisers!

It is important to use the web for info on reliable sites. I learn so much health info on Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, NIH, etc. Stay away fro health line, web MD and those sites as info may be inaccurate. When selling something on marketplce immediately refuse any early payment, never give your phone number, or address until the time they are coming. They can see what town you live in and don't need the exact address early on. Check their FB profile to see if they exist with pictures of family, friends etc. Scams usually won't have a legitimate profile or a new one. Still it's not as easy as it could be to rule out scams

Yes, it’s a scam. But if you post things for sale here or on V-N, you will find the same scam being played, or a related scam. What matters is getting your thing sold, for cash. If you are selling a golf cart, where people might not have that amount in cash, only sell to villagers, and check them out, and go with them to the bank or something. I’m not sure, but I think the “I’m sending my son to pick it up” thing is because these are companies that have workers who spend all day buying things on line at good prices, or the best price they can get, then send less intelligent people to pick them up for less money. They usually want to pay with a cashier’s check or a money order, and neither is safe anymore. PayPal is safe because it automatically takes the money from the buyer’s bank account or credit card and is on the hook if the money isn’t there.

A worse scam is the one where the buyer says he will pay you more than your asking price if you accept and cash a cashier’s check or. Money order. Beware.

The entire reason we have used Facebook Marketplace in the past to sell things is that we were under the obviously incorrect impression that, in order to use Facebook, you had to prove your identity. It's also why we felt safe exposing details of our lives and photographs for our family and friends.

Apparently, that is no longer the case. And therefore, the entire point of Facebook has ceased to exist. The idiots who run it don't seem to care about that.

And now that I no longer have a Facebook account, I don't care, either. But I do care about my neighbors, which is why I posted this. I suggest that you, too, delete your Facebook account and quit using them.

This is true. P. T. Barnum was right.

This is a very common scam.

Half right, sucker born every 0.5 seconds

So, because bad people are trying to steal from you, you think people should stop using social media? Just don't let them steal from you. Stupid people are always going to get taken advantage of.... 'You're grandson is in jail, send Target cards to get him out." Really? 'I sent more than you asked for, send me the overage back." Really? Facebook is great..... just be smart when using it.

EBay has buyer protection first and foremost. The seller protection is way down the priority scale.

Why anyone uses Spybook is beyond me. It's just a personal data-collecting site.

If his son was coming to pick up the merchandise, why would you pay him with Zelle? Just have his son bring the cash! Now who's dumb!

3 billion users worldwide including 275 million users in the US and Canada appear to feel otherwise.

I started selling stuff on Facebook marketplace back in June and had two people try to scam me during that time. The scam I came across is they claim to want to send me a code via text message to verify that I am real (so that they don't get scammed). At that point I just block them on my phone and report them on Facebook.

I've had really good success selling stuff on Facebook marketplace, whereas on craigslist the majority of responses were scams, to the point where it was unusable.

There will always be scams on the Internet. It's up to the individual to educate themselves and proceed cautiously. It's not always easy though. That is why I just stick with in-person cash transactions only, no exceptions. Only selling locally limits my audience but I accept that limitation.

Edit: you also have to think about giving someone your address. I am not particularly worried about it because I can defend myself. But if you are not able to defend yourself for whatever reason, you should coordinate to have someone be with you when the person arrives, even if you're meeting in a public place. there's lots of good information on the Internet about situational awareness and it never hurts to educate yourself.

Btw, I have two snowboards that I'm trying to sell if anyone is interested, lol. Florida is not the easiest place to sell snowboards. Maybe I'll donate them…

The OP was not paying anyone with Zelle; the buyer was paying with Zelle.

I can think of several reasons why the son may not have access to the cash. I can also imagine being reluctant to give someone directions to my home without first seeing the money deposited into my account which couldn't happen with cash.

Zelle is safe when used correctly. This scam attempts to trick the target into being careless. I'm sure it works frequently.

In God we trust All others pay cash
 

Cash only at yard sales.

The last paragraph says it all. I’ve been saying that about Facebook for a while. I noticed on my Facebook they just been posting Advertisements & at lot of really stupid questions! Facebook has really went downhill.

On Facebook there is three dots' ... up to the right of their sight , click that and choose the one that fits.

One of the clues to using Facebook marketplace is don’t respond to anybody with a new Facebook account. It’s just going to be a scammer. The people that I communicate with who are serious all have had several years’ worth of history on Facebook

Accept only American dollars, dead presidents, and check those bills

How dumb do they think you are ? You did answer the ad

There are so many scams out there, it only has to work once and they're set until they run out of money. For them it beats working.

No. I didn't say anything about "Social Media" We are here discussing this on a "Social Media" platform that does not pretend to have vetted its users, and I have no problem with that.

But I do have a problem with a platform like Facebook that went to great lengths to vet ME, but has since decided that crooks can have all the fake accounts they want to prey on their user's false sense of security -- that they actually created.

I don't have a problem with risk. I have a problem with liars.

They answered my ad.

But you're right -- I guess I'm so dumb that I actually read a post before I call the poster "dumb".

HE offered Zelle because he said his son didn't have the cash, which is perfectly reasonable, since the cost of the item was greater than the $200 limit on most ATM machines. There's nothing wrong with accepting Zelle. If somebody offered to pay you in advance with Zelle, would you say -- "Oh no, I require all my buyers to make a bunch of trips to the ATM on different days in order to accumulate enough cash for a large purchase from me, even when they offer to pay with Zelle, because I'm just a jerk that way".

What kind of jerk would do that? Maybe the kind who calls his neighbor dumb without bothering to get the facts.

Thank you for the post
 

Same thing happened when we posted on Facebook Marketplace. We no longer use that site. QUOTE=Blueblaze;2267482]I posted some tools to sell on Facebook Marketplace and some guy named "Bossa" offered to pay me for a table saw with Zelle and said his son with the truck would come by and pick it up. The "Zelle" notification went straight to my spam folder. It looked real, but said the transaction was on hold because my bank account wasn't a business account and that the sender would need to raise the amount to $300 so they could convert it to a business account so the transaction would go through. Have you ever heard anything so absurd?

So I asked him what the hell was going on and he said he got the same message, but he would trust me to send me the $300 and then I could just bounce it back to him.

How dumb do these idiots think people are? Does that ever work? I literally copied the text of the fake Zelle message into Google search and it immediately produced a warning of that exact scam. So I clicked the guy's profile and it said he was in Orlando, but the spelling was "Bre Bossa". So I searched for "Bossa" and found a guy in India with a similar empty profile and no real name. And, of course, there was no way to report either fake profile as a known scammer -- all I could do was flag them both as possible fakes.

I don't know why Facebook refuses to clean up their mess. How would you even go about creating a fake profile? I remember being forced to prove my identify when I first started using it years ago. Apparently, that rule only applies to non-criminals.

I think the only way to get through to Zuckerberg is to quit using Facebook until they quit allowing these stupid scams and fake profiles. I deleted my profile. I'm done with it.[/QUOTE]

Each and EVERY time I see a posting on FB that I question you need to review the full profile of the poster..if that profile doesn't have a series of actual posts, you MUST assume it's fake....

Maybe 20 or 30 years ago. Today, most ATMs have a much higher limit than $200.

The only reasonable response I could think of is "your son with the truck can give me the cash when he comes to pick it up. This is cash-and-carry only, as I posted on my ad." But then - I would always say "cash and carry only" on ads. There's a risk that I might lose out on a buyer. But if I was going to do sales on facebook regularly I'd have a bill-checker, and there'd be a near-zero risk of ever being scammed by only taking cash.

Scammers are everywhere and always coming up with new ways to scam people. One of the new ones is done in parking lots. They will pull up next to your car and deliberately scratch or dent it. Then wait for the owner of the car to come out. Then they tell the owner of the car that the owner hit them when they parked before going into the store. If this happens to anyone reading this just call the cops. These scum bags will leave before the cops get there. Take a photo of the car, and license plate if you can before they leave.