[Blueblaze]

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.

[spinner1001]

Originally Posted by Altawood

Zelle is not a security risk any more than a check is. Ditto for Venmo…

Zelle, Venmo and PayPal are all accepted, safe means of conducting a transaction, just like a credit or debit card.

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

[Robbb]

Originally Posted by Blueblaze

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.

This is a very common scam.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by spinner1001

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

Half right, sucker born every 0.5 seconds

[airstreamingypsy]

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.

[JGibson]

Originally Posted by Ele201

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.

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.

[Wondering]

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!

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by JGibson

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.

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

[Switter]

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…

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Wondering

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!

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.

[Alarmed]

Cash only at yard sales.

Originally Posted by Blueblaze

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.

[OhioBuckeye]

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.

[Deden]

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

[jlaurieb]

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

[nn0wheremann]

Originally Posted by Blueblaze

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.

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