Watch out when selling big-ticket items on Facebook Marketplace. Scammers have a new trick up their sleeves!
According to BBB Scam Tracker reports, be wary of phony buyers who “need” you to upgrade your Zelle or another digital wallet app to accept money from them.
How The Scam Works
You list a big-ticket item worth several hundred dollars on Facebook Marketplace. You are quickly contacted by a buyer who wants to pay using a peer-to-peer payment app. Recent BBB Scam Tracker reports reference Zelle, but this scam could also work with CashApp, Venmo (a BBB Accredited Business), or another similar service.
Shortly after receiving the payment, you get an email, supposedly from Zelle. Allegedly, the buyer paid via a Zelle “business account.” Now, you also need to upgrade your account to business status to accept the transfer. To do so, the buyer will need to send you another $300. They are happy to do you a favor – if you promise to refund them.
One scam victim reported this experience: “I received an email from zelle@bankconfirmedpayment.com explaining that the funds were waiting, but the buyer had to send an additional $300 in order to upgrade my account because the transaction was over $600, and I would need a business account.” The scammer then “sent” the extra funds and included screenshots of his Zelle app with the money deducted from his account. Then, he started pressuring the victim into repaying him: “He was very upset and persistent that I needed to pay him back for the fees that he incurred on my behalf.”
If you refund the scammer, you’ll quickly realize that they never sent you any money in the first place. You’ll be out a few hundred dollars, and the scammer will disappear.
How To Avoid Scams When Selling Online:
Source: BBB.org
If you’ve been the victim of a scam, report your experience at BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your report helps BBB build consumer awareness and makes con artists’ scams less effective. To find trustworthy businesses in your area, go to https://www.bbb.org.
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