Transferring money digitally is now the normal thing to do. Venmo, Zelle, Cashapp, and Paypal are a few of the most popular ways that make sending money fast, effortless, and accessible.
Our most popular blog post ever shared a common PayPal scam and warned about 3 things to watch out for before you purchase or sell online! Now we will talk about selling online and the new Zelle scam that’s been tricking consumers right and left.
Facebook has made its Marketplace convenient, easy, and safe! You can sell used items and services at the touch of a button without the hassle of setting up your own website or eCommerce platform. Facebook Marketplace has many advantages, but just like anything good in life, there are also disadvantages. Scams are a major one!
Don’t- Sell Online If They Do One of the following three things because it’s a surefire sign that a potential buyer is trying to scam you.
They want to avoid paying through Facebook and ask for personal information such as routing number, account number or address.
They are too eager to buy, don’t try to negotiate the price, and/or they will not be picking up the items themselves.
You look at their Facebook profile, and they are nowhere near your location; they use bad grammar, or if they start calling you Facebook (yes, that happens)!
Real Life Breakdown of a Zelle Facebook Marketplace Scam
This screenshot shows the breakdown of a real email of this common scam utilizing the platform scam Zelle. There’s a few obvious red flags!
The buyer agreed to pay $70.00 for no negotiation.
The buyer wanted to buy it but said her brother would pick it up and ship it there, but the item was rather large.
The seller received this email after giving the scammer their email information. If you notice, the From email address is from a Gmail account, and the text size is inconsistent, which is pretty obvious.
They are asking the seller to send an additional $300 for the funds to be “released” and changed to a business account. Thankfully the seller knew the warning signs and immediately reported them and blocked the buyer on Facebook Marketplace.
The scammers may have stollen this email template from a real email that Zelle uses, making it very likely that a consumer could easily fall victim to this scam. Scammers are experts at tricking people, so always check the three warning signs listed mentioned in this article before selling anything online.
Have You Been Compromised, or have any questions about Facebook Marketplace scams? Contact Computerbilities For A Free, No Obligation Dark Web Scan!
Adam Pittman is President of Computerbilities, Inc. and is a veteran Computer Technician and Network Engineer with more than 35 years of experience in the computer industry. Adam has worked with local and federal government agencies and with more than 2000 businesses in more than 100 industries, including companies such as Boeing, General Dynamics and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. In 2006, Adam was the recipient of the Businessman of the Year award and received the Secretary of Defense Patriotic Employer Award in 2017. Computerbilities was named Best of Business Raleigh Business Services in 2013. In his spare time, Adam is passionate about Sailing and has sailed the British and U. S. Virgin Islands more than a dozen times.
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