INDIANA – A new scam targets Hoosier trying to sell on Facebook Marketplace.
According to the Better Business Bureau, people are being conned by fake buyers.
A buyer will tell a seller they need to use a digital wallet app, like Zelle or Venmo, to make a payment.
They will refuse to pay through any other means.
Later, the seller will get an email that looks like it’s from that app, saying they need to upgrade their account to accept the money.
The buyer says they will send the seller the money needed to upgrade the account if they promise to refund them. If the seller does refund them, they will quickly realize the buyer never actually sent the money in the first place, the upgrade was fake, and that money came out of their wallet.
Officials say not to trust anyone willing to overpay you unless your item is rare and in high demand with other offers.
Check emails from payment apps carefully and check with the company to see if this is standard practice.
If you see something that looks like a scam, report it to Facebook Marketplace and the BBB’s Scam Tracker here.
