Avoid Zelle Scams on Facebook, Craigslist, Marketplace, Neighborhood, etc.

12 Things to Look Out for When Selling Your Stuff Online

I posted a treadmill I'm trying to sell on Facebook Marketplace. To my surprise I had 3 inquiries right away. They sounded like a sure thing to close the deal, but it soon became evident that all three of them were trying to pull almost carbon copy scams. 

It works like this:

1. They jump on the posting quickly to put you in a good mood and receptive. "Wow! That was fast," you think.
2. They create a group with you and the buyer that is managed by the buyer.
   
3. They claim to live in your area, but are "...out of town on vacation." or something like that. 
4. They want to pay you now, but won't be able to pick it up for a while. This gives them time to work the scam. They say they will pay you now to hold the item you are selling in order to increase your sense of trust.
   
5. They tell you they use Zelle. They need your information to send the money.
6. Next they contact you and say they sent the money, it was debited from their account, but Zelle says that because they are a business account and you are a personal account that they need more money to meet some sort of minimum payment.
7. They say they will pay the $300 or whatever if you'll refund extra pay back to them.
8. Zelle doesn't work that way. The scammer hopes you will go ahead and send them back the money because you mistakenly trust them. 
9. If you wait for the money to clear to your account, they disappear.
10. Track down the buyer's profile. I've had three, so far on a treadmill I listed. One was apparently German, another from the broken English was a semi-illiterate Nigerian, and the third posted largely in Italian and talked about going to events in Rome. It's unlikely any of them will come to my house in Washingtonn State to pick up a treadmill.
11. Don't share a lot of information with these guys. With Paypal, they only need your username so I have started telling buyers I don't use Zelle.
12. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."  - Jesus (Matthew 10:16)

Remember there are bad people out there. Fortunately most are not very bright because they do the same routine time after time. Then someone comes up with something new and the rest of them copy it with varying degrees of success. Even those of us who are wise about scammers are still, by nature, trusting souls. We want to believe there are decent folk out there who wouldn't scam us. But there are, just as there are political parties and governments that are evil. They promise a utopia and proceed to create a dictatorship and send anyone who complains to the gulags.

Sorry for the sermon there but they are part and parcel of the same thing. Some people believe that kind trusting people are nothing but lambs to be led to the slaughter. They have no morals, nor any decency. 

Be wise as serpents.

© 2022 by Tom King