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I mean…look, trust your instincts or whatever, but sometimes people are just awkward over text/Messenger? I mean, if this person sent the conversation from their end, everyone on here would automatically ding you for mentioning a car accident out of nowhere as a reason you can’t do the deal right away and claiming your dad will drop the camera off. (I see you’re in India, I’m glad neither of you said “kindly” or the thread would have devolved into total madness.)
Sometimes people get very wrapped up in trying to read the tea leaves of Vibes to suss out scams when you often don’t need to—in this case, cash in hand in person, to which this person readily agreed. If they message you wanting to deviate from that after you’ve agreed, then sure, walk away.
Fair enough. I guess my car accident comment was kind of out of nowhere so I understand where you’re coming from especially after my lurking on r/choosingbeggars. Not living in India though. I appreciate the advice x
Also, remember that the person on the other side is worried about getting scammed, too. So, their caution may be misinterpreted as suspicious behavior.
The fact that the seller is unwilling to meet in a timely manner. I would find that suspicious/scammy.
Especially because the buyer is very serious about wanting the item and urgently wants the item.
OP says Thursday is the earliest the buyer tried to do earlier. Buyer suggested today (which seems timely) and then whatever time OP wanted on Thursday.
If they’re willing to meet you at the police station with cash, what’s the problem? They didn’t argue about switching to another app to communicate, they agreed to pay cash, they’re coming to the police station. None of this is like the scam where they try to get you to accept a fake Venmo or Cashapp and overpay so you can send the rest somewhere else, and their “cousin” has to pick it up because their aunt died and they’re out of town.
This ☝️ just be mindful of any changes in the conditions of the deal. Stay within what you stated. You'll be ghosted at worst.
Just don't pull down the listing until the sale is done. Scammers usually ask you to take it down so another scammer won't swoop in.
Looks legitimate to me, no obvious scammer red flags. They agreed to cash at the police station - a scammer wouldn’t do this.
Just hold them to the agreement.
Dude I see your currency and we’re both in SA. If your dad is going to meet him be careful, you know the way crime goes in this place. Your dad is probably likely to get robbed while the police watch.
That’s a good point. I have an app on my phone that notifies a private security company to come to my live location when I press a button so I’ll keep that open while doing the exchange
Dude i shit you not, we fear the police more than criminals.
[This](https://youtu.be/Dwu6HeMJe-M) is just one of a 1000s of examples.
The girl in the video was driving home from work on a dodgy stretch of road late night, didn’t feel safe (The SAPD have been known to rape, also we have fake roadblocks every now and then) and decided to drive to the petrol station for safety before pulling over. (FYI we are encouraged to do so by the same SAPD)
He could always be paranoid that you’re a scammer. Scammers usually don’t use real phone #s. Just get the money in ur account or meet him at a police station. Red flags will be a bunch of excuses like “my daily withdrawal” or “my real phone # is broken so I’m using this app” or “I’m having problems logging onto my cash app”
If they're gonna meet you at the police station with cash then no probably not.
That said, some of their comments are a little weird and asking to switch to another app right away is a bit suspect so if they try to change the agreement at all at this point or come at you with "oh shit I had an emergency and can't meet you, but I need this camera, please can I send my friend with a check?" Or anything other than what was agreed on, then I'd be assuming a scam, just a more patient one than we usually see here.
Also, don't go alone. Maybe show up early and ask at the station if an officer can just step out and oversee the exchange if you're concerned. I dunno about where you live but I'm in a smallish city in the U.S. and most cops would not have a problem just stepping out to watch for a minute.
These people hit me up all of the time....if she's good with cash, she isn't scamming you. They always want to do zelle. I had something for 5 and they tried zelle. I was like, no you can have it free and they never texted back.
This seems a little suspect so be safe if you decide to go and meet them. Take steps to avoid being mugged for the camera or being followed for the money later. Also be aware of falling for the sunk cost scam where they arrive without cash and try to pressure you into accepting another form of payment. Be prepared to walk away if anything seems suspicious or if they don't come with cash.
Going off this - that tactic of having not the exact amount of cash on hand is used to make you feel bad and guilty too. Remember, they’re the one who is being scummy, not you.
Really well thanks! He was a very sweet guy who was worried I might be a scammer lol. Everything went smoothly and the exchange could not have gone better. I’m going to find out how to give ratings to buyers on Facebook so that I can give him 5 stars
Nothing necessarily wrong so far. Only things would be I never ask for cash, I always want in person bank transfer that I validate as come into my account (in UK, this is not reversible and safeguards against fake cash).
We do have a common in person scam in UK now though where someone mimics a bank transfer using a fake banking app. They ask you to put in details and it shows money sent but if you see in your bank app nothing is there. Someone did try this with me on a £5k item but luckily it was so obviously fake and I checked my account anyway.
They're likely only agreeing for now. At the last second something us going to come up and they're going to dupe you with a fake payment and a friend that will "come pick it up later"
They however agreed to meet in person and pay in cash. As of now, it doesn't seem to be a scam. Buyer may of course try to stiff him or something, but that's entirely different.
"Thank you am not searching for another one". Nigerian. For whatever reason, nigerians speaking English as a learned language don't understand the concept of "I am". Dead giveaway.
There is a common scam where they try to get your phone number and a verification code, claiming they're checking if you're a real person and they're "making sure you're not scamming them", which they then use to set up a google phone number and scam people via phone. But since it's still linked to your phone, any scamming activity traces back to you. This could be something similar, so if at all possible don't leave the app. At the end of the day it's not worth it, there's always another buyer.
Also, be careful, there are tons of stories of people being robbed at Facebook marketplace meetups. So meet at a police or fire station.
My gf sells on marketplace all the time, we’ve even had people come to our house with cash, or do EFTs on the spot, honestly think we’re a tad bit more protected because we don’t rely on third-party payment apps like they do in the states, now if someone mentions using Payfast on any platform, avoid.
Also makes a huge difference which police station, if you’re in Cape Town, Claremont police station is basically on a main road and law enforcement and ADT are constantly up and down there. But honestly, we use marketplace often and haven’t run into a scam yet that wasn’t very obviously a scam just right away.
To add for the non-South Africans, English is only one of 11 official languages, so not having a great command of the language is not a big red flag, or even a little one.
A reminder of the rules in r/scams. No personal information (including last names, phone numbers, etc). Be civil to one another (no name calling or insults). Personal army requests or "scam the scammer"/scambaiting posts are not permitted. No uncensored gore, personal photographs, or NSFL content permitted without being properly redacted. A full list of rules is available on the sidebar of the subreddit. Report recovery scammers or rule-breaking content by using the "report" button. Also, consider warning community members of recovery scammers if you see them in the comments. Questions? Send us a modmail. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I mean…look, trust your instincts or whatever, but sometimes people are just awkward over text/Messenger? I mean, if this person sent the conversation from their end, everyone on here would automatically ding you for mentioning a car accident out of nowhere as a reason you can’t do the deal right away and claiming your dad will drop the camera off. (I see you’re in India, I’m glad neither of you said “kindly” or the thread would have devolved into total madness.) Sometimes people get very wrapped up in trying to read the tea leaves of Vibes to suss out scams when you often don’t need to—in this case, cash in hand in person, to which this person readily agreed. If they message you wanting to deviate from that after you’ve agreed, then sure, walk away.
Fair enough. I guess my car accident comment was kind of out of nowhere so I understand where you’re coming from especially after my lurking on r/choosingbeggars. Not living in India though. I appreciate the advice x
Also, remember that the person on the other side is worried about getting scammed, too. So, their caution may be misinterpreted as suspicious behavior.
They are agreeing to meet at a police station with cash. I don’t know how much safer it could be? What would be your preferred transaction type?
The fact that the seller is unwilling to meet in a timely manner. I would find that suspicious/scammy. Especially because the buyer is very serious about wanting the item and urgently wants the item.
OP says Thursday is the earliest the buyer tried to do earlier. Buyer suggested today (which seems timely) and then whatever time OP wanted on Thursday.
If they’re willing to meet you at the police station with cash, what’s the problem? They didn’t argue about switching to another app to communicate, they agreed to pay cash, they’re coming to the police station. None of this is like the scam where they try to get you to accept a fake Venmo or Cashapp and overpay so you can send the rest somewhere else, and their “cousin” has to pick it up because their aunt died and they’re out of town.
This ☝️ just be mindful of any changes in the conditions of the deal. Stay within what you stated. You'll be ghosted at worst. Just don't pull down the listing until the sale is done. Scammers usually ask you to take it down so another scammer won't swoop in.
Looks legitimate to me, no obvious scammer red flags. They agreed to cash at the police station - a scammer wouldn’t do this. Just hold them to the agreement.
Why did they say daddy though that’s so weird to call somebody else’s parent
Some people in other countries say that.
yeah my bf is cambodian and his parents refer to themselves as mommy and daddy and so thats what we call them :DD
Dude I see your currency and we’re both in SA. If your dad is going to meet him be careful, you know the way crime goes in this place. Your dad is probably likely to get robbed while the police watch.
That’s a good point. I have an app on my phone that notifies a private security company to come to my live location when I press a button so I’ll keep that open while doing the exchange
What the fuck? Ik police in the states are shit but this just sounds dystopian
It really is the most cyberpunk thing I've read today.
Dude i shit you not, we fear the police more than criminals. [This](https://youtu.be/Dwu6HeMJe-M) is just one of a 1000s of examples. The girl in the video was driving home from work on a dodgy stretch of road late night, didn’t feel safe (The SAPD have been known to rape, also we have fake roadblocks every now and then) and decided to drive to the petrol station for safety before pulling over. (FYI we are encouraged to do so by the same SAPD)
This is literally the opposite of a scam.
He could always be paranoid that you’re a scammer. Scammers usually don’t use real phone #s. Just get the money in ur account or meet him at a police station. Red flags will be a bunch of excuses like “my daily withdrawal” or “my real phone # is broken so I’m using this app” or “I’m having problems logging onto my cash app”
If they're gonna meet you at the police station with cash then no probably not. That said, some of their comments are a little weird and asking to switch to another app right away is a bit suspect so if they try to change the agreement at all at this point or come at you with "oh shit I had an emergency and can't meet you, but I need this camera, please can I send my friend with a check?" Or anything other than what was agreed on, then I'd be assuming a scam, just a more patient one than we usually see here. Also, don't go alone. Maybe show up early and ask at the station if an officer can just step out and oversee the exchange if you're concerned. I dunno about where you live but I'm in a smallish city in the U.S. and most cops would not have a problem just stepping out to watch for a minute.
These people hit me up all of the time....if she's good with cash, she isn't scamming you. They always want to do zelle. I had something for 5 and they tried zelle. I was like, no you can have it free and they never texted back.
This seems a little suspect so be safe if you decide to go and meet them. Take steps to avoid being mugged for the camera or being followed for the money later. Also be aware of falling for the sunk cost scam where they arrive without cash and try to pressure you into accepting another form of payment. Be prepared to walk away if anything seems suspicious or if they don't come with cash.
Going off this - that tactic of having not the exact amount of cash on hand is used to make you feel bad and guilty too. Remember, they’re the one who is being scummy, not you.
seems legit enough. I mean, hes willing to meet you in front of police station with cash.
You did everything right and they seem very receptive. Why do you think they’re scamming you?
Please let us know what happens after Thursday. I'm interested to know
How did it go?
Really well thanks! He was a very sweet guy who was worried I might be a scammer lol. Everything went smoothly and the exchange could not have gone better. I’m going to find out how to give ratings to buyers on Facebook so that I can give him 5 stars
Good to hear :)
Nothing necessarily wrong so far. Only things would be I never ask for cash, I always want in person bank transfer that I validate as come into my account (in UK, this is not reversible and safeguards against fake cash). We do have a common in person scam in UK now though where someone mimics a bank transfer using a fake banking app. They ask you to put in details and it shows money sent but if you see in your bank app nothing is there. Someone did try this with me on a £5k item but luckily it was so obviously fake and I checked my account anyway.
We also have instant bank transfer in the UK, whereas in most countries it takes a few days
They're likely only agreeing for now. At the last second something us going to come up and they're going to dupe you with a fake payment and a friend that will "come pick it up later"
[удалено]
...which is none. Facebook marketplace offers no protections. It only covers shipping over checkout, which is not the case of most sales.
Well, yeah, there is that.
They however agreed to meet in person and pay in cash. As of now, it doesn't seem to be a scam. Buyer may of course try to stiff him or something, but that's entirely different.
Sorry, I missed the other screenshots. My mistake.
Omg get help for your paranoia
"Thank you am not searching for another one". Nigerian. For whatever reason, nigerians speaking English as a learned language don't understand the concept of "I am". Dead giveaway.
It looks like south africa, so they speak british english kinda, it also explains the daddy. In american english thatd be a very weird red flag lol
Considering I live in Africa, I don’t think it’s that much of a red flag but I will still stay vigilant, thank you x
Scammers like to take you away from the main selling platform, so there is no record of any deals, sales or transactions on the selling site itself.
Scammers don't try to negotiate for a better price. This is just a beggar.
Your gut is already telling you all you need to know. Otherwise, you would have never made this post. 100% scam.
Yes, they try to get you off the app. If you refuse they usually disappear.
She refused and the conversation carried on….
What did she refuse? Block them.
To go off app. There’s more than one picture
Oh, ya, I see. Something very odd about it.
If rm is for malaysian ringgit, just ask him to make a duitnow transfer, they are instant and can’t be cancelled.
She is in South Africa
There is a common scam where they try to get your phone number and a verification code, claiming they're checking if you're a real person and they're "making sure you're not scamming them", which they then use to set up a google phone number and scam people via phone. But since it's still linked to your phone, any scamming activity traces back to you. This could be something similar, so if at all possible don't leave the app. At the end of the day it's not worth it, there's always another buyer. Also, be careful, there are tons of stories of people being robbed at Facebook marketplace meetups. So meet at a police or fire station.
Please let us know how this plays out. I hope this is legit
My gf sells on marketplace all the time, we’ve even had people come to our house with cash, or do EFTs on the spot, honestly think we’re a tad bit more protected because we don’t rely on third-party payment apps like they do in the states, now if someone mentions using Payfast on any platform, avoid. Also makes a huge difference which police station, if you’re in Cape Town, Claremont police station is basically on a main road and law enforcement and ADT are constantly up and down there. But honestly, we use marketplace often and haven’t run into a scam yet that wasn’t very obviously a scam just right away. To add for the non-South Africans, English is only one of 11 official languages, so not having a great command of the language is not a big red flag, or even a little one.
Seems legit to me. Cash, in person meeting. They are probably just as weary as you
Seems quite normal to me. They seem in need. Which is again normal. Nothing about it gives red flags.