SCAM ALERT
NOTE TO READERS: This same scam has been circulating recently on facebook pages in the Calhoun and Liberty County area and can appear legitimate, but beware: Photos of items showing unusually low prices (often vehicles, farm equipment, expensive furniture) will be posted on a local person’s page without their permission or knowledge after they have been hacked. Shortly after posting, the “sellers” will be out of town for a while but will provide an email using an address with a variation of the real page owner’s name. They will be quick to offer you the opportunity to make a deposit to hold the item. After you send the money, they stop responding to your emails.
PANAMA CITY, FL – Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford has issued a Scam Alert after receiving several complaints about a new scam using the social media platform Facebook.
In this scam, the scammer hacks a person’s Facebook page. Once they have access, the scammer posts a list of valuable items for sale at very low prices. Vehicles, tractors, tools, and other items that, in the pictures, appear to be in good condition and, because of a hardship, are being sold at a bargain price.
When a potential victim shows interest in purchasing an item and sends a message to the scammer, they are told that to make a purchase they must use a cash app. If the victim is unsure, they are urged to at least send a substantial deposit to “hold” the item, again, using the cash app. Sometimes the scammer reaches back out to warn the victim that there has been a lot of interest in the item and to continue to hold the item, the victim must show they are serious about the purchase and send another deposit by cash app.
The post is a scam. There are no items for sale at low prices because of a family illness or hardship. Once money is sent through the cash app, the scam is complete. Suddenly, the victim can no longer make contact with the scammer to take possession of the item. They have been scammed.
Sheriff Ford urges anyone attempting to purchase an item listed on a social media post to make every effort to examine the item in person before purchasing. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office also offers a Safe Space for transactions to take place in the front parking lot of the main office at 3421 N. Hwy. 77, Panama City.
If you have been victimized by this type of scam or any other, please call the BCSO at (850) 747-4700 to report the crime.
About Author
