iPhone Scam on Facebook Marketplace

ratanalim on 10/08/2022 - 17:35
Last edited 10/08/2022 - 19:55 by 1 other user

Just letting ozbargainer know a scam i came across.

it just happened to me today. i was looking for an iphone 11 pro max. going rate is about $600 for a used one. this girl listed for $350 and i bargain down to $320. she sent me a picture of her driver license to show her full name and address. the drive is about 35 minutes. so we agreed on cash on pick up. when i turn up at the address even the property has her last name on the letter box so i thought to myself this is a genuine seller.

anyway she wouldn't come out. demanding me to transfer the money first. which was not the deal. i replied i'm happy to transfer just come out so i can see the phone. she replied transfer the money to show that you committed then she comes out. i still didn't agree to it. the conversation kept going for a while. a few minutes later she would try to get anything out of me, $100 or even $50. then i realised that this is a scam. so i turn around and go back home. here are some detail the driver licence i saw: <information removed> 1 i'm pretty sure this is a stolen driver licence.

let me know what you think. or came across something similar.

Tips to watch out for scam.

  1. if the deal is too good to be true then it probably is
  2. do not bank transfer or paypal them before you get the product no matter how tempting it is. lots of scammer said they are away, or on holiday, or at work site, can't do meet up but can post. do not fall for it.

  1. There is no need to further victimise the person whose driver's licence was stolen — Moderator ↩

General Discussion Apple Mobile Phone

Comments

  • SF3 on 10/08/2022 - 17:40

    Thanks, that makes sense.

  • garetz on 10/08/2022 - 17:42
    +6

    You probably should not post this persons personal information, even if its a scam and an impersonation, this person could really exist.

  • CyberMurning on 10/08/2022 - 18:02
    -5

    iphone 11 pro max. going rate is about $600 for a used one. this girl listed for $350 and i bargain down to $320

    600? Really That cheap?
    Then if someone sell 350 you believe her him?
    Thats your fault. Im side with the scammer this time. I wish your greed get some fruit soon

    • screensaver on 10/08/2022 - 18:25
      -5

      thats right, blame the scam victims

      • coffeeinmyveins on 10/08/2022 - 18:33
        +10

        To be fair if someone is selling something at HALF the going rate, something is fishy. OP's greed got in the way of their logic.

        BTW hi Pam.

      • brendanm on 10/08/2022 - 18:34

        As The Streets would say, you can't con an honest john.

  • Hybroid on 10/08/2022 - 18:10
    +11

    Don't buy used iPhones off marketplaces. You have no idea if they're stolen or not and have no idea if they'll get banned couple weeks later if reported stolen/lost. Then you're left with a dead brick. Not worth the risk in first place.

    • coffeeinmyveins on 10/08/2022 - 18:33

      the lengths people will go to in order to save a bit of cash..

      • Switchblade88 on 10/08/2022 - 20:56
        +2

        Exactly! You should instead be spending several hours per day getting good deals online on a good website I know.

    • jv on 12/08/2022 - 00:43

      Don't buy used iPhones off marketplaces

      I've bought a few times and never had a problem…

      Choose people that live in a near suburb. Make sure they have a genuine profile. Meet at a neutral location. Only cash transaction after checking everything works.

  • Pimpiticians 4 Life on 10/08/2022 - 18:12
    +1

    Gumtree Advice.
    Meet inside the bank.
    Cash in hand.

    • jeongjinny on 11/08/2022 - 23:48

      Why in the bank?

      • jv on 12/08/2022 - 00:43

        Why not?

        • jeongjinny on 12/08/2022 - 01:11

          Because it's safe and there are cameras there

          • jv on 12/08/2022 - 01:12

            @jeongjinny: What if the bank gets robbed whilst you are there?

            • jeongjinny on 12/08/2022 - 01:14

              @jv: I'll stab the robbers like the LA smoke shop owner

  • dust on 10/08/2022 - 18:26
    +4

    Good on you for not transferring money beforehand and insisting on cash on pickup.

  • solidussnake on 10/08/2022 - 18:38
    +1

    Man these scammers are just getting lazy, they don't even care if you know where they live 😅

  • trapper on 10/08/2022 - 18:38
    -7

    You shoulda chucked a brick through the window

    • trapper on 10/08/2022 - 23:39

      Wait hang on.

      Was he talking to the person through the door or not? I assumed yes.

      Don't throw a brick through some random persons window obviously, only a confirmed scammers lol

    • brendanm on 11/08/2022 - 07:42
      +1

      Haha, surely you realise the scammer doesn't actually live there? You are throwing a brick through a random persons window.

      • trapper on 11/08/2022 - 14:37

        Yeah I think I figured that out now. lol

  • FLICKIT on 10/08/2022 - 18:42

    her driver license to show her full name and address. the drive is about 35 minutes. so we agreed on cash on pick up. when i turn up at the address

    i'm pretty sure this is a stolen driver licence.

    Was the licence address the same as the address you went to? I'm confused.. was the licence photoshopped?

    If it was the same address, odd for someone to scam from their own home, I guess druggies desperate for cash will try anything…

    • SBOB on 10/08/2022 - 18:47
      +3

      Pretty sure the moral is someone was using that person's id…that was not that person.

      The person living at that address was not the person on the other end of the SMS/phone/chat etc.

      Unsure why the op wouldn't have knocked on the door or rung the bell, but perhaps they did and the fact no one answered means the original id owner wasn't home anyway (perhaps the scammer knew they weren't home, perhaps just random luck)

      • FLICKIT on 10/08/2022 - 18:56
        +1

        Oh I see, they were messaging while he was out the front, I thought he was talking to her through the door or such… ty

        • SBOB on 10/08/2022 - 19:00
          +2

          That's how I read it.
          If they were talking directly to a person through the door then nfi what the scam was :)

  • PissLUR on 10/08/2022 - 19:59

    You travelled for 35 minutes and didn't knock on the door?

    • ratanalim on 10/08/2022 - 21:46
      +1

      because it was a mansion. i'm 100% sure the person who own that property is not the person that i'm texting with.

  • PensionerXXL on 10/08/2022 - 20:00

    the f'ed up thing about this is, say you send her the money (any, $20, 50, 300 etc)
    she will then call the cops, who will come and escort you off the property and give zero phucks about the scam/fraud

    • edit here - perhaps you should write a letter to the person on the license since you have the details, and make her aware that a house mate/family member is pulling this shyt under her id (if i am reading this story right that is)
    • ratanalim on 10/08/2022 - 21:47

      yes good idea. i should have done that.

  • silverrat23 on 10/08/2022 - 20:07
    +1

    To add to the seller's identity not matching the driver's license, that house could've been an AirBnB or similar. They're used as a front to collect all sorts of illegitimate transactions and makes it easy to close up shop while hiding themselves.

  • Belv on 10/08/2022 - 20:44
    +1

    did the drivers licence match the address and did the photo of the person on the licence match there Facebook photo?

  • ChipsChicky on 10/08/2022 - 21:01
    +1

    Post a letter to that address and inform them of their id being misused.

  • bmerigan on 10/08/2022 - 21:24

    I've bought a 2nd hand phone online once. I made sure that it came with the original receipt. I figured a good way to ensure it's not stolen. Also warranty.

  • bobbified on 10/08/2022 - 22:09
    +3

    What?? There's an iPhone scam on Facebook? I've never heard of that kinda thing before! lol

    • ratanalim on 10/08/2022 - 22:20

      better believe it. these scums will rip you off, doesn't matter from couple hundred to thousands of dollars. iphone is just an example, could be any phone really.

      • RobBoss on 10/08/2022 - 22:33
        +4

        well, this really went over your head. let me translate bobbified's comment for you: FB is full of scammers, I am not surprised

        • KeplersLaws on 11/08/2022 - 11:27
          +1

          the robs always backing their fellow namesakes up 👌

  • trapper on 10/08/2022 - 23:42

    Mate this post is so confusing.

    You never actually spoke to her at the property (through the door) right?

    Only via messages??

    • Sleeqb7 on 11/08/2022 - 10:46
      +2

      From above comment they said they did not knock on the door because

      it was a mansion. i'm 100% sure the person who own that property is not the person that i'm texting with

      Why someone wouldn't go and knock on the door when purchasing something from them is beyond me.

  • KeplersLaws on 11/08/2022 - 07:50

    Buying and selling used iDevices is the worst.

    Apple uses a bunch of locks and binds and releasing them is a PITA — Purchased an apple watch from a guy and it took so many reattempts - mainly to remove the Activation Lock (which doesn't automatically happen after factory reset). Luckily we both had time and just chinwagged at the shopping centre while waiting.

    • jv on 12/08/2022 - 00:46

      Apple uses a bunch of locks and binds and releasing them is a PITA

      It's quite easy to remove those, so get the owner to do it in front of you…

      • KeplersLaws on 12/08/2022 - 11:39

        yes, it's easy if all works well. mine the guy had to re-do it as it kept failing

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