Tech Talk with Jeff - Social Site Selling Scams
Be careful when selling on a social site.
My Wife was selling a desk chair through a Facebook regional selling group recently. Nothing she hasn't done many times before. She had someone who was interested in buying the chair. They started asking for her cell phone number so that they could send her a Google code that would allow them to talk to her through their phone. Say what? It was at that point that she started talking to me about it. The whole thing started to smell. Why would they need to send a Google code in order to talk to her? Most interactions are through the selling site directly. At this point I told her to stop communicating with them. They did not stop sending her messages and said they were interested in her product.
At this point there was no question it was a scam. Red flags were going up all over the place. The first was a Google code being needed. Why would anyone, for a personal sale, be sending a Google code. If asked for your cell number in these circumstances, the answer should always be NO. If they do manage to send you a code, never ever give them the code. How do you know the code isn't going to be used to take over your Facebook account or your cell phone itself or some other account? Never ever provide a code sent to you to someone who contacts you. It is a really good way of grabbing control of something away from you and you may not realize what the code is really for.
Also, this person used the term “product”. We are talking about an old desk chair. Who calls it a “product”? At that point my wife moved on and stopped interacting with this person, who may have been an actual person or an Internet BOT. Who knew it would get so messy selling an old desk chair we did not want any more? The risks out there are real. Stay aware, be careful and never assume anything.
Be aware and be safe!
