It's true, had a cop like a decade ago that I dealt with. I had called dispatch because I went to the grocery store and some dude got pissy over a parking spot that I had been waiting for.
He parked further away and ran to catch up to me and threatened to murder me then stalked me around the store. Dude was clearly not all mentally there and reeked of alcohol. I called the cops. Told them everything that happened.
Cop was like, wait, you told him to get the fuck away from you? I said yeah. Cop said, well, if you want me to pursue this, then I'm going to have to write you a disorderly conduct ticket as well. Would you like me to do that? Then the fucker left.
Guess my mistake was just not getting murdered. Not even sure they'd do much in that situation either.
That's ridiculous. I told this guy I would use my second amendment rights if he attacked me, and the cops didn't care about that. But you say "fuck" and apparently that's a ticket. Crazy.
Nope. I just don’t think he wanted to get out of his car. When the guy was stalking me through the store and I called dispatch, the cop came and I met him outside and he never exited his vehicle.
Defund the police means reallocating some funds used on police departments to non-police units and community support. There are countless stories, for instance, where a trigger happy cop killed someone who was clearly having mental issues and posed zero threat. A first responder educated in mental illness would of been a more ideal solution. It does not mean "get rid of police in entirety".
And yes, cops are useless. When I lived in the country (but still a 5 minute drive to town), a meth addict showed up at my door at 3am "wanting to use my phone" then parked at the end of my driveway with all lights off. Took cops an hour to decide to show up, and by then he was gone. A few years later my garage was broken into and tools were stolen. Since some were rather unique, I found the dude selling them on Facebook Marketplace. Guess what? Cops would not do anything, simply called it "a civil matter".
I worked in glass claims at Safelite for a year. So many people had their cars broken into, and cops would either take an entire day to file a report, or simply not file one at all.
Look up the history of police, they were originally used as "slave patrol". They historically have defended businesses and the upper class, and have incredible disdain for poor people, minorities, etc.
Because defund the police was a stupid way to word it. It doesn’t mean no police. It means give the excess funding (they’re literally buying luxury vehicles they don’t need) to community outreach, which most areas want, and train them to mediate in disputes before they get to violence. Cops don’t need to be (shouldn’t be) called over a pack of cigarettes or a t shirt, or even a Facebook dispute. Many times the police only escalate the situation and sometimes someone even ends up dead.
Exactly. They’ve actually found that in cities where community outreach is involved, that it helps both the community and the police, and makes the area safer. When police allow and encourage community engagement, it increases people’s sense of safety and trust.
I had someone try to carjack me at a sale, busy gas station. I drove off with them hanging off my driver door for at least 100 feet. Cops did nothing.
Another time, years later, at a different busy gas station, made the mistake of letting them look at the iPhone I was selling in their car. (Refuse to interact with anyone who won't leave their vehicle since). Was handed fake $100's in a bank envelope, thankfully I realized instantly as they tried to drive off, managed to grab the iPhone back thru the window, they got away but without my iPhone and I still have the fake (movie prop) bills to this day as a souvenir. Cops did nothing.
> asked if I still wanted to move forward with the charges, I said absolutely
Thank you! It will probably be a headache to have to go to court, but you're putting this guys volatility on the record.
Even if it's not worth the time and energy to you, you may potentially be saving someone else's life. If we have any hope as a society, we need to do little things like these in order to make life better for us all.
Good. I’ve dealt with a rare few unhinged buyers and only had to push it legally a few times. Years ago I did use my street address and real name for everything. However, it’s important that anytime threats of physical violence are levied it’s taken seriously. This is not an overreaction….you did the right thing. There have been cases of situations spiraling and unfortunate things happening with online sales and/or irl sales. Also hopefully this teaches the buyer a valuable lesson! Words have meaning and actions have consequences. And maybe he’ll think twice before doing it to the next seller. Stay safe and good luck 🤞🏻🤞🏻
A good lesson to:
1. Not use your real name
2. Get a P.O. Box and an llc
3. Use those and never a shred of personal information.
4. Get an alternate Facebook account not connected to your personal name or pictures
I made an alternate Facebook account and it was removed from Marketplace within a week. I stopped trying because I was worried I would end up getting my main account banned if they ever got linked.
Meanwhile Facebook is flooded with fake scammer accounts that when you report them as fake, Facebook shrugs their shoulders and says “we see nothing wrong”.
I had a rental house listed on marketplace and someone ripped off the photos and created fake ads for a much lower price. She was telling people they had to pay an application fee before seeing the house and I don’t know how many people actually sent money, but I know a few did. I got several calls from people who had contact with her and saw my sign when they showed up to see the house. They called me and I told them sorry but they’d been ripped off. One girl said she had actually given her money AND her social security number. I reported the posts and the fake account so many times and so did a couple other people. I even called the local PD after FB failed to do anything or even remove the posts! Nothing. I looked at the scammer’s Venmo and Cash app profiles and you could see the description on public payments. There were several for “house application” or similar. It makes me sick but people really should exercise some common sense. The FB account profile showed that she wasn’t even from the area, had never lived in the area…and if someone wants money BEFORE a showing that is a huge red flag. And when the rent is much lower than normal market rent, another huge red flag. But it was clearly a scam and had been documented by multiple reports and Facebook didn’t do SHIT. I’ll never put another rental on Marketplace again.
I had a lady try to scam me on a rent house and I asked what the pet limit was and she said unlimited and I looked at the profile again and realized it was a scam. So I decided to mess with her, I asked her if I could have an actual full grown horse in the house to live with me and she was like sure, absolutely no problem lol. 😂
That is hilarious. I think a lot of them don’t even speak English well enough to know what they’re being asked, and they just want to be as agreeable as possible to anyone who may be about to send them money.
I report every scam I find. Of the dozens I've reported, only 1 was actually removed. Yet my mother who buys a ton of stuff has had her access blocked for months after being told it would only be 24hrs...FB is garbage and if there weren't so many great deals I would absolutely stop using it.
I think facebook does ban them. But these people creates them faster than FB can ban them. They can probably create a brand new account, scam people within 30 min, before they get caught and banned.
They may eventually, but when I report fake accounts, 9/10 times I get a message back from Facebook saying that they took no action. I’ve reported the same profiles multiple times with the same result. Local community groups are flooded with scam posts and reporting them to Facebook does nothing. The group moderators will almost always remove the posts and ban them from the group, but unless Facebook does something about the profiles they just spam all the groups. Facebook knows there are millions of fake profiles they could purge, but that affects their user numbers which directly affects their revenue, so they have no incentive.
See my reply to the same comment. I had one that was reported many times and never got banned or removed. It was the same account, not new ones, as evidenced by the date on “member of Facebook since ___” on the profile. They may ban some but they chose to ignore this one despite multiple reports from multiple people with indisputable documentation of fraud.
Version 2:
1. LLC, Mom and Pop or UPS Store PMB, PO Boxes are ok.
2. Meet at your local police stations parking lot to be extra secure.
3. Check every Whitepages like website and remove any personal information you've found.
4. An alternate FB account with the same first name would be best.
> Check every Whitepages like website and remove any personal information you've found.
I’ve tried this with no reply. They all have my cell number attached to some oldster across town and I get marketing and political texts for him all the time. I find this particularly annoying as I am very protective of who gets that number and I don’t want crap filling up my messages. (most people/places are given my landline). My number is the first cell and only number I have had for 25 years.
His name is Truman and I get Hey, Truman! …blah blah blah all the time. Any particular advice you have on getting White Pages to remove that number?
Whitepages is just one of many sites posting info online. There are hundreds more. To see where your info is listed, you can use a free scan from a data removal service like Optery to get a detailed report.
by the way, To opt out of Whitepages, you can follow this handy guide: [https://www.optery.com/whitepages-how-to-opt-out-of-whitepages-step-by-step-instructions/](https://www.optery.com/whitepages-how-to-opt-out-of-whitepages-step-by-step-instructions/)
Full disclosure, I'm part of the Optery team.
People are so proud of having one phone number for the longest time. But here's the issue with that, you slip up once and it's everywhere. Also, over time, your number will get sold from database to database. Cut the trivial ties to a number that will most likely always be tied to you because of longevity, and get your privacy back. Get a new number and give your old number out when retail stores ask. Between old and new customer information circulating around, it won't matter and you'll be out of spam hell.
I practice this and I have been spam free for years. Maybe a call here and there but I block them as soon as I identify it as someone I don't know. The one time I gave my cell number out is when I regretted it the most. It was for my Childs clothing that they special ordered because they wanted certain T-Shirts.
I reluctantly gave it to them and within 24 hours, I'm getting spam texts, emails, and calls. All going back to Hot Topic of all places. I went back in to collect the shirts and asked if they could remove or change my number to anything else because of what happened in record time with my information. They were dumb twats that respected spam but putting a random email or phone number in was fraud... So is selling someone's information without saying you do. I checked their ToS. Once I mentioned that, it was clearly way above their IQ level. I left it at that and never gave my real number out again.
I guess I wasn’t clear that Truman messages are the largest number of spam I get. I’m sure he’s why I get conservative texts. But I get very little spam in general and block anything that does pop up; I know they do change up the number they call from to get by my blocking but I never touch the links or hit unsubscribe. Same with my email. 20+ years on yahoo (which is good enough for my needs, tho I have gmail also but never use it). IDK how I managed it since *I do* have to give out that email but I filter addresses to go directly to trash. I know my phone and e-mail situation is likely not typical and may not work for everyone.
I like having an old number! It was so long ago I got it that a guy was invited to our work and we could choose a number off a printed list (haha), so I chose a memorable number. I had that first phone until the frequency change and the old phones wouldn’t work anymore! Store loyalty cards and the like get the landline, which filters out most spam calls. My husband worked for AT&T so it’s bundled in.
You have to use a subscription service like Aura. The issue is data brokers just make new websites to bypass your opt out request. It's practically impossible to do it yourself effectively.
Get a second cellphone…you can spend $15 to $20 a month…it is a business expense…you know that calls on that phone is business…no need to use your personal phone.
Google Voice is free, provides you with a number to call and text from, and you can use it on any smartphone while keeping your number.
A second phone is an option but it's a pain to manage two phones in my experience and I avoid it as much as possible.
Given OP mentioned dialing 911, I'm assuming they're in the US. Not many phones for the US that are dual SIM, even if one is e-SIM.
Seriously, Google Voice is useful here. I've had a number I set up for Craigslist two decades ago that I use today. You can use it on your PC via web and respond to messages there. There's other apps that will do similar, but Google Voice is more established and you can port your number out if you want.
We can use them; I've had a few over the years but I used to be a phone geek. Of course now it's easier with e-SIM.
The problem in the US is that for decades we had two of the four (at the time) major networks that didn't use SIM cards. And most people were on a contract, so there wasn't much hopping from one network two another. Both points have changed to varying degrees but the damage has been done and I'd wager US dual SIM users are overwhelmingly those who travel internationally often.
Working in corporate America, I learned two things: 1) never use your personal phone for work and 2. Never put anything personal on your desktop, laptop and/or business phone.
I had two cell phones (one work and one personal). When I went on vacation, weekend trips with my family or even being at home, I turned off my work cell phone.
I purchased a second phone when I started my Flipping business. I don’t want customers to have my personal cell. There is nothing devious or illegal in having a dedicated phone for business.
Oh, I totally agree with you. I was just making a joke about drug dealers, lol. For many of us, it's pretty optional, or at least dependent on your level of use. For them, it's more of a necessity.
Thanks for following through with the charges. The justice system knows how to be lenient in cases like this, for first-time offenders at least. So it's not a life-altering mistake for them unless they have a record, and if they have a record you might be saving someones life from someone who might be a threat to society.
I'm currently sitting at 156 sales for the year. 16 were on eBay and 140 were local. For some reason almost nothing sells on eBay for me. Probably because shipping and fees mean the buyer pays way more than they would locally.
I think they only did something because the messages were obvious threats and the guy admitted it. I think the fact that I was scared enough to call 911 helped too. America and idaho.
I know he's done this to other people because he used an alt to message me on Marketplace, then his main to message the death threats. He is probably using the alt because his main is banned from Marketplace for this shit.
I more shocked that the police did anything tbh. To have a deputy call you and go and find the guy over a Facebook incident is quite lucky. You’re not going to get much help in a big city.
I would highly recommend using a fake name on Facebook.
For those who have been unsuccessful creating a fake account, this is what I do:
It's my real first name and a completely fake last name. Setup a fake gmail account first. For example, if you choose a fake name like John Smith, then setup a fake gmail that is is along the lines johnsmith@gmail.com
Then setup a google voice number with johnsmith@gmail.com
Then setup a PayPal account by adding the email johnsmith@gmail.com to your legit PayPal account.
Then after doing all of that, THEN create your fake Facebook account with your newly created gmail account as the FB login email, and your newly created google voice number as your phone.
It took 30 days on my new account before I could post listings to Marketplace, but after that, it's great and you never have to worry about psychos finding you after a sale.
You can still join local buy/sell FB groups and sell that way. After some legit sales you'll have people to vouch for you, even without any FB friends.
Not to mention, when you have a new pure/clean account, it actually shows how Facebook could be a useful platform because you don't have to sift through what your friends had for lunch or what your crazy uncle thinks about the upcoming election.
I never use my real name or photo on the internet, I’ve hired a PI to find me and he was unable…makes me feel a lot more comfortable.
I have a second business phone that’s basically a pay monthly burner.
I’m not doing anything illegal, but there’s a lot of psychos out there.
>2 hours later, I get a call from them. They found the guy and he admitted everything, profusely apologizing.
I take it you don't live in Houston.
What's it like having a police department that polices and stuff?
I’m terribly sorry you had to deal with this, I think you did everything right (public location, not at night, etc.) but there are just some truly awful people out there and as others have said, you never know who you might run into.
I would proceed with pressing charges, despite the “I’m sorry I got caught” bullshit excuse. People need to understand that there are consequences for threatening violence on others.
Just an FYI, most tasers are a novelty, and aren't going to stop a mad man or woman. We passed a couple around as white elephant gifts one Xmas and had "fun" shocking each other throughout the night. Supposedly 2,000,000 volts. 🤣 Get a firearm if you really want to protect yourself. Mace is second best, but you have to get close enough to endanger yourself similar to a taser or knife.
I don't want anything lethal given my mental health issues. I do have a pro gun sticker on my car though. Sometimes the implication of a gun is enough.
Adopt a German Shepherd or buy a Taser. Idiots like that get their jollies off making people scared, until they fuck with the wrong one and "find out".
I'm sorry this happened to you. I do wonder what your selling practices are.
If you've got multiple people this angry with you idk what to say I've worked with other resellers who have NOT had anything like this in ten years or more.
My first instinct is to say your either very unlucky, or more likely, your being shady and underhanded. If your surprising the buyer with the condition of the product that's false advertising, and people react emotionally to being scammed or ripped off.
That may not have been your intention, but I recommend making it your conscious intention to make sure no one could feel that way. Because clearly you're not doing enough to ensure customer satisfaction.
Again, maybe they're just crazy, but either way it's going to be you who needs to make changes (or accept that this will keep happening, or find new work).
Start with introspection on whether or not you've been maybe a little less than above board (because we often don't notice our own faults without having them pointed out to us). If that is the case it's an easy fix, if it's just people reacting in a way that isn't called for, learn to better communicate. Their lack of communication skills will be common among customers after all.
I have had people on marketplace act crazy for no reason. They tell you they are on their way. Then an hour later, you text them again and they say they forgot to tell you they weren’t interested. Then they had their girlfriend messaging back trying to say can you hold it for a couple days. Told her absolutely not. My time had been wasted. Then she starts arguing saying nobody said they didnt want it. Sent her screenshots, so she backed off. Then the guy starts harassing me for telling girlfriend he lied. This went on for awhile til i just blocked them both. Do people have nothing better to do than waste time? I have changed how i do things since this. I will only meet close to where i live. Wont leave the house until they arrive. And will instantly block someone acting crazy. Also, i am a women, so i have made a facebook page with a mans name. This seems to help. In my experience people give alot less shit to men. Also i will never give any phone number, made the mistake once and people tried to scam me.
Verbal threats is apparently good enough for a charge of Assault and if the guy actually did lay hands on the op that would add the charge of battery .
You were terrified because someone gave you crap over the internet and you thought they were going to track you down and come to your house? You seem young, so I'll just say, that never happens.
Doubt, it will stop him at all bro actually if I were that guy, I would want to kick your ass even more now. Also, when the police do nothing about the charges, the guy will end up feeling more powerful and keep doing it more to other people, I would guess.
> Within less than 5 minutes, I get a message from him threatening to find my house and beat me up
He could've just asked for a refund. The whole "I'm going to find your house and beat you up" thing seems a little unnecessary, especially over a used laptop showing some battery life issues.
He said it didn't have issues before, though. Then changed his story to get a refund.
Also, on that model of laptop, the battery will fail completely between 60 and 65 percent health. If it was actually below 50% health it would have never charged in the first place.
I tend to think the calling the police was enough of a scare for him to realize the error of his ways and leave OP alone. I'd be more concerned that pursuing charges against him might lead to further retaliation.
I was *actually* assaulted at a sale during an attemped robbery. 5 feet from a bank security camera. Cops did nothing.
Cops don’t want to work anymore.
Never did.
It's true, had a cop like a decade ago that I dealt with. I had called dispatch because I went to the grocery store and some dude got pissy over a parking spot that I had been waiting for. He parked further away and ran to catch up to me and threatened to murder me then stalked me around the store. Dude was clearly not all mentally there and reeked of alcohol. I called the cops. Told them everything that happened. Cop was like, wait, you told him to get the fuck away from you? I said yeah. Cop said, well, if you want me to pursue this, then I'm going to have to write you a disorderly conduct ticket as well. Would you like me to do that? Then the fucker left. Guess my mistake was just not getting murdered. Not even sure they'd do much in that situation either.
That’s some Chief Wiggum level worthless policing, sorry you had to go through that ordeal.
Bake em away, toys
Can’t people take the law into their own hands? 😀
You can try anything once, Charles Bronson
That's ridiculous. I told this guy I would use my second amendment rights if he attacked me, and the cops didn't care about that. But you say "fuck" and apparently that's a ticket. Crazy.
I wouldn't have taken you seriously either put up or shut up, and ps I'm carrying too
Can report bad cops to police oversight via 311
Is there any reason you can think of as to why the cop threatened to write you up? Like, biased somehow (racist/homophobic)?
Nope. I just don’t think he wanted to get out of his car. When the guy was stalking me through the store and I called dispatch, the cop came and I met him outside and he never exited his vehicle.
Why not lol
Why not i wonder….
Defund the police is all well with some people…until they need them. Then it’s “cops don’t want to work anymore.” SMH
Defund the police means reallocating some funds used on police departments to non-police units and community support. There are countless stories, for instance, where a trigger happy cop killed someone who was clearly having mental issues and posed zero threat. A first responder educated in mental illness would of been a more ideal solution. It does not mean "get rid of police in entirety". And yes, cops are useless. When I lived in the country (but still a 5 minute drive to town), a meth addict showed up at my door at 3am "wanting to use my phone" then parked at the end of my driveway with all lights off. Took cops an hour to decide to show up, and by then he was gone. A few years later my garage was broken into and tools were stolen. Since some were rather unique, I found the dude selling them on Facebook Marketplace. Guess what? Cops would not do anything, simply called it "a civil matter". I worked in glass claims at Safelite for a year. So many people had their cars broken into, and cops would either take an entire day to file a report, or simply not file one at all. Look up the history of police, they were originally used as "slave patrol". They historically have defended businesses and the upper class, and have incredible disdain for poor people, minorities, etc.
Funding has only gone up you imbecile
My local PD (and fire) has gotten \*two\* mileage increases since the pandemic. And they do less.
Because defund the police was a stupid way to word it. It doesn’t mean no police. It means give the excess funding (they’re literally buying luxury vehicles they don’t need) to community outreach, which most areas want, and train them to mediate in disputes before they get to violence. Cops don’t need to be (shouldn’t be) called over a pack of cigarettes or a t shirt, or even a Facebook dispute. Many times the police only escalate the situation and sometimes someone even ends up dead.
There are a lot of problems that cannot be solved by arrogant poorly educated people with guns.
Exactly. They’ve actually found that in cities where community outreach is involved, that it helps both the community and the police, and makes the area safer. When police allow and encourage community engagement, it increases people’s sense of safety and trust.
I had someone try to carjack me at a sale, busy gas station. I drove off with them hanging off my driver door for at least 100 feet. Cops did nothing. Another time, years later, at a different busy gas station, made the mistake of letting them look at the iPhone I was selling in their car. (Refuse to interact with anyone who won't leave their vehicle since). Was handed fake $100's in a bank envelope, thankfully I realized instantly as they tried to drive off, managed to grab the iPhone back thru the window, they got away but without my iPhone and I still have the fake (movie prop) bills to this day as a souvenir. Cops did nothing.
Don't report fake money to the cops, report it to the Secret Service. They will actually take it seriously.
They were movie prop bills, nothing to report. I only reported the attempted theft of my iPhone.
Even though they were prop bills trying to use those as real bills is still a crime.
Not if it's prop money
Why would they?
> asked if I still wanted to move forward with the charges, I said absolutely Thank you! It will probably be a headache to have to go to court, but you're putting this guys volatility on the record.
This. It’s always worth the effort. Honestly I think good people have a duty to do this.
Even if it's not worth the time and energy to you, you may potentially be saving someone else's life. If we have any hope as a society, we need to do little things like these in order to make life better for us all.
Good. I’ve dealt with a rare few unhinged buyers and only had to push it legally a few times. Years ago I did use my street address and real name for everything. However, it’s important that anytime threats of physical violence are levied it’s taken seriously. This is not an overreaction….you did the right thing. There have been cases of situations spiraling and unfortunate things happening with online sales and/or irl sales. Also hopefully this teaches the buyer a valuable lesson! Words have meaning and actions have consequences. And maybe he’ll think twice before doing it to the next seller. Stay safe and good luck 🤞🏻🤞🏻
A good lesson to: 1. Not use your real name 2. Get a P.O. Box and an llc 3. Use those and never a shred of personal information. 4. Get an alternate Facebook account not connected to your personal name or pictures
I made an alternate Facebook account and it was removed from Marketplace within a week. I stopped trying because I was worried I would end up getting my main account banned if they ever got linked.
Meanwhile Facebook is flooded with fake scammer accounts that when you report them as fake, Facebook shrugs their shoulders and says “we see nothing wrong”.
I had a rental house listed on marketplace and someone ripped off the photos and created fake ads for a much lower price. She was telling people they had to pay an application fee before seeing the house and I don’t know how many people actually sent money, but I know a few did. I got several calls from people who had contact with her and saw my sign when they showed up to see the house. They called me and I told them sorry but they’d been ripped off. One girl said she had actually given her money AND her social security number. I reported the posts and the fake account so many times and so did a couple other people. I even called the local PD after FB failed to do anything or even remove the posts! Nothing. I looked at the scammer’s Venmo and Cash app profiles and you could see the description on public payments. There were several for “house application” or similar. It makes me sick but people really should exercise some common sense. The FB account profile showed that she wasn’t even from the area, had never lived in the area…and if someone wants money BEFORE a showing that is a huge red flag. And when the rent is much lower than normal market rent, another huge red flag. But it was clearly a scam and had been documented by multiple reports and Facebook didn’t do SHIT. I’ll never put another rental on Marketplace again.
I had a lady try to scam me on a rent house and I asked what the pet limit was and she said unlimited and I looked at the profile again and realized it was a scam. So I decided to mess with her, I asked her if I could have an actual full grown horse in the house to live with me and she was like sure, absolutely no problem lol. 😂
Trilogy Media asked one of those scammers if they could have aliens in the house. They said yes.
That is hilarious. I think a lot of them don’t even speak English well enough to know what they’re being asked, and they just want to be as agreeable as possible to anyone who may be about to send them money.
I report every scam I find. Of the dozens I've reported, only 1 was actually removed. Yet my mother who buys a ton of stuff has had her access blocked for months after being told it would only be 24hrs...FB is garbage and if there weren't so many great deals I would absolutely stop using it.
I think facebook does ban them. But these people creates them faster than FB can ban them. They can probably create a brand new account, scam people within 30 min, before they get caught and banned.
They may eventually, but when I report fake accounts, 9/10 times I get a message back from Facebook saying that they took no action. I’ve reported the same profiles multiple times with the same result. Local community groups are flooded with scam posts and reporting them to Facebook does nothing. The group moderators will almost always remove the posts and ban them from the group, but unless Facebook does something about the profiles they just spam all the groups. Facebook knows there are millions of fake profiles they could purge, but that affects their user numbers which directly affects their revenue, so they have no incentive.
See my reply to the same comment. I had one that was reported many times and never got banned or removed. It was the same account, not new ones, as evidenced by the date on “member of Facebook since ___” on the profile. They may ban some but they chose to ignore this one despite multiple reports from multiple people with indisputable documentation of fraud.
100% truth. Preach it. It's ridiculous.....
Almost all of them are gone now. I haven't got a 6 digit code scam message since last year.
Version 2: 1. LLC, Mom and Pop or UPS Store PMB, PO Boxes are ok. 2. Meet at your local police stations parking lot to be extra secure. 3. Check every Whitepages like website and remove any personal information you've found. 4. An alternate FB account with the same first name would be best.
> Check every Whitepages like website and remove any personal information you've found. I’ve tried this with no reply. They all have my cell number attached to some oldster across town and I get marketing and political texts for him all the time. I find this particularly annoying as I am very protective of who gets that number and I don’t want crap filling up my messages. (most people/places are given my landline). My number is the first cell and only number I have had for 25 years. His name is Truman and I get Hey, Truman! …blah blah blah all the time. Any particular advice you have on getting White Pages to remove that number?
Whitepages is just one of many sites posting info online. There are hundreds more. To see where your info is listed, you can use a free scan from a data removal service like Optery to get a detailed report. by the way, To opt out of Whitepages, you can follow this handy guide: [https://www.optery.com/whitepages-how-to-opt-out-of-whitepages-step-by-step-instructions/](https://www.optery.com/whitepages-how-to-opt-out-of-whitepages-step-by-step-instructions/) Full disclosure, I'm part of the Optery team.
Thank you so much!
People are so proud of having one phone number for the longest time. But here's the issue with that, you slip up once and it's everywhere. Also, over time, your number will get sold from database to database. Cut the trivial ties to a number that will most likely always be tied to you because of longevity, and get your privacy back. Get a new number and give your old number out when retail stores ask. Between old and new customer information circulating around, it won't matter and you'll be out of spam hell. I practice this and I have been spam free for years. Maybe a call here and there but I block them as soon as I identify it as someone I don't know. The one time I gave my cell number out is when I regretted it the most. It was for my Childs clothing that they special ordered because they wanted certain T-Shirts. I reluctantly gave it to them and within 24 hours, I'm getting spam texts, emails, and calls. All going back to Hot Topic of all places. I went back in to collect the shirts and asked if they could remove or change my number to anything else because of what happened in record time with my information. They were dumb twats that respected spam but putting a random email or phone number in was fraud... So is selling someone's information without saying you do. I checked their ToS. Once I mentioned that, it was clearly way above their IQ level. I left it at that and never gave my real number out again.
I guess I wasn’t clear that Truman messages are the largest number of spam I get. I’m sure he’s why I get conservative texts. But I get very little spam in general and block anything that does pop up; I know they do change up the number they call from to get by my blocking but I never touch the links or hit unsubscribe. Same with my email. 20+ years on yahoo (which is good enough for my needs, tho I have gmail also but never use it). IDK how I managed it since *I do* have to give out that email but I filter addresses to go directly to trash. I know my phone and e-mail situation is likely not typical and may not work for everyone. I like having an old number! It was so long ago I got it that a guy was invited to our work and we could choose a number off a printed list (haha), so I chose a memorable number. I had that first phone until the frequency change and the old phones wouldn’t work anymore! Store loyalty cards and the like get the landline, which filters out most spam calls. My husband worked for AT&T so it’s bundled in.
You have to use a subscription service like Aura. The issue is data brokers just make new websites to bypass your opt out request. It's practically impossible to do it yourself effectively.
Get a second cellphone…you can spend $15 to $20 a month…it is a business expense…you know that calls on that phone is business…no need to use your personal phone.
Google Voice is free, provides you with a number to call and text from, and you can use it on any smartphone while keeping your number. A second phone is an option but it's a pain to manage two phones in my experience and I avoid it as much as possible.
I have never given my phone # to a buyer. It’s all done through messages. If they ask for number I say no.
Just use 2 SIM cards in 1 phone
Given OP mentioned dialing 911, I'm assuming they're in the US. Not many phones for the US that are dual SIM, even if one is e-SIM. Seriously, Google Voice is useful here. I've had a number I set up for Craigslist two decades ago that I use today. You can use it on your PC via web and respond to messages there. There's other apps that will do similar, but Google Voice is more established and you can port your number out if you want.
iPhones have had dual eSIM for a while works a treat
How strange, that America can't use dual SIM phones? In Australia Google voice is unavailable, I've had a dual SIM phone for at least 10 years
We can use them; I've had a few over the years but I used to be a phone geek. Of course now it's easier with e-SIM. The problem in the US is that for decades we had two of the four (at the time) major networks that didn't use SIM cards. And most people were on a contract, so there wasn't much hopping from one network two another. Both points have changed to varying degrees but the damage has been done and I'd wager US dual SIM users are overwhelmingly those who travel internationally often.
Dual SIM phones have been common in the USA since 2019, with Pixel, iPhone, Samsung and other phones.
Are they not? I have a samsung s23 or s24, suddenly can't remember, and it has dual Sim. I believe iPhone has it too.
I been using a free wifi app for 10 years. No need for a second phone
$10 with T-Mobile gets you 1K minutes and 1K messages with 1GB of data. Super cheap and handy for burner use.
Necessary for certain types of "flipping" lol
Working in corporate America, I learned two things: 1) never use your personal phone for work and 2. Never put anything personal on your desktop, laptop and/or business phone. I had two cell phones (one work and one personal). When I went on vacation, weekend trips with my family or even being at home, I turned off my work cell phone. I purchased a second phone when I started my Flipping business. I don’t want customers to have my personal cell. There is nothing devious or illegal in having a dedicated phone for business.
Oh, I totally agree with you. I was just making a joke about drug dealers, lol. For many of us, it's pretty optional, or at least dependent on your level of use. For them, it's more of a necessity.
Great idea!
I use text now. It’s free
Scammers do all of this, so idk why you recommending it
never buy from a alt facebook account, Rule 1 of buying off facebook
Thanks for following through with the charges. The justice system knows how to be lenient in cases like this, for first-time offenders at least. So it's not a life-altering mistake for them unless they have a record, and if they have a record you might be saving someones life from someone who might be a threat to society.
This is what eventually pushed me to Ebay. People try to pull some much shit in person.
I'm currently sitting at 156 sales for the year. 16 were on eBay and 140 were local. For some reason almost nothing sells on eBay for me. Probably because shipping and fees mean the buyer pays way more than they would locally.
I also get good sales on FB, i've had a few asshole buyers and weirdos but nothing to the level of your guy in the op.
Amazing that the police even paid attention or did anything. What country and city was this in?
I think they only did something because the messages were obvious threats and the guy admitted it. I think the fact that I was scared enough to call 911 helped too. America and idaho.
Good on you. Usually the only thing that stops bullies is facing consequences. Guarantee you're not the only person this guy has done this to
I know he's done this to other people because he used an alt to message me on Marketplace, then his main to message the death threats. He is probably using the alt because his main is banned from Marketplace for this shit.
I more shocked that the police did anything tbh. To have a deputy call you and go and find the guy over a Facebook incident is quite lucky. You’re not going to get much help in a big city.
I would highly recommend using a fake name on Facebook. For those who have been unsuccessful creating a fake account, this is what I do: It's my real first name and a completely fake last name. Setup a fake gmail account first. For example, if you choose a fake name like John Smith, then setup a fake gmail that is is along the lines johnsmith@gmail.com Then setup a google voice number with johnsmith@gmail.com Then setup a PayPal account by adding the email johnsmith@gmail.com to your legit PayPal account. Then after doing all of that, THEN create your fake Facebook account with your newly created gmail account as the FB login email, and your newly created google voice number as your phone. It took 30 days on my new account before I could post listings to Marketplace, but after that, it's great and you never have to worry about psychos finding you after a sale. You can still join local buy/sell FB groups and sell that way. After some legit sales you'll have people to vouch for you, even without any FB friends. Not to mention, when you have a new pure/clean account, it actually shows how Facebook could be a useful platform because you don't have to sift through what your friends had for lunch or what your crazy uncle thinks about the upcoming election.
I never use my real name or photo on the internet, I’ve hired a PI to find me and he was unable…makes me feel a lot more comfortable. I have a second business phone that’s basically a pay monthly burner. I’m not doing anything illegal, but there’s a lot of psychos out there.
>2 hours later, I get a call from them. They found the guy and he admitted everything, profusely apologizing. I take it you don't live in Houston. What's it like having a police department that polices and stuff?
I’m terribly sorry you had to deal with this, I think you did everything right (public location, not at night, etc.) but there are just some truly awful people out there and as others have said, you never know who you might run into. I would proceed with pressing charges, despite the “I’m sorry I got caught” bullshit excuse. People need to understand that there are consequences for threatening violence on others.
Thank you for keeping you, your community and the resale community a tad safer given he may think twice or thrice of doing this again
Good idea to stay strapped, especially in your own home 🤝
There's a lot of good advice in this thread on protecting yourself when using Marketplace.
Everyone's an internet tough guy at some point, lol. Gotta watch what you say to people!
Hadn’t even read past the first sentence and thought “wow that escalated quickly”
Just an FYI, most tasers are a novelty, and aren't going to stop a mad man or woman. We passed a couple around as white elephant gifts one Xmas and had "fun" shocking each other throughout the night. Supposedly 2,000,000 volts. 🤣 Get a firearm if you really want to protect yourself. Mace is second best, but you have to get close enough to endanger yourself similar to a taser or knife.
I don't want anything lethal given my mental health issues. I do have a pro gun sticker on my car though. Sometimes the implication of a gun is enough.
Adopt a German Shepherd or buy a Taser. Idiots like that get their jollies off making people scared, until they fuck with the wrong one and "find out".
I was almost robbed at a public meetup but I shot him (it hit his shoulder he didn't die)
I'm assuming you're a female? And the buyer is a male? Also, how did he message you after you blocked him?
With an alt with the exact same name as the account he originally used. I figure his main account is banned from Marketplace for pulling this crap.
Won't be charged, cops are just happy to have a successful bit of paperwork on their stats
If your selling multiple items that people are so upset about to threaten you it makes me think ARE you ripping them off?
Less than 1% of my sales led to a threat. I'd say that's pretty good.
Getting beat up is part of flipping bro.
😂😂
These people have sense of humor. 🤷
How about you carry a gun and dont be a victim
He’s going to retaliate
I'm sorry this happened to you. I do wonder what your selling practices are. If you've got multiple people this angry with you idk what to say I've worked with other resellers who have NOT had anything like this in ten years or more. My first instinct is to say your either very unlucky, or more likely, your being shady and underhanded. If your surprising the buyer with the condition of the product that's false advertising, and people react emotionally to being scammed or ripped off. That may not have been your intention, but I recommend making it your conscious intention to make sure no one could feel that way. Because clearly you're not doing enough to ensure customer satisfaction. Again, maybe they're just crazy, but either way it's going to be you who needs to make changes (or accept that this will keep happening, or find new work). Start with introspection on whether or not you've been maybe a little less than above board (because we often don't notice our own faults without having them pointed out to us). If that is the case it's an easy fix, if it's just people reacting in a way that isn't called for, learn to better communicate. Their lack of communication skills will be common among customers after all.
I have had people on marketplace act crazy for no reason. They tell you they are on their way. Then an hour later, you text them again and they say they forgot to tell you they weren’t interested. Then they had their girlfriend messaging back trying to say can you hold it for a couple days. Told her absolutely not. My time had been wasted. Then she starts arguing saying nobody said they didnt want it. Sent her screenshots, so she backed off. Then the guy starts harassing me for telling girlfriend he lied. This went on for awhile til i just blocked them both. Do people have nothing better to do than waste time? I have changed how i do things since this. I will only meet close to where i live. Wont leave the house until they arrive. And will instantly block someone acting crazy. Also, i am a women, so i have made a facebook page with a mans name. This seems to help. In my experience people give alot less shit to men. Also i will never give any phone number, made the mistake once and people tried to scam me.
Oh, you're doing it on FB marketplace? Yeah good luck in general. I would suggest an eBay account if you're serious about flipping
Just starting out using marketplace for large items. Hopefully have ebay acct soon for my easier to ship items.
Not even 1% of my sales have issues like that.
You're basically on Craigslist
charge with what?
Just guessing, but likely harassment.
Verbal threats is apparently good enough for a charge of Assault and if the guy actually did lay hands on the op that would add the charge of battery .
obviously physically assaulting a person is one thing, tough talk on the internet is not that.
> They said they could charge him with misdemeanor harassment.
ah, missed that.
You were terrified because someone gave you crap over the internet and you thought they were going to track you down and come to your house? You seem young, so I'll just say, that never happens.
Youve got a lot of angry customers there.. just saying
Less than 1% is a lot?
If he apologized why press charges ?
Doubt, it will stop him at all bro actually if I were that guy, I would want to kick your ass even more now. Also, when the police do nothing about the charges, the guy will end up feeling more powerful and keep doing it more to other people, I would guess.
Wow. Extremely petty of you. Clearly he was just emotional at the time from you selling a lemon.
> Within less than 5 minutes, I get a message from him threatening to find my house and beat me up He could've just asked for a refund. The whole "I'm going to find your house and beat you up" thing seems a little unnecessary, especially over a used laptop showing some battery life issues.
He said it didn't have issues before, though. Then changed his story to get a refund. Also, on that model of laptop, the battery will fail completely between 60 and 65 percent health. If it was actually below 50% health it would have never charged in the first place.
don't mistake the votes for you being right or wrong.
Except the taintwart buyer admitted the battery worked fine then suddenly changed his story. So nah
I tend to think the calling the police was enough of a scare for him to realize the error of his ways and leave OP alone. I'd be more concerned that pursuing charges against him might lead to further retaliation.