CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
A Corpus Christi couple selling furniture on Facebook Marketplace say they were targeted by a scammer who tried to trick them into depositing $500.
Chris and MaryAnn Karner are selling their Corpus Christi home along with many of their belongings. When they connected with what appeared to be a buyer on Facebook Marketplace, what seemed like a simple sale quickly turned into a scam.
"We would have deposited $500 thinking it was going into Venmo but really it was going to them." Chris Karner said.
The person posing as a buyer claimed she was unable to pick up the item because she had hurt her leg, even sending MaryAnn a photo of the injury. She told the couple she would send someone to retrieve it and Venmo $30 for the purchase.
"She said 'Okay we'll be by to pick it up.' and then she said she really wasn't available. She had hurt her leg and she sent me a picture of her leg." MaryAnn Karner said.
When the Venmo transaction failed to go through, the scammer asked for MaryAnn's email address, claiming she could complete the payment that way.
"And she said, 'Well give me the email and I might be able to get to it. I sent her the email and she said 'Okay it's done. Look for it on your end.'" MaryAnn said.
Instead of receiving money, the Karners got an email from "Venmo Services" saying they needed to deposit more than 10 times the amount of the original sale to open a Venmo business account.
"And we needed to deposit $500 to start a Venmo business account." Chris said.
The scammer grew more persistent, demanding the Karners call a help line immediately.
Katie Galan, Director of Education and Community Engagement with the Better Business Bureau, said that urgency is a major warning sign.
"That's always a big red flag because scammers don't want you to have time to ask questions, to look things up, to call people and verify." Galan said.
The Karners also identified other red flags to watch for.
"Commenting on the post first of all... rather than sending a private message. Also being an outside area code." Chris said.
"Don't accept Venmo or CashApp," MaryAnn advised. "When they arrive, have them pay you cash."
The Karners did not fall for the scam and reached out to me hoping to protect others from the same experience.
"I would hate for somebody's aunt or grandma or an elderly person selling something and they get scammed. That's pretty scary." MaryAnn said.
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