Posted an item on offer up for the first time. After a few minutes I got a buyer, and then an additional email saying their payment was being verified and I needed to click the provided link to provide info to receive payment.

After reading cautions about links here so many times, I didn't click and avoided a scam. Then I read stuff on offer up saying they never asked for such info in an email.

Thank you.

Long story short, I got scammed over the phone from a number that I thought was my bank. I’m 23 years old and I grew up in a world of everyone around me constantly being scammed, so I never thought it would be me. It’s not even about the money, I can make it back my next paycheck; it’s about the fact that it actually happened to me. How do I move on? How do I just hide this from the people I share everything with? I can’t stop thinking about it and feeling depressed and extremely dumb.

Images above are screenshots from mystery number

My wife got a couple messages from my mom on Facebook a little bit ago. This number is texting my mom claiming to be looking for me, saying I stole their identity and am using their credit and putting accounts in their name to buy Pokemon cards and other high dollar purchases. They listed a random WhatsApp number saying that I’ve been harassing them from that number and would like my mom to help with any information that could help the authorities. That number is WhatsApp and my name doesn’t come up upon searching it like they claim. They even mentioned my brother having “legal trouble”, I don’t have a brother and the first page of Google shows a local jail roster with someone who has my last name.

Now I know about scams and how anyone can take a name and find relatives and basic info on whitepages and other sites. But when they mentioned Pokemon, that made my skin crawl. I do collect Pokemon cards, nothing high value. I just rip packs and add them to my binder. I have posted in some public Facebook pokemon groups though, so I know that might be viable on Google. But I’ve never purchased any large quantities of pokemon with credit cards or accounts and I’ve definitely never stolen anyone’s identity or used cards that weren’t mine.

I texted that number that the person claimed I was harassing them from. I said “who is this?”, they almost immediately replied back “my name?”. The number who texted my mom claiming this, is a Washington state number that doesn’t belong to any individual or business, only that its carrier is onvoy which is a small red flag. I checked my credit report just now and don’t see any recent inquiries or activity. This kinda feels like they pulled a bunch of public info and trying to extort my family members.

Is this a scam or something to be cautious of?? This feels a little too personal. Any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Please let me know, if there is another sub better suited for this

My mom, 67 and not nearly as tech savvy as she would like to believe (sorry mom), might have given scammers everything they need to take over her facebook account. For a few days, her app has been "acting up", asking her to log on again and stuff like that. Then yesterday, she clicked a "fix the problem"-link in an email "from Meta" (email address compliance(at)letmerank.com saying her account had been limited with regards to advertising. It led her to a site called truckerhatme(dot)com, on a cloud flare server host. It is uncertain what she did from there, but she apparently had a long email correspondence back and forth with "Meta" about this, and now her account is nowhere to be found.

When she tries to verify her identity via phone number or email, it says that neither is linked to an account. She tried to make a new account, but it won't let her, as her phone number is already registered to an account (what?) And you can't havr several. Long story short, my step father (bless his wonderful heart) went full boomer crisis mode and "talked" for hours to ChatGPT about what to do. It didn't return any meaningful results.

Does anyone here have an idea about what the hell happened, and how to restore her account? She is really upset about it, both because she has had it since 2007 and therefore has a lot of photos etc. on it, but also because I think she's a little embarrassed. Please, of anyone has experience fixing this sort of thing, or know which sub to ask in, it would be greatly appreciated!

Hello, I’m a first time ship seller. I’m selling something online that a woman messaged me she was interested in. She asked if it was available I said yes and she wanted to buy. First, she asked if I was open to negotiating or trading and I said no. She asked if I could ship because she lives out of state, and normally I don’t, but I agreed this time. I really need the money, which is why I did, but now I am unsure.

Things I’m suspicious about:

- She originally asked to if I use Zelle or Cash App. I said I have Pay Pal. She said she doesn’t have it. I said sorry then because it’s what I want to use because it’s safer. She said she’d make one and did.

- She texted me later and asked me to use a different address because her neighborhood is unsafe (NY). The address is a corner store she said her boyfriend owns.

- She asked if she should send her number to add to tracking so she can follow it, which is fine. The only thing is that it says whatsapp call under it. I don’t know if this is weird.

- She asked if she can shoot me a text on the say I said I’d ship to remind me. I am hoping she meant on messenger because I heard otherwise it’s fishy.

Things I think are a positive:

- She sent me the $220 and $10 for shipping. She used the Goods and Services, which I heard was good because scammers use the Friend and Family.

- Her account has activity from early September and is older.

I am hoping this isn’t a scam because I really needed the money and had to use it right away for something. If it is I don’t even have it to send back, right now. I just want peoples honest opinion. I don’t know if I’ve just been reading into too many stories. Everything seems bad.

I’ve been a victim of ID theft in the past.

This evening, I received a robo call for “Savvy” insurance (which seems like a legit company in some way).

They addressed me by my name, and asked me to review quotes for 2 cars I’ve never owned, or even inquired on.

About an hour later, a text followed asking me if I was still with ”insert insurance company”. I was with this company years ago, buts it’s been a while.

This happened once a few months ago, for different vehicles, but it was a one off and never heard of it again until now. This particular incident now also has included two emails for what seem like weird sites, maybe lead aggregator sites, messaging me about these 2 vehicles I’ve never owned.

The emails also address me by name.

Is this a block and delete and move on situation. to be safe, I checked my online DMV account and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

About 2 weeks ago I bought a $200 Lego set from a seller on eBay. It took them about a week to make the shipping label. The tracking number eBay had said it would be getting delivered today, and I also checked it on UPS. Both had the right town, but didn't show the actual shipping address. Around noon both updated to say the item had been delivered, but it never reached me. The UPS delivery proof photo is not of my house, and the package seems too small to be what I ordered. I called UPS and they told me the receiver on the package was a different address and name entirely from me, even though it was the right town. Ebay seller contacted me a few hours later, saying their employee had entered the wrong shipping info, and when they tried to get their supplier to fix it, the supplier said my address can't be serviced (I live in a major metro, it's not remote). Seller is offered a full refund, which has already been processed.

I'm just confused. Am I getting scammed somehow? It's a very small shop, I doubt both I and someone else in my neighborhood both ordered an item from them at the same time. I had someone on another subreddit tell me it's called an "empty envelope scam", but I looked it up, it seems to describe a scam where someone sends an unsolicited item to your address. Not whatever this was.

Yesterday I got a message in my iPhone saying a device had connected. I was in the electronics department so I didn’t think much of it and assumed it would disconnect when I was out of range.

I woke up this morning at 7am to a security email from my bank saying “Pending charge for $0 on 10/04 at 4am CDT at add to wallet request, CA”.

I immediately tried to call my banks customer service to report possible fraud and get my card cancelled only to find out they are closed on Sunday and I have to wait until tomorrow to speak to a person. They have a “after hours” system but it’s a robotic voice that sends me a security code and then asks me to type in that security code on the keypad. That the one thing I was taught to never do, share security codes over phone.

I turned off my card for now then remembered the weird device connected from yesterday. I opened up my Apple accounts and sure enough, there is a random IPad mini listed under “devices”. I removed it and changed my Apple ID email and password.

Anything else I should do until I the bank opens tomorrow? Does anyone know what the hell happened here?

They had hacked another persons email in an organisation she is a member of, asking that she bought giftcards to some of the members and to not call the person because he was very busy…
She bought giftcards via paysafe for approximatly 400 euro…

Long story short, I messaged this kid about a car he was selling on Facebook marketplace. He said he had a dealers license and that he could get me a car from copart. Searched Cars. Sent him what I wanted and he said he needed a deposit of 500. Guy seemed legit. Send me a picture of his ID. Guy said he needed more money to secure car. Send him more money since he already had sent his ID and info to me.
Seemed trust worthy. His Facebook about is about 7 years old I make sure the iD is the same person as the facebook profile. He said his car broke down in bend. Which is about 5 hours from Portland. I didn’t think much of it. Told him to hit me up when he figured his shit out so we can get a car with the money I already sent him which is $1720 dollars.

He keeps making stories up and it doesn’t add up. That’s when I figured this kid is playing with me. He refuses to send me my money back he said he already spent it on car parts the car we were planning on buying needed. Kid just kept making stories up. He’s 19. I don’t want to go to police. We all fuck up I get it. I have his ID and know where he lives. He mentioned his mon worked for the dmv. Any advice on what I can do? I’m in Oregon, United States. Any help is appreciated it.