Facebook Marketplace Scam: Seller Duped in Zelle Scheme

WHO:

The Big Lead - Mike (@2manymikes), an ICU nurse

Yahoo Tech - Mike's mom, the seller of the couches

WHAT:

The Big Lead - Mike lost $300 in a Facebook Marketplace scam involving a couch sale.

Yahoo Tech - The couches were sold for $300.

The Big Lead - The scam involved a request to send $600 to resolve a flagged payment issue.

WHERE:

The Big Lead - The transaction took place on Facebook Marketplace.

WHEN:

The Big Lead - The scam occurred during a hot day when Mike was mowing the lawn in 90-degree heat.

WHY:

The Big Lead - The scam was a variation of the overpayment or fake “business upgrade” scheme, which is common on peer-to-peer payment platforms.

HOW:

The Big Lead - The scammer claimed that Zelle flagged the $300 payment as fraudulent and instructed Mike to send $600 instead.

Yahoo Tech - Mike received a fake email that appeared to be from Zelle, instructing him to send $300 to receive $600.

The Big Lead - Zelle warns users to only send money to people they know personally and advises against using Zelle for Marketplace transactions.

(UPDATED June 23, 2026 06:23 UTC)

Mike, an ICU nurse, recently fell victim to a Facebook Marketplace scam that cost him $300 during a sweltering day while he was mowing the lawn. The scam involved a fraudulent claim that Zelle had flagged his payment as suspicious, prompting him to send an additional $600 to resolve the issue, all based on a fake email that appeared to be from Zelle. In light of this incident, Zelle continues to advise users to only send money to people they know personally and to avoid using their service for Marketplace transactions.