‘Too good to be true': Fraud targets ads on Facebook Marketplace
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Imagine paying for a good or service online, receiving what you paid for and told you owe more money.
A local attorney tells KXAN more people are coming to him in that situation after losing money on Facebook Marketplace.
Attorney George Lobb said not everything posted on the site is what it seems.
'The ads will have a phone number that's not the business's phone number. It's the cellphone number for the scammer.'
George Lobb, Attorney
This year, Lobb said he received at least a half a dozen calls about people posing as legit companies and then stealing thousands. Specifically, he said the ads target Spanish-speakers and are focused on construction-related services.
Lobb said someone will pose as a company on Facebook Marketplace, take someone's money and call the actual company they're posing as to then act as the customer they're targeting.
'Weeks later, the company says, 'Hey, you didn't pay us,'' Lobb said. 'The law says, well, yeah, technically you benefited from the service. So then you're going to have to sue the scammer when the company files the lien.'
Lobb said one of his clients rented dumpsters for a discounted price of $5,000 via Facebook Marketplace. The ad posed as a well-known company. He received the dumpsters, but the actual company showed up later and told him he owed them $15,000 because they didn't receive payment.
'I've had several clients come to me because they either have liens filed on their property or they're threatened with criminal investigation for theft,' Lobb said.
Lobb said it is unlikely a victim would get all their money back, but he's helped people recover some.
'They have caught a few and they are making payment plans while on probation,' Lobb said.
Ultimately, he stressed the importance of verifying a company's phone number and physical location and asking a friend for their thoughts on the deal before going through with it.
'If it's too good to be true, it's too good to be true,' Lobb said.
Katie Galan with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said these fake ads online remain a top concern around the state.
'These person to person transactions is where we see a lot of these issues arise,' Galan said. 'Once that money is gone, that money is pretty much gone.'
Galan said it's a red flag if a person is asking you to send them money before you received a product or service.
'With these person to person sellers, we really highly encourage you to meet at a neutral location,' Galan said. 'See the product in person first, before you hand over any sort of money or any deposit.'
When it comes to how you pay, Galan recommended using a credit card for online purchases.
She said people lost $1.5 million due to online purchase frauds like this in Texas. However, Galan said that number is likely a lot higher because only about 5-10% of people report the crime.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Mob heckles Homeland Security agent involved in Long Island car crash: ‘Get the f–k out of here!'
A huge mob surrounded a uniformed Department of Homeland Security official involved in a car accident outside a grammar school in Long Island on Tuesday after locals suspected they were part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement measures, according to a report. Dozens of people surrounded the crash scene at roughly 1:30 p.m. just one block from Park Avenue Elementary School, where an unmarked silver car carrying federal agents collided with a black Nissan pickup truck, according to a report from Newsday. Video circulating on social media showed dozens of people surrounding and heckling Homeland Security Investigations officers. jioreportero/X The unruly group berated the federal agents, who were wearing Homeland Security Investigation insignias on their uniforms, as well as a mass of first responders, which included police officers, mounted units, and ambulances the report stated citing Nassau County Police. Advertisement Video posted to social media showed dozens of angry people recording the officers with their phones, shouting expletives in Spanish with some occasionally yelling in English 'Get the f–k out of here!' and 'You f–king b—h!' at the federal officer. One person in the mob could be heard suggesting the officer was going to the Park Avenue Elementary School. Advertisement 'Get the f–k out of Westbury!,' one man, who spoke mostly Spanish, said in a video from the scene. 'We told them they don't belong in Westbury,' Carina Hernandez, 45, who was at the scene, told the outlet outside the school. 'I'm a mom and I'm speaking up with a voice because a lot of people can't talk. They're scared. Thank God I'm legal in this country, but a lot of people are not blessed,' Hernandez, whose son is a Marine, told the outlet. Advertisement The unruly group cursed in Spanish and in English at the federal officers at the scene of the car accident. jioreportero/X The federal investigators involved in the crash were not working with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the time of the accident but instead were investigating a separate matter, according to that report. There were no arrests stemming from the incident, the report stated. The driver of the black Nissan pickup truck was transported by EMS to an area hospital while the federal agent was taken by authorities in a black SUV to an area hospital where she was treated for minor injuries, Newsday reported.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
HITN and WHYY Announce Acquisition of "Albie's Elevator" at Annecy's MIFA
ANNECY, France, June 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HITN, the leading Spanish-language educational media network, and WHYY, the Philadelphia region's leading public media organization, announced an acquisition today, which will expand the reach of WHYY's acclaimed children's series, "Albie's Elevator." The announcement was made during the prestigious MIFA (International Animation Film Market) in Annecy, France. This collaboration will introduce the beloved original production to EDYE's 14 million viewers across the United States, Latin America, and Brazil, with full Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese language adaptations. "Albie's Elevator is a truly beautiful and enriching series. We are thrilled to bring Albie's unique charm and the program's educational value to a much wider audience," said Erika Vogt-Lowell, Vice President of Content for HITN. "This agreement not only affirms the universal appeal of top-tier productions such as Albie's Elevator, but it also reinforces HITN's unwavering commitment to delivering this caliber of programming to the audiences in Latin America, including Brazil." A key component of this agreement involves HITN's investment in language customization. HITN will complement the Spanish-language adaptations of the series that WHYY has created, including the adaptation of all songs, and will also create a complete Brazilian Portuguese-language version. "We are incredibly excited about this partnership with HITN," said Terri Murray, Chief Content Officer, Vice President of Programming and Production for WHYY. "Announcing this at MIFA, surrounded by the world's leading children's content professionals, highlights the universal appeal of Albie's Elevator. We believe HITN's extensive reach and expertise will allow Albie's positive messages and engaging stories to reach children and families in new and meaningful ways across the Americas." To maximize exposure, HITN will conduct extensive promotional activities for "Albie's Elevator" including local events, premieres, and interactive watch-and-win contests. This acquisition marks a significant step forward in bringing unique, high-quality educational entertainment to children and families across a vast and vital audience. About HITNHITN-TV the leading Spanish-language media company that offers educational and cultural programming for the whole family. It reaches more than 35 million homes in the United States and Puerto Rico through DIRECTV, AT&T U-verse, AT&T TV, DISH Network, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity, Charter Spectrum, Mediacom, CenturyLink, Prism and Altice, Liberty Cable & Claro (Puerto Rico). Download the HITN GO app available on Apple, Android, Apple TV, and Roku® with a subscription. For more information, visit: and follow @HITNtv on social platforms. About EDYE:EDYE is an ecosystem of premium content for preschool-aged children, including an SVOD platform, a linear Pay TV channel, branded blocks for broadcast television, and a hub for various digital games and activities. EDYE offers fun and safe content curated by early childhood development experts. With one of the largest libraries of world-renowned preschool series including characters beloved by children, as well as games, activities, e-books, and guides to help parents learn about the value and benefits of content, Edye is currently available on all major digital platforms and devices and through pay TV, Internet, and mobile operators in the United States and Latin America. For more information, visit Follow EDYE on Instagram and Facebook. About WHYY WHYY, the Philadelphia region's leading public media provider, has served southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and all of Delaware for more than 70 years. WHYY's mission is to engage audiences, expand perspectives and empower communities through lifelong learning, truthful reporting, healthy dialogue and amplification of diverse voices. The station's national production and presentation roster for public media includes Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley, the award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues; the children's arts education series Albie's Elevator and The Infinite Art Hunt; and a variety of documentaries, series, and specials. WHYY also serves as the Local Primary 1 (LP1) station for the Philadelphia emergency alert system (EAS) operational area, acting as the region's primary broadcaster for receiving and relaying emergency alerts to other stations and cable systems—ensuring the public receives timely and potentially lifesaving information. For more information, visit View source version on Contacts For HITN Media Relations:Yaneiza Echezarraga & Claudia Solis, Twin Minds Mediamediainquiries@ For WHYY Media Relations:Gary Bramnick, Senior Director, Marketing Communicationsgbramnick@ +1 215 351 1262 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
Instead of relying on translators, teach yourself a new language with Rosetta Stone
Discover startups, services, products and more from our partner StackCommerce. New York Post edits this content, and may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you buy through our links. TL;DR: Travel with confidence when you study any of 25 new languages with lifetime access to Rosetta Stone, now only $179.99. When you're traveling overseas, there's a certain pride in being able to handle things yourself. Whether you're navigating a busy street market in Madrid or figuring out directions in Rome, nothing beats the confidence that comes from speaking the local language. Relying on translation apps and hand gestures might work in a pinch, but it's not exactly the self-reliant approach. That's why it's worth it to do things the right way with help from Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone is a language-learning tool that gives you access to lessons in 25 different languages. It takes work to learn any of them, but you'll have the chance to work toward fluency or just master a few phrases in Spanish, French, Italian, German, and more. Lifetime access is now $179.99 (reg. $399). What sets Rosetta Stone apart is how it teaches. Instead of memorizing vocabulary lists, you learn by doing. You'll see images, hear native speakers, and practice your pronunciation with real-time feedback from speech recognition technology. It's built to mimic how you learned your first language, making it feel intuitive instead of like a school assignment. You'll start with useful conversations like asking for directions or ordering food, the kind of thing you can use right away if you don't want to become fluent. Then, you'll build toward more complex topics. And since it's all self-paced, you can study whenever it fits your schedule, whether that's on a plane, at home, or in line at the DMV. If you value your independence, then don't rely on a flimsy translator or hope other people will happen to know English. Learn a new language with Rosetta Stone while it's only $179.99. No coupon needed. StackSocial prices subject to change.
