A new scam is making the rounds on resale sites like Facebook License #299996205 Marketplace, targeting sellers of high-value items with a clever and costly trick. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a warning about scammers posing as eager buyers who pretend to send payments via Zelle, then manipulate sellers into refunding money they never actually received.
Here’s how it works: You list an expensive item, and a buyer quickly shows strong interest. They say they’ve sent payment through Zelle using a business account. Soon after, you receive what appears to be an official Zelle email claiming that to receive the money, you must upgrade to a Zelle business account—for a $300 fee. The scammer says they’ve added the $300 to your payment and ask you to simply refund that amount once you’ve upgraded.
In reality, no money was ever sent. The email is fake, and any screenshots provided are forged. But if you fall for the scam and send back the $300, you’ve just lost your own money, and there’s little you can do to recover it.
Zelle is a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment service designed for quick transfers between people who know and trust each other. Because Zelle payments move directly from one bank account to another, there is no buyer or seller protection. Once the money is sent, it’s essentially gone.
To avoid falling victim, always verify payments within the Zelle app or your bank, not through email or text. Never agree to refund an overpayment or send money to a buyer. Be especially cautious of buyers offering to pay more than your asking price.
Only use Zelle with people you know personally, and consider safer methods like in-person cash transactions for large Marketplace sales.
If you believe you’ve been scammed, report it immediately to the platform, your bank, and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
