Orange City, Iowa — Northwest Iowa law enforcement officers have observed an uptick in scams being completed online using Facebook Marketplace and other online “swap” pages. That from Sioux County Sheriff Jamie Van Voorst.
He says the most common scam occurring involves the fraudster advertising an item or service, with a price that is “too good to be true.” The fraudster then engages the victim in conversation about the items and requests a deposit or payment to be paid via Venmo, or another online payment service.
We asked Van Voorst how people can avoid being scammed by this scheme. He says just remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Slow down, and think about your next step.
Sheriff Van Voorst says they’re trying to figure out a pattern as far as what items were alleged to be for sale or any other types of information that was the same between the cases.
He says one thing to do is make sure that the username matches with the person who you are supposedly dealing with.
Van Voorst says if you have questions regarding this scam or any others, or feel you may be a victim, reach out to your local law enforcement agency. Click here for more information on this scam.
