I saw this on Reddit yesterday
https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...etplace_users/
Hello to the Calgary community. I just wanted to share an experience in hopes of saving others the same pain. Also, hopefully to serve as a reminder of the precautions you should take.
I will preface this with the disclaimer that I was not directly involved in this and the information is second hand from my significant other. I also want to say that while people will say the risks for marketplace meetups are obvious, it is still easy to become a victim. It makes you feel helpless to the point you have to resort to writing posts on reddit as an outlet to the anger and frustration.
This evening my SO went to meet someone to sell her used Yellow iPhone 11 for $400. The conversation leading up to the meet seemed totally legitimate and there weren't any initial red flags. The profile seemed legitimate (included a full name and some info about employment. I'm not going to post the profile information as it may be someone's legitimate profile that was hacked and I don't wasn't to dox them or ruin their reputation). They asked the right questions in terms of the specs of the device and asked if she would sell the charger with it etc. They offered to pay extra for delivery ($15) which my SO agreed to and the meet was set for 275 Riverglen Drive SE (Holy Angles k-6 school). However, this was possibly the first red flag. I'm all for public meets but a neighborhood elementary school at 9:30 PM is a little suspicious. However, the meet was set. My SO, being smaller, is always aware of the risks posed to her. For her protection, she made a family member aware of her location and kept them on speakerphone during the transaction as no one was able to go with her. My SO arrived and shortly after 2 black males arrived on foot. They were no older than 20 years old with one being a few years older than the other. Both were under 6 feet tall with skinny builds. They wore darker clothing. This was the second red flag as the description varied slightly from the profile. They were both slightly younger than what she could tell by the profile photo. However the deal continued. They continued to ask questions about the condition of the device and eventually asked if they could physically see the device, a fair request.
Once they had it in hand, they bolted. There was nothing my SO could have done other than yell at them and text them on messenger to get the last word in. Immediately after reading her text, the profile was removed from facebook. She was extremely rattled by the situation. She called the police and reported the incident (Case# 23195771), however there is likely little that the police will be able to do. I just hope with the description, location, and situation, someone else can avoid dealing with these degenerates or this pain. I'm thankful that she is safe and not physically hurt but it easily could have gone another way.
Also, I wanted to add that hindsight is 20/20. We both have experience with the app but unfortunately, at the time, we felt no reason to be concerned. This is the first time something this bad has happened. We will certainly be taking more precautions in the future with regards to marketplace transactions. If we would have paid closer attention we could have avoided this situation.
Always vett the person's profile and screenshot it. If the person at the meetup does not match the profile don't be afraid to question it or cancel the meetup.
Make sure the meetup location and time is reasonable. The Calgary Police even has sections of their parking lots devoted for transactions. Use them! They are always under surveillance. If the other party doesn't feel comfortable with this and tries to move it, cancel the deal and don't look back.
Always let someone know all the information of the transaction. If they are unable to come with you, keep them on speakerphone or even share your live location.
