A young mum who was trying to sell an item for $10 on Facebook Marketplace has told of the bizarre messages she received from the potential buyer.
Katie Summers, from Canada, wanted to get rid of her baby daughter’s items so she put an activity centre toy up for sale.
But things took a strange turn when she received a couple of texts from the would-be buyer.
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“My husband thinks I’m being scammed on Facebook Marketplace,” Katie explained in a video.
“So my daughter just turned one and we have a bunch of stuff that we don’t need for her anymore and so we have this toy so I listed it on Facebook Marketplace for $10.
“I’m pretty sure these things retail for hundreds of dollars brand new so I thought it was a steal.”
After listing the product online, she received a Facebook message from a stranger.
“This very lovely woman messages me and she’s like, ‘I’m a grandma and I would love to buy this for my brand new grandbaby’,” Katie recalled.
“So I’m like, ‘Oh my god, of course, that’s so nice. Can you come at this time tomorrow?’ She was like, ‘Yes, no worries’.”
The following day, Katie messaged the woman to arrange a contactless sale at her home.
“I realised she’s going to come right as my baby is napping and that is one hour a day that I get to myself so I’m not risking waking the baby up,” the mum explained.
“So I wrote to her and said, ‘Hey look is it cool if we just do a contactless exchange? I will put the toy on the step and you can just leave the money’.
“And then I also told her, ‘Hey if you don’t see this message before then, I’ll put a note on it just so you know what’s going on.”
As Katie continued on with her day, she received a response from the woman.
“This is what she wrote: ‘Can we do tomorrow now? My husband just asked for a divorce and I am shocked. I am 66! And we have been together since we were 13 years old’,” she said of the messages.
The mum said her first thought was, “Oh my god, this is so sad, I should just give her this thing” for free.
‘Am I being scammed?’
However, her husband was not sympathetic.
“He’s like, ‘No, she’s totally scamming you. She’s trying to get this thing for free. She’s working you’,” Katie said.
“So like the rational person in me who’s forever an optimist, I’m like, ‘She’s really trying to pull me for $10? No way.’
“My husband is very cynical but he’s convinced that this is her plan and there is no divorce. He’s like, ‘She’s probably not even a grandma.’
“So what? Is he right? Am I being scammed? Am I falling for it? I mean in this economy, anything is possible I guess.”
‘Tugged my heartstrings’
Her video has been viewed more than 47,000 times – with many divided over her encounter.
“This happened to me! Except the woman told me she was buying for her baby and then she messaged saying her boyfriend left her so she couldn’t afford it. As I was a single mum at the time she tugged my heartstrings so I gave her everything for free.. The next day she was reselling everything,” one shared.
Another suggested: “I’m with your husband. I’ve had people give so much extra info when they bail on meeting, then they ask to pay less or never come.”
One revealed: “I literally got scammed the same way. They said they were a grandmother. They wanted to get it for their grandbabies then turned around and sold it for a high price.”
Another said: “Totally scamming you. Or desperate for sympathy. One or the other.”
While one added: “Just go with it and see if she shows. up It’s only $10.”
However, many believed the buyer was genuinely an “over-sharer” as she was probably processing the shock split.
“Looks like shock and she’s just blurted it because she needed to tell someone,” one suggested.
Another shared: “As a child of a boomer… people in their 60s and 70s can be notorious for over sharing with strangers.”
One said: “I think she’s being honest. It’s too weird of a thing to say. Plus it’s only 10 bucks. Maybe she was just shocked and had two tell someone.”
While another added: “Why would someone give the item for free? Just because she’s getting a divorce? I don’t think it’s a scam. I think she needs a friend.”
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