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To make a little extra cash, you may turn to Facebook Marketplace to sell some unwanted items. Whether you’ve upgraded some pieces of furniture or you’re getting rid of clutter, Facebook Marketplace is a great way to give a second life to items you no longer want or need. But when talking to and making deals with strangers, one must use caution and be aware of scammers. The latest scam on Facebook Marketplace? The “upgrade scam”. We tell you what it is and how to recognize the signs in today’s news digest. Also in today’s edition: the best date to list your house for sale, a TikTok-viral bathroom discovery, and Dollar Tree’s money moves.
Facebook Marketplace ‘Upgrade Scam’ Targets Sellers
There’s a new scam in town that’s growing in frequency, and it’s targeting sellers on Facebook Marketplace. Here’s how some are being swindled out of hundreds of dollars: prospective “buyers” reach out to a seller about an item, claiming to have sent payment for the item on a commonly-used platform like Venmo or Zelle. Sellers then receive an email, supposedly from one of these platforms, saying that the buyer’s payment is “pending” until they “upgrade” their Venmo or Zelle account. Often, the email will say that you need a business account or need to pay a fee to receive payment for your item. In reality, these emails are sent by the scammer from a fake address. Perhaps most importantly, these so-called account “upgrades” simply do not exist and there is no such thing as a ‘minimum payment amount’. The scammer is attempting to steal money without ever having issued payment for the item for sale to begin with. In another version of this scam, the buyer messages the seller that they have paid more than the price of the item in order to hit a “minimum” payment and asks the seller to refund them the difference. Platforms like Zelle and Venmo have issued warnings about these scams.
The Best Date to Sell Your Home, Revealed; A Tiktok-Viral Bathroom Renovation; Dollar Tree Quietly Raises Prices
Yes, there is such a thing as a “best” day to list your home. Home selling platform Opendoor revealed that, according to their data, homes listed in May and June sell 17 days faster. June 1 is the top listing day.
What secrets does your home hide from you? One woman found out the hard way during a bathroom renovation. For her, it meant about a foot of extra space between her existing wall and the hidden one. Watch the reveal here.
The Dollar Tree: soon to be the Two Dollar Tree? While the budget chain may not be changing its name any time soon, it’s been quietly raising some items’ prices from $1.25 to $1.50. In a March earnings call, the possibility of raising prices was discussed, and the last time Dollar Tree made an increase was in 2021 when many $1 items were suddenly priced at $1.25.
Deals Worth Your Dime
Wayfair has a bedroom sale with markdowns of up to 60 percent. If you’re a Lowes member, Member Week is here with savings of up to 40 percent off.
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