A 50-year-old Arnold woman lost $850 in an apparent Facebook Marketplace scam, Arnold Police reported.
On March 26, the woman told police she had exchanged messages with a person after finding a John Deere riding lawnmower listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace. She said she sent $850 to an unknown person through the Cash App mobile payment service, but after sending the money, she did not receive the lawnmower and the seller stopped responding to her, the report said.
As of April 4, it was not known if the account the woman sent money to was fictitious or genuine, and no suspects had been identified, Detective Lt. Jeremy Christopher said.
He said Arnold Police continue to investigate the case.
“Payment services such as Cash App and Venmo are convenient,” Christopher said. “Unfortunately, scammers use these services to steal from unsuspecting victims. If you do not know the seller, I recommend only sending payment using these services when you meet the seller face to face. Furthermore, when meeting with sellers consider meeting at a safe location, such as a police department parking lot.”