An Athens man trying to sell a Sony Playstation through Facebook Marketplace recently had his machine destroyed when he attempted to stop the sale.
The fraud occurred May 17 after the 23-year-old Athens man told the Athens Banner-Herald on Tuesday that he and an unknown male agreed in text messages for the sale of the PS5 console for about $300.
“The guy said he was sending a female to pick it up,” he said.
When she arrived at his home shortly before 6 p.m., the man said he placed the console in her car.
“I told her I was going to count the money,” he said. But as he did so, he noticed “red Chinese letters” on the money, which turned out to be counterfeit.
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But as he examined the paper, the woman drove off. The man said he and a companion followed her car and his passenger was able to get the license plate number, which he later gave to an Athens-Clarke police officer.
While they pursued the woman, she tossed the Playstation out of her car, he said. “It’s destroyed,” he noted.
The man said is not deterred in using Facebook Marketplace.
“I’ve dealt with Marketplace a lot. I didn’t expect that to happen. I put the Playstation in the car. Now, I’ll get the money first and make sure the money is real,” he said.
The man reported the matter to police. The report, released on Saturday, shows that the officer identified a possible suspect as a 21-year-old resident of Gainesville.
Athens-Clarke police have advised people that exchanges of merchandise or sales can be safely conducted in front of police station headquarters on Lexington Road.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens man catches onto fraud on deal made on Facebook Marketplace
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