Internet sales groups in Merida and the interior of the state of Yucatan have begun to suffer from the intrusion of scammers, whose method is widely used in the center of the country to deceive people.
These are false deposits on delivery, in which social media users and online sales platforms lose their belongings and sometimes even money after being contacted by fake buyers.
In this new modus operandi to scam Yucatecan sellers, criminals contact the seller through platforms such as marketplace or Facebook groups, using fake profiles.
They ask if the product is available and request the seller’s phone number to get in touch with them. They respond to each message and even send photos of their supposed face or identification, which of course, are fake.
Once the deal is agreed upon through WhatsApp or phone call, they request the seller’s bank details to transfer the amount they ask for, but instead of going for the item in person, they send a platform taxi through their courier services, so that their true identity is not revealed.
This is when the scam occurs, as they sometimes make deposits through bad checks, which are reflected in the seller’s application with the legend “SBV” (except good collection), without the account owner knowing that the transaction will never be completed.
Another way used is when they send edited electronic vouchers with the amount and bank details of the seller, without the seller seeing any type of deposit in their account. However, they pressure them to deliver the product with the taxi driver, with the promise that it should be reflected within minutes.
The sellers deliver the items without knowing the identity of the driver or their destination, as they are not the ones requesting the shipping service. Within hours, that supposed deposit disappears or simply never arrives.
TYT Newsroom
