An area resident reported to authorities he had been the victim of a scam.
According to a release from the Marshall Police Department, the victim stated on February 2, 2020, he was on the website Instagram and observed an advertisement for “Stockxx.com.” He explained the website presented itself as a place to buy and sell shoes, similar to the legitimate website, “Stockx.com,” so he created an account with the website and provided his bank account information, which he believed allowed any sales to be deposited directly into his account. The victim stated he listed several pairs of shoes for sale on the site.
The victim stated he received a message on the site from an individual with a username similar to “Bubbles”; and the individual advised he wanted to purchase two pairs of shoes for a total of $500. The victim said the buyer agreed to pay him through the phone app “Cash App,”; so he accepted the buyer as a friend on the Cash App; and the buyer transferred $2,000 to the victim’s account. The victim said the buyer then advised him the transfer was done by accident and demanded he refund the money or he would contact the police.
The victim explained he tried several times to refund the money, but the Cash App would not process the transactions. So he was instructed to return the money via Walmart money transfer. The victim said he actually spoke with the buyer, using the Snapchat App and said the buyer provided him with a name and location to transfer the money. The victim said the individual had an American accent and sounded like he was from Chicago. The victim said he withdrew $500 cash from a Wood & Huston ATM and went to Walmart, where he provided the cashier with $500 cash and requested an additional $1,500 be deducted from his physical Cash App card, which was linked to his bank account. The victim also said the buyer provided him locations in both Missouri and California to send the funds, and said the name he was advised to use was similar to “Schllark Davids,” but he wasn’t certain. The victim stated he could not locate the receipts from the transfers.
The victim said he was contacted by his bank, Community America Credit Union, located in Kansas City, and advised of fraudulent activity on his account. The victim was advised several fraudulent mobile deposits had been made to his account, and the account had been locked. The victim provided police with several screen shots of his bank statement, and deposits were observed in the amounts of $2,169.71, $2,175.88 and $601.22 for a total of $4,946.81. The victim stated he had not made any of the deposits. Authorities observed several debits from the account: $498, $150, $500, $490, $495, $440, $499, $199, $498, $499, $497 and $495 for a total of $5,260.
The victim explained many of the debits on the statement were for the amounts he was trying to send through the Cash App as a refund to the buyer, but did not believe they were being processed. He also stated he had never attempted to send the $150 nor $199 debits. He added he believed the buyer had been able to access his bank account and complete the fraudulent debits and deposits.
The victim said he attempted to contact the buyer and observed he had been blocked on Snapchat, could not access his Cash App, and the website www.stockxx.com was no longer a working site. The police officer also attempted to access the site as well and observed it was not functioning.
At this time, it appears the victim is at a loss of $2,007.50 ($2,000 transfer, $6 transfer fee, $1.50 ATM fee). The officer requested the victim contact his bank to obtain more detailed banking statements and an updated account balance; and if he was going to attempt to seek remedy from his bank, he may need to file an additional report, within the law-enforcement jurisdiction of his bank.
The investigation is continuing.