Fake Facebook marketplace sellers terrorize shoppers at gunpoint | Law Enforcement Today

HOUSTON, TX - Authorities said that two teen suspects are on the run after staging fake Facebook Marketplace listings and then robbing the victims at gunpoint. 

According to Fox News, 17-year-old Arlando Lyles is wanted for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and theft from a person, and 18-year-old Christian Ray Pickett is wanted for theft from a person. The Houston Police Department (HPD) said that additional charges are pending. 

Lyles allegedly pulled out a gun on the mother of a family of five who traveled to a meeting location together in their vehicle while the woman's 15-year-old son was just a few feet away. The father and their two other children, ages eight and 10, ducked for cover inside the vehicle. 

They intended to buy a PlayStation 5 from Lyles, whom the mother had been chatting with via Facebook Marketplace extensively before they met up. The conversations were done mostly in Spanish, however, when they arrived at the meeting location, Lyles did not speak Spanish. In one of the messages before meeting up, Lyles said, "It's cash in hand, ma'am. I just recently had a lot of bad experiences, not anything toward you."

The 15-year-old son said that he and his mother got out of their vehicle to complete the transaction when things went south. Lyles allegedly demanded to see the $250 they brought in cash to buy the PlayStation before he handed it over. The teenage boy said, "I got [out of] the car, then my mom got off the car and when I was about to open it, he reached into his pocket, pulls out [a gun], then aims it at mom, like to give him the money, and then he ran with the PS5 too."

HPD said, "Once the buyer arrives at the location, the suspects then rob the victim by pointing a firearm at them and then taking their money."

In a press release, HPD's Robbery Division said that Lyles and Pickett are at least two suspects wanted in a series of incidents stemming from Facebook Marketplace, in which suspects pose as sellers with fake profiles, meet up with buyers in person, and then rob the buyers. Detectives believe there may be more suspects involved who are posing as fake sellers on Facebook Marketplace.

HPD says that the robberies have occurred at 15 locations involving 15 different victims, at least, since September 21st. While the social media selling platform does have certain policies and protections in place for buyers, it is full with scammers who use fake profile pictures and names to pose as different people online.

For example, a scammer might use a fake profile picture showing an elderly couple or young family in an effort to look like a realistic seller. HPD said that the 15 robberies since September occurred in a "variety of apartment complex parking lots in Southeast Houston."

As of Wednesday, December 4th, the suspects' whereabouts are still unknown. Anyone with any information about these robberies is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston directly at 713-222-8477. In a video PSA posted to HPD's X account on November 26th, Robbery Detective C. Lee recommended some guidelines when using Facebook Marketplace.

He said that buyers should suggest meeting Facebook Marketplace sellers at a local police department to complete their transactions. He added, "Look for things like profile pictures and account activity as good signs. Many of these accounts that we're seeing are blank accounts that are only used a few times." Lee said that the suspects often offer deals that are "too good to be true" and will dictate the meeting place to connect with buyers.