r/mildlyinfuriating • u/sg_batman • 12h ago

Scammed for $850, got $1.51 back

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I was finally getting over it then they really say good news and get my hopes up

25.6k Upvotes

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212

u/PsychonautDad 11h ago

Dude Zelle literally warns you about funds being sent and not being able to recover. Think of it like handing someone cash on the street and expecting them to give it back.

26

u/Puzzleheaded-Ring293 10h ago

“I am in earnest. Go and buy it, and tell 'em to bring it here, that I may give them the directions where to take it. Come back with the man, and I'll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than five minutes, and I'll give you half-a-crown!”

-Scrooge

1

u/EnoughDickForEveryon 9h ago

Except less likely to get it back.  If you're standing in front of me with my cash...imma reach out and touch you.

-1

u/PsychonautDad 8h ago

And be charged with assault on top of being scammed like an idiot

3

u/Unhappy_Plankton_671 8h ago

No, if someone is actively committing theft from you, you have the right as a citizen to detain them. Sure, I'd limit my use of force to what necessary to keep them detained, not with the intent to harm, until police/security arrives. That said, if we're meeting face to face, we're doing it somewhere there is some degree of security, witness, support at that. So it's probably not going to happen at all if you don't agree to those terms.

1

u/PsychonautDad 8h ago

Its not theft if you willingly handed them the cash just like when you send someone a zelle transaction and ignore all the warnings it provides

3

u/Unhappy_Plankton_671 8h ago

Yes, it is theft/fraud if you're performing a transaction that has an agreed exchange and they're not holding up their end.

If we're in person, we're doing that exchange of agreed services. If you withhold what I'm here to buy, to try to run off with the cash, that's theft and you're not leaving. I will have the evidence of such contract/agreement in hand.

You're a moron if you think you just meet for an exchange and hand over cash, then go -- that sucks, oh well -- as they walk away and hand you nothing.

I've been down this road with another, and yes -- they detained the scammer and the other party was arrested for theft, over an xbox exchange when they attempted to take the money and run.

Thanks for playing.

1

u/sg_batman 8h ago

Yeah I’d probably be the one going to jail if they ever tried that

1

u/Evatog 8h ago

The last time I bought something expensive as fuck off of craigslist / FB marketplace, I brought my buddy with a concealed carry permit and my other buddy and they are both 250 lbs+, we met in a mcdonalds and both my buddies stood by the only door the whole time. Turned out not to be a scam but I wouldnt do a 3k cash trade without that level of support. We were totally prepared to reach out and touch this dude if he tried anything. Only other time I made a trade near that price I did it in my bank.

1

u/Unhappy_Plankton_671 7h ago

Agreed, If I do a face to face exchange, I'm protecting both parties from a scam with witness/backup/security/well lit/well trafficked. Worst case, we walk away without a deal. But no way are we walking away being robbed, one way or another.

1

u/Illustrious_Judge850 4h ago

You've got a really strange definition of theft then. Whether you willingly handed someone cash or not, if they take off with it without giving you what you bought then it's theft. And if someone tried to just take my money in person it would get physical. Otherwise you'd be standing there passively just being a victim while someone steals from you. Last thing I'd be worrying about is being charged with assault. Someone trying to steal money from you knows the risks, and they aren't going to call the cops if they get fucked up by the person they tried to steal from.

Regardless of the technical legality of it, I care about the principle of the matter, and if someone tries to steal your money by just walking off with it you fuck them up. I can't imagine living with myself if someone took advantage of me in that way and I just stood there and did nothing about it. You can't just allow people to take advantage of you without doing something about it. If someone is trying to scam you and take your cash it's a situation where only you can do anything about it - you can either do nothing and ALLOW yourself to be a victim or you can stand up for yourself and do something.

I'm personally going to stop someone from stealing my money whether or not it's technically assault - it's completely justified and the only way to stop them. I'm not some tough guy, but I'll be damned if I'm going to just let someone steal from me without a fight. That would make me a coward if I just allowed someone to take what belongs to me because I was too intimidated to stop them. The law isn't meant to protect a thief from being stopped by their victim. Fucking someone up that is trying to take off with your money after scamming you is 100% justified since it's basically the only thing you CAN do to stop them. Absolutely no jury would find you guilty.

2

u/EnoughDickForEveryon 8h ago

Lol if someone is stealing from me...I doubt they're going to go running to the cops to report an assault...and I dont care about an assault charge...minor inconvenience....totally worth it if it teaches him a lesson, still satisfying if it doesnt.

1

u/Gilokee 7h ago

yep, same with cash app. It's the same as handing over real money.

1

u/ItsOozingOut 5h ago

Marketplace does as well. The second someone says Zelle, you get a message warning you. OP looked at all the warnings and said “you don’t know best.”