Fake buyer

A U. of I. student reported that he attempted to sell a pair of shoes on Instagram and received a message from an unknown person who purported that they were interested in buying the shoes. The faker buyer claimed she needed $200 to pay a Venmo fee so that she could proceed with sending the funds for the shoes. The student sent the $200. The fake buyer then asked for $400 in gift cards in two subsequent requests, which the student sent. The student contacted police after sending the emails to Venmo, which confirmed that the messages were fake and the student had been the victim of a scam.