TN Attorney General’s Office Warns Of Facebook Scam

The Tennessee Attorney General’s office is warning consumers about a Facebook scam using a forged signature of Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Commissioner Carter Lawrence. As part of the scam, a listing on Facebook Marketplace advertises a tractor for sale. The seller uses a generic woman’s name and directs buyers to contact Harley Logistics…supposedly based in Memphis. The marketplace listing instructs buyers to transfer money to what is a nonexistent “escrow company” that has an “escrow agreement” approved by Commissioner Lawrence. As part of the scheme, Hartley Logistics askes buyers to provide their Social Security number, picture of their driver’s license and a current selfie as proof of their identity. Once the information is provided and the money is transferred, the scammer takes off with the funds and the victim’s personal information. The Attorney General’s office offers some tips to help you not become a victim of a scam like this. They say you should always be wary when a Facebook Marketplace transaction leads to being asked for personally identifying information like your social security number.

Don’t do a transaction like this online…meet the seller in person to exchange the item and the payment at the same time. ring another person along as an added precaution and/or meet in a safe location such as one near a police station. They also advise that you do a little research and look up the company you’re buying from online to find reviews for them and see if they are legitimate. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance encourages anyone who comes across this scam to report it to the Attorney General’s Office.