The phone sale in Houston ended in a parking lot robbery

Marketplace robbery · Facebook · United States

I listed my iPhone on Facebook Marketplace in Houston because I wanted to sell it quickly before getting a new one. A guy contacted me fast, asked normal questions, did not haggle too aggressively and suggested meeting near a gas station parking lot because it was “easy for both of us”.

At first nothing felt dramatic. He arrived on time, looked regular, even polite. He asked to hold the phone for a second to check the camera and screen. The moment it was in his hand, another guy came up from behind me. That is when everything changed. One shoved me, the other said not to be stupid, and suddenly it was not a sale anymore.

They took the phone, grabbed my wallet too and ran to a car that had clearly been waiting nearby. The worst part is that if you replay the messages later, it all looks boring and normal. That is what gets you. There was no big red flag, just a very ordinary setup that ended in a robbery.