Mother, Daughter Robbed At Gunpoint In Facebook Marketplace Scam

A mother and daughter in Chatham County, Georgia, were robbed at gunpoint after trying to buy a car on Facebook Marketplace.

Marlena Taylor, of Ellabell, Georgia, said she had been searching for a car for her 17-year-old daughter, Xandria, on Facebook Marketplace for months before she came across a man's listing for a Volkswagen Sunday, WJCL reported.

"I had been shopping for a car since like January," Taylor told the outlet.

The unidentified seller, who claimed to be a soldier, told the mother that he had to sell the vehicle because he was getting deployed and was selling it for a great price as a result, according to Taylor.

Taylor agreed to meet with the seller to see the vehicle. When she brought her daughter and sister to an apartment complex where they were supposed to meet, the mother said they encountered a group of men posing as the sellers.

"Walking up the stairs, I was laughing and me and mom were having a good time," Xandria told the outlet. "When we turned around, my emotions just dropped. Everything went south from there."

The masked men allegedly approached them with guns and demanded money, according to Taylor.

"They came up from both sides of the apartment complex and put the gun to my head and put the gun to Xandria's head, and then they were patting us down and screaming to give us the cash," Taylor claimed.

The thieves allegedly made off with some cash and all three women's phones.

The women were not injured in the incident. However, Xandria said, "I thought I was going to die."

The incident involving the Taylor family was one of two armed robberies the Chatham County Police Department is currently investigating, according to an official news release. Police have yet to name any suspect in both cases.

The Taylors were targeted on March 27, and another person fell victim to the same scheme the next day, police said.

Police said that both the Taylor family and the unidentified second victim were directed to several different addresses before finally meeting up with a group of several men. The other victim was also not injured.

The Taylors and authorities are warning others to be more cautious when buying items from Facebook Marketplace.

"All meetings should happen in the daytime and in a public place. If the item is valuable and a significant amount of cash is to be exchanged, it is best to conduct the transaction in the parking lot of a police precinct," the police said in an official statement.

Authorities advised buyers to be more vigilant, especially when the seller is acting suspiciously. Buyers are also encouraged not to meet sellers alone and to call off the purchase if something is suspected to be off before actually closing the sale.

As of this writing, police are still gathering evidence, and the two robbery cases remain under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call Chatham County Police Department Detectives at 912-651-4717.