A Houston realtor recounts how a mother trying to buy her son a bicycle on Facebook Marketplace ended up the victim of a brutal assault and robbery.<\/p>\n
TikTok creator Andrea Ruiz (@andrearuiztxrealtor) is a realtor based in Houston. In a recent video, she said, \u201cHey so this is just a PSA and a warning. I got a phone call yesterday and I wanted to share this with you guys, because this is the reality of what is happening not only here in Houston but in other areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you are using Facebook Marketplace to buy things and you\u2019re buying things from somebody, please use your best judgment and be careful,\u201d she said. \u201cIf it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Houston Mom Jumped After Answering Ad on Facebook Marketplace <\/p>\n
Ruiz is telling her followers this because she recently answered a phone call from a local mother who said she attempted to purchase a bicycle for her son on Facebook Marketplace.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, when the woman showed up, the situation soon turned violent. <\/p>\n
How does Ruiz factor into all this? Well, the Facebook Marketplace robbers didn\u2019t use their own home for the crime. Instead, they used one of Ruiz\u2019s empty properties for the set-up. \u201cWhen she got to the backyard, she said that she noticed that the house looked empty,\u201d Ruiz said. \u201cShe got in the back and two guys jumped out of a shed that was there and beat her and robbed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Viewers React to the Houston Mom\u2019s Facebook Marketplace Robbery <\/p>\n
Although Ruiz said additional security measures have already been enacted on this specific property, she is warning her viewers that crime skyrockets<\/a> during the holiday season. That\u2019s because there\u2019s a lot of money floating around and a lot of people off of work and traveling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe holidays are a desperate time for some people,\u201d Ruiz wrote in the caption. \u201cPlease be safe out there and use your best judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n In the comments section of the video, viewers expressed shock and anger at what happened to the Houston mother. They also offered up their own safety tips for using Facebook Marketplace and other online resale platforms.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to sell things on OfferUp years ago and learned the best thing to do is meet at a police station,\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to sell a nice name-brand purse on Marketplace,\u201d wrote a second person. \u201cI keep getting lots of offers\u2014especially after dark. They usually don\u2019t respond when I say I\u2019m in an apartment and I\u2019ll meet them at the front leasing office. I started to think they weren\u2019t actually trying to buy the purse. This seems to be consistent [with that idea].\u201d<\/p>\n Houston Police Address Facebook Marketplace Robbery <\/p>\n