'That Is Scary:' Couple Sells Truck on Facebook Marketplace. Then 2 Men Arrive to Buy It and Intentionally Ruin the Exhaust Pipe

A woman has shared what she calls the “craziest thing” that had ever happened to her and her husband—and it all started with trying to sell a car on Facebook Marketplace.

Kassi (@kassis.classy) explains in a pair of TikToks that the ordeal happened about a year and a half ago when her husband was trying to sell his 2011 Toyota Tundra. Despite some quirks, including a broken air conditioner, she says the truck was “reliable” and “never left him on the side of the road stranded.”

It took two months before a potential buyer reached out. The man said he lived three hours away and asked to see the truck in person, which seemed like a good sign. But when he showed up, Kassi says, things immediately felt off.

The story only got stranger from there.

As of this writing, one of her videos walking through what happened next had racked up more than 80,000 views.

What Happened? 

When the buyer arrived, Kassi says she was surprised to see not one but two men get out of the car. She adds that it was clear from their accents and appearance that they weren’t from the United States and suggests the man they had been messaging with had been catfishing them.

That morning, Kassi and her husband had taken the truck for an hour-long drive and said it ran “perfectly” with “no problems whatsoever.” They’d even cleaned it up so it was ready for the sale. But once the men started looking under the hood, Kassi says she got suspicious.

One of the men, who claimed to be a mechanic, kept the hood open while the other distracted her husband at the back of the truck. After they took the Tundra on a test drive, they returned claiming it was “acting funny”—a problem Kassi says was “uncharacteristic” of the vehicle. She believes they tampered with the truck to make it seem like something was wrong with it.

When the men offered to buy the truck for a quarter of the asking price, Kassi and her husband refused. After the men left, they discovered parts of the Tundra had been tampered with and called the police. Her husband then phoned the buyers back, pretending to accept their lowball offer, and when they returned, police were waiting.

“The men ended up getting arrested, and they were here illegally,” Kassi says, adding that their trial wrapped up just weeks ago. “I don’t know what happened to the men, but I hope they never do it again to anyone else.”

Identifying Scammers On Facebook Marketplace

Spotting scammers on Facebook Marketplace can save you from a costly mistake. When selling a car, it’s smart to watch for anything that feels off. In Kassi’s case, the men she and her husband dealt with were playing a different game entirely.

Most scammers try to move the conversation off Messenger, refuse to see the car in person, or pressure you into odd payment methods. Some may push you to buy a vehicle report from a shady website designed to steal your credit card information. These are common red flags for anyone using Marketplace to buy or sell a car.

You can take steps to protect yourself, though. Keep all your correspondence on Messenger and screenshot them so you have a record if things go south or you need to involve law enforcement. Meet buyers in a busy, public place or even at a police station. In hindsight, Kassi admits that meeting at her husband’s grandmother’s house probably wasn’t the safest choice.

If money changes hands, cash is safest for smaller sales, but for big transactions, wait for a bank transfer or cashier’s check to clear before handing over the keys.

Most importantly, trust your gut. If a buyer seems sketchy or you get a bad feeling after meeting in person, it’s better to walk away than risk being scammed.

'That Same Thing Happened to a Friend of Mine'

Many of the people who watched Kassi’s viral video said they were shaken on her behalf and stunned by the lengths scammers will go to trick sellers.

“That is scary, but glad you got the guys!” one woman wrote. “And that you were safe.”

Another echoed, “That’s so scary! Glad you both were safe.”

“Omg hope y’all are safe,” added a third commenter.

Some shared that they had seen similar scams—or been targeted themselves—on Facebook Marketplace.

“That same thing happened to a friend of mine in North Carolina,” one user claimed.

“They do that at the auction, too!” another wrote. “They end up unplugging spark plugs or fuses and unclamping hoses.”

“This happened to my husband around two months ago in Oklahoma,” a third woman said.

“I had the same happen to me when I was selling my Chevy,” added a fourth person.

Several commenters used the opportunity to offer tips for staying safe when selling cars online.

“Never meet people at your house,” one person advised.

“Always file a report, it’s free,” another said. “Good for you guys for standing up!”

Motor1 has reached out to Kassi via TikTok direct message for comment. We’ll update this if she responds.