Two young suspects in Houston are on the loose after allegedly running Facebook Marketplace scams and robbing victims, according to police.
Orlando Lyles, 17, is wanted for robbery with a dangerous weapon and robbery, and Christian Ray Pickett, 18, is wanted for robbery. Additional charges are pending, according to the Houston Police Department (HPD).
Lyles and Pickett are at least two suspects wanted in a series of incidents stemming from Facebook Marketplace, where the suspects posed as sellers with fake profiles, met with buyers in person and robbed the buyers, HPD’s Robbery Division said in a press release.
HPD officers believe there may be multiple suspects involved who are operating fake sellers on Facebook Marketplace. Investigators say the robberies occurred at 15 locations involving 15 different victims, at least, since September 21.
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Christian Ray Pickett, 18, and Orlando Lyles, 17, are wanted for their roles in a series of alleged Facebook Marketplace hacks. (Houston PD)
Facebook Marketplace is a section of Facebook where any user can buy or sell items from other users.
While the social media marketing platform has some consumer protections in place, it is full of fraudsters who use fake profile pictures and names to impersonate themselves online. For example, a fraudster may use a fake profile picture showing an elderly couple or a young family in an attempt to look like a genuine seller.
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HPD says the 15 robberies since September have occurred in “various parking lots in Southeast Houston.”
Lyles allegedly pulled a gun on the mother of a family of five who were driving to the meeting place while the woman’s 15-year-old son was a few meters away. The father and his two other children, ages 8 and 10, got into the car to hide, according to ABC 13.
The Houston Police Department says the 15 robberies since September have occurred in “various parking lots in Southeast Houston.” (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
They intended to buy a PlayStation 5 from Lyles, a 15-year-old mother with whom he had been chatting on Facebook Market a lot before they met, mostly in Spanish. However, when they arrived at the venue and Lyles did not speak Spanish, the 15-year-old sensed something was wrong, according to ABC 13.
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“Cash in hand, lady. I’ve just been through a lot of bad things, I don’t have anything for you,” Lyles said in one text before meeting in the parking lot where he allegedly picked her up.
A 15-year-old boy and his mother got out of their car to complete the transaction when things went south. Lyles allegedly demanded to see the $250 they had brought in cash to buy the PlayStation before handing it over.
Scammers use Facebook Marketplace to steal your information. (CyberGuy.com)
“I got it [out of] the car, then my mother got out of the car and when I was about to open it, she put her hand in her pocket and pulled [a gun] came out, went to the mother, wanted to give her money, then ran with the PS5 again,” the 15-year-old boy told ABC 13.
“When the customer arrived at the location, the suspects then robbed the victim at gunpoint and took their money,” the HPD Robbery Unit said in a statement.
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Their whereabouts are unknown as of Wednesday morning, and the police are still asking for the public’s help in finding the two wanted children. They are asking anyone who has seen Lyles or Pickett to contact police.
In a video PSA posted on X’s HPD account on November 26, Detective Robbery C. Lee recommended that buyers suggest meeting with Facebook Marketplace sellers at their local police department to complete their transactions and “avoid becoming a victim.”
Facebook Marketplace is a section of Facebook where any user can buy or sell items from other users. (Nic Coury/AFP)
“Look at things like profile pictures and account activity as positive signs,” says Lee. “Many of these accounts we see are empty accounts that are only used a few times.”
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Suspects often offer deals that are “too good to be true” and set up a meeting place to contact buyers, Lee said.
Police are asking anyone with information about these crimes to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston directly at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or by submitting a tip online at www.crime-stoppers.org. Information leading to an arrest could lead to a fine of up to $5,000.
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