Facebook Marketplace shoppers terrorized at gunpoint after teens lure victims with holiday gift items: police

Two teen suspects out of Houston are on the run after allegedly staging Facebook Marketplace scams and then robbing victims, according to police.

Arlando Lyles, 17, is wanted for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and theft from a person, and Christian Ray Pickett, 18, is wanted for theft from a person. 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, in which suspects pose as sellers with fake profiles, meet up with buyers in person and then rob the buyers, HPD's Robbery Division said in a press release.

HPD officers believe there may be more suspects involved who are posing as fake sellers on Facebook Marketplace. Investigators say the robberies have occurred at 15 locations involving 15 different victims, at least, since Sept. 21.

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Facebook Marketplace is a subsection of Facebook where any user can buy or sell items from other users. 

While the social media selling platform does have certain protections in place for buyers, it is rife with scammers who use fake profile pictures and names to pose as different people online. For example, a scammer might use a fake profile picture showing an elderly couple or young family in an effort to look like a realistic seller. 

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HPD says the 15 robberies since September occurred in "a variety of apartment complex parking lots in Southeast Houston."

Lyles allegedly pulled a gun on the mother of a family of five who traveled to a meeting location together in their vehicle while the woman's 15-year-old son was just a few feet away. The father and their two other children, ages 8 and 10, ducked for cover inside the vehicle, according to ABC 13.

They intended to buy a PlayStation 5 from Lyles, whom the 15-year-old mother had been chatting with on Facebook Marketplace extensively before they met up, mostly in Spanish. However, when they arrived at the meeting location and Lyles did not speak Spanish, the 15-year-old had a feeling something was wrong, according to ABC 13.

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"It's cash in hand, ma'am. I just recently had a lot of bad experiences, not anything toward you," Lyles allegedly said in one message before meeting up at a parking lot location he allegedly suggested.

The 15-year-old and his mother got out of their vehicle to complete the transaction when things went south. Lyles allegedly demanded to see the $250 they brought in cash to buy the PlayStation before he handed it over.

"I got [out of] the car, then my mom got off the car and when I was about to open it, he reached into his pocket, pulls [a gun] out, then aims it at mom, like to give him the money, and then he ran with the PS5 too," the 15-year-old told ABC 13.

"Once the buyer arrives at the location, the suspects then rob the victim by pointing a firearm at them and then taking their money," the HPD Robbery Division said in a press release.

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Their whereabouts were unknown as of Wednesday morning, and police are still asking the public for help looking for the two wanted teenagers. They are asking anyone who may have seen Lyles or Pickett to contact police.

In a video PSA posted to HPD's X account on Nov. 26, Robbery Detective C. Lee recommended buyers suggest meeting Facebook Marketplace sellers at a local police department to complete their transactions and "avoid becoming a victim."

"Look for things like profile pictures and account activity as good signs," Lee said. "Many of these accounts that we're seeing are blank accounts that are only used a few times."

The suspects often offer deals that are "too good to be true" and dictate the meeting place to connect with buyers, Lee said.

Police are asking anyone with information about these robberies to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston directly at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or by submitting an online tip at www.crime-stoppers.org. Information leading to an arrest may result in a cash payment of up to $5,000.