Houston Woman Buys Bicycle on Facebook Marketplace. Then 2 Men Jump Out And Rob Her

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.

TikTok creator Andrea Ruiz (@andrearuiztxrealtor) is a realtor based in Houston. In a recent video, she said, “Hey 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.

“If you are using Facebook Marketplace to buy things and you’re buying things from somebody, please use your best judgment and be careful,” she said. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Houston Mom Jumped After Answering Ad on Facebook Marketplace

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.

Unfortunately, when the woman showed up, the situation soon turned violent.

How does Ruiz factor into all this? Well, the Facebook Marketplace robbers didn’t use their own home for the crime. Instead, they used one of Ruiz’s empty properties for the set-up. “When she got to the backyard, she said that she noticed that the house looked empty,” Ruiz said. “She got in the back and two guys jumped out of a shed that was there and beat her and robbed her.”

Viewers React to the Houston Mom’s Facebook Marketplace Robbery

Although Ruiz said additional security measures have already been enacted on this specific property, she is warning her viewers that crime skyrockets during the holiday season. That’s because there’s a lot of money floating around and a lot of people off of work and traveling.

“The holidays are a desperate time for some people,” Ruiz wrote in the caption. “Please be safe out there and use your best judgment.”

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.

“I used to sell things on OfferUp years ago and learned the best thing to do is meet at a police station,” one person wrote.

“I’ve been trying to sell a nice name-brand purse on Marketplace,” wrote a second person. “I keep getting lots of offers—especially after dark. They usually don’t respond when I say I’m in an apartment and I’ll meet them at the front leasing office. I started to think they weren’t actually trying to buy the purse. This seems to be consistent [with that idea].”

Houston Police Address Facebook Marketplace Robbery

In a YouTube video published last week, Houston Police recommended the following safety tips.

• Meet in a public area
• Don’t do deals in your vehicle
• Bring a family member or friend
• Don’t invite strangers to your home
• Keep communication on the Messenger app
• Use trusted payment methods
• Check profiles and be wary of “too good to be true” offers
• Trust your instincts and call off any questionable meetings

Patch contacted Ruiz via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.

@andrearuiztxrealtor