“Officer, they made a listing to sell tickets to Taylor Swift’s wedding, but when I asked to buy them, they didn’t have the tickets!”
“And how much did you pay them?”
“Nothing. They didn’t have the tickets!”
“Okay, then.”
Seriously, though, the only way this becomes a crime is if the phone number actually gets through to the scammer and they take payment for merchandise they don’t deliver. Then the person who posted the ad could be charged with participating in the scam.
More likely is that the scammers spoofed the number and some random innocent person is getting messages they don’t understand.
“Officer, they made a listing to sell tickets to Taylor Swift’s wedding, but when I asked to buy them, they didn’t have the tickets!”
“And how much did you pay them?”
“Nothing. They didn’t have the tickets!”
“Okay, then.”
Seriously, though, the only way this becomes a crime is if the phone number actually gets through to the scammer and they take payment for merchandise they don’t deliver. Then the person who posted the ad could be charged with participating in the scam.
More likely is that the scammers spoofed the number and some random innocent person is getting messages they don’t understand.