A Joshua Tree woman was the victim of an online sales fraud when she tried to buy a car online. According to a Sheriff’s report, the woman thought she was buying a car from a woman who was in the military. The victim was directed to buy $2000 in Ebay gift cards and send the cards’ numbers to the seller. Once the victim complied, the ad was taken down from the website and the victim could not contact the seller. Managing editor Tami Roleff offers these tips on how to avoid being a victim of a scam like this…
If you’re buying items from websites such as OfferUp and Ebay, use the payment method authorized by the company, such as PayPal, or add a credit or debit card to your account. Don’t send Ebay gift cards to someone who’s trying to sell items on OfferUp. And remember, legitimate businesses accept credit and debit cards and if you are the victim of a scam, you can get the card company to help fight the fraud. While cash is everyone’s favorite method of payment, it’ll be next to impossible to get your money back if you made your payment with cash. Contact the Sheriff’s Department if you are the victim of a scam, as well as the website where the con artist advertised.
