MANCHESTER, Mich. – For many of you, being a protective parent is a 24/7 job, and it doesn't stop as your children become adults.
Melissa Dunny contacted Help Me Hank after her son was almost ripped off while shopping for a car online. She's furious with the scammers and wants everyone to know the tricks they use.
The Dunny family is a close-knit bunch living in Manchester, Mich. Jesse Dunny is a full-time college student and works a few jobs to help his family. He recently wanted to buy a new truck so that he could give his old vehicle to his parents.
He went on Craigslist to look for an affordable option, and thought he found the perfect 1999 Chevy Silverado truck.
A "sob" story
Jesse Dunny began e-mailing someone named Jessica Newman. She told Jesse Dunny she was in the military and that the truck had belonged to her deceased husband. She said she was from Virginia, but told Jesse Dunny she was willing to ship the truck to Michigan, free of charge. She sent him details about the truck and emailed him photos.
"I believed every word. I mean why would you lie," Jesse Dunny told Help Me Hank.
Then, Newman sent an email that appeared to be from the eBay Buyer Protection plan. That email made him feel even more secure. He called the customer service number on the email.
"I called it and they said we have nothing to worry about and that it wasn't a scam or anything, which is what I wanted to hear," Jesse Dunny said.
The red flag, maternal instinct
However, Newman then informed Jesse Dunny that she wanted the money in the form of prepaid debit cards. Jesse Dunny agreed and sent Newman three Vanilla One pre-paid debit cards of $500 each.
That's when Melissa Dunny started to think something was not quite right. She said she's used eBay in the past and always used PayPal. She wasn't comfortable with the pre-paid debit cards, so she searched online and found others had been victims of similar scams.
"As soon as I saw that, I said, 'You need to call and cancel,'" Melissa Dunny said.
When Melissa Dunny called the customer service number her son was given, she said there was a heated discussion and someone on the other end of the line told her, "We've got your kid's money. There's nothing you can do about it. We're buying champagne on his dime now."
The aftermath
Dunny was able to freeze the prepaid cards, but not before the scammers spent about $200.
While Melissa Dunny found the scam information on the legitimate eBay website, she felt that information could have been easier to find. eBay directs customers to its eBay Motors Security Page, which can be found in very small print at the bottom of the home page. Melissa prefers the Craigslist homepage which has Frequently Asked Scam Questions more prominently displayed.
"If somebody was using my company name to defraud people, I would want to make sure everyone knew about it, " she said.
Help Me Hank contacted eBay and the company says it understands the frustration customers must feel and it has taken steps to warn online shoppers about possible scams online. The company points out that the names of many legitimate companies have been used in fake emails to rip people off.
The company also shared its online shopping tips, which Help Me Hank has combined with our own advice on how to shop security online for cars or anything else you might need (see below).
In the end, Jesse Dunny expected to receive all his money back, and the family said the One Vanilla card company was very helpful once they reported the fraud.
It's been a tough lesson for Jesse Dunny to learn.
"It's really wrong to impersonate someone in the military, lie that your husband died or any of that ... especially when there's just a really good person on the other end trying to help his family," he said.
How to shop online securely
Here are some of the steps you should take to shop online securely, provided by Help Me Hank, the Better Business Bureau and eBay.
1. Know the seller or meet the seller in person in a safe public space. Many local police departments will allow you to use their parking lot to do a transaction.
2. Do your own independent research on what your buying. Take advantage of the vehicle history report to be certain that the mileage and vehicle condition are what the seller claims them to be. Request additional photos of the details like odometer reading, VIN, and any scratches or blemishes if they are not already available in the listing. Be cautious of sellers who refuse to meet in person or do not allow the buyer to physically inspect a vehicle before purchase.
3. Always be wary of requests to be paid in cash, pre-paid debit cards, wire transfers, or any method that cannot easily be traced.
4. If you're not used a trusted website with security encryption, never share your personal information online.
5. If someone sends you an email, allegedly from a reputable company, do not call the customer services number on that email. Instead, do your own search for a legitimate customer service number and call too make sure the email isn't a fake.
6. When doing business on eBay, the company suggests you communicate only through the eBay message center. It says prospective buyers can receive answers to their questions directly from sellers and preserve all the protections that eBay offers. While you can’t always trust messages that come through your personal email, ALL messages coming through My eBay are verified as legitimate.
7. Realize that if the deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Using your best judgment can be two of your best buying tools.
8. Don't be swayed by a seller's personal story. If you're doing business, there's no reason to hear about their personal situations. If someone is telling you a story that is pushing your emotional buttons, that's probably a warning sign. People who use emotional please are very often up to no good.
9. Review the vehicle title. If it appears to have been altered in any way, you may want to reconsider your purchase decision or reach out to eBay to file a Vehicle Purchase Protection claim if you already bought the car.
10. Check the return policy. Understand who pays the shipping for returns.
11. Look for a physical address for any company that your do business with online. You might want to do some extra research on any company that doesn't have a physical address. Also, look for a customer service number and see if it works. If you can't reach the company before you make a purchase, imagine your frustration when there's a problem later.
12. The Better Business Bureau says it's usually better to pay with a credit card. Most credit cards offer some level of protect and you can dispute charges for goods or services you don't actually receive. It's also good to have one "dirty" credit card you use for all online purchases. That way if there is ever a data breach of any kind, only that one card will be at risk.
13. If you believe you've received a suspicious email with an eBay logo, send it to spoof@ebay.com.