Woman says car buyer scammed her out of money meant for son's college

Yahoo

08-05-2025

Katonya Douglas says she's a single mother of five and another is going to college. She planned to sell a car she didn't need and use the money for his school.
'So, it was a lot of things that I had hopes and dreams for,' she said. 'I just feel scammed.'
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She says she posted it on Facebook Marketplace.
'I had several bites … (I) wish I had taken the first one,' she said.
Instead, she went with another taker.
She told Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke they met at a DMV and that he paid her some cash.
'So, then he sends me a Zelle for [$]2,800. And I received a message from my bank that says payment received,' she said. 'I trusted that, and I gave him my car and my keys, and my title.'
She added, 'The next morning, it says 'Payment failed.''
She says he gave a few hundred dollars more, but then ghosted her.
She was still out a few grand, Stoogenke said. So, she filed a police report and is trying to raise the money for her son's tuition.
'I am typically a very smart person. I think I'm just a little trusting. A little bit too trusting and everything is easy to scam nowadays,' she said.
Action 9 messaged the buyer on Facebook but didn't hear back in time for this report.
Stoogenke said, 'So, let's talk about both Facebook Marketplace and Zelle.
Facebook Marketplace: Douglas did a lot of things right. She met in person at a safe location and tried to be cautious before handing over what she was selling.
Zelle: Usually, when you transfer money, it's a done deal. In fact, a lot of scam victims have found that out the hard way when they get tricked into sending money. But the company behind Zelle says, if you're the one receiving the money through the app, always check your bank account to make sure the money is there before moving on.
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