NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Over the weekend, Jennifer Staub was trying to sell her dining set on Facebook Marketplace for $150. That sale ended with her being scammed out of $4,000.
"I can't believe these are people's jobs," said Staub. "How can you do this every day?"
Staub said a user, "Vanessa," messaged her with interest. Vanessa told Staub that she would pay via Venmo and asked her for her email address. Staub got an email in her inbox later that said Staub had to upgrade to a "Business User" account to receive the payment and "any amount of money."
WATCH: 'I feel violated': North Tonawanda woman loses $4,000 in Facebook Marketplace scam
She then called the help line at the bottom of the email, which Vanessa recommended. Staub was convinced over the phone to pay $230 to an unknown user. She later saw that multiple bank accounts and her PayPal account had unknown withdrawals totaling $4,000.
The email address that sent this fake message was: "pay.venmopaymentonlineservices@gmail.com." Companies like Venmo will only use email addresses with "@Venmo.com."
"I feel violated," said Staub. "I want my money back."
Staub is in contact with her bank, but said she got declined by PayPal. Consumer experts warn that if you don't understand why you're paying, don't share your personal information.
