Scammed!

I am a confident buyer. I've been buying stuff off the internet for so long, I never even entertained the idea of getting scammed.

Until yesterday.

My sister was ~~bugging~~ making lambing (sorry, I don't know the English word!) for me to buy her a pair of Nike shoes. I told her those are expensive and would have to wait until Christmas. That was before a certain seller (her current IG name is @heyitsjoycep) posted a photo of Nike sneakers for a very cheap price.

And the shoes were pink - my sister's favorite color! Aba'y akalain mo nga naman ang pagkakataon. I didn't want to let Serendipity down, so I immediately contacted the seller to reserve a pair for my sister. I also threw in a bag for my mom.

I sent payment via Western Union the day after. That night, she sent me multiple messages asking for the control number of the Western Union receipt. As in 10 messages within 3 minutes! I was feeding Y then, and I thought to myself, "Kulit! This is the last time I'm buying anything from her!" But I did give out the control number. Smooth buyer I was, as always.

Yeah right!!! Nakuha mo pang mag-God bless ha?

The transaction happened a week ago. She promised she would ship out the items by Friday, which means the package should have arrived yesterday, Tuesday. Trust me, I know my couriers. However, we were waiting and waiting, pero wala pa rin package. Zilch, nada.

I sent the seller - a certain Joyce Perez - an SMS. No reply. Later on, I sent another message via Viber. No reply. That was when I decided to leave a comment on one of her photos on Instagram. May kutob na ako noon, but I just brushed it off.

Notice how she deliberately ignored my comment.

After leaving the comment, I noticed na wala na pala sya sa feed ko. I searched for her and found out na I'm not following her anymore. And I really cannot follow her anymore. I've been blocked.

So yun na. I texted her, called her, Vibed her, kung anu-ano. No reply. Using my sister's Instagram account, I tried to follow her and was able to get screenshots of her fez.

*drum roll*

But the biggest surprise was that both shoes and bag that I ordered were again, available. That was the moment when I accepted that I have been truly, madly, deeply been scammed.

I didn't give up that easily. I just wanted to be able to talk to her, so earlier today, still using my sister's account, I left another comment expressing interest "kuno" on the bag I have already paid for. I asked whether the bag was still available. Of course, it was! Galing!

Now, I added another comment, which goes like this:

"I like! Do you have proof of shipping or receipt from other buyers?"

Lo and behold, my sister's account has been blocked, too. That was when I decided there was no way I will be able to get my money back. All I can do now is warn the others of this scammer. So I posted her photo on my Instagram account:

I kind of expected other sellers and buyers to comment on the post, but what I didn't expect are comments that go like this:

Ang dami na nya palang nabiktima! And you know what, when I examined her account, I had the nagging suspicion that this can be a scammer. I should have listened to my instincts!

But I let it go and still decided to get the shoes for my sister. This is what hurts the most. My first thought, of course, was that sayang ang pera. I've been robbed!

But what hurts the most is that my 11-year old sister was really excited to have her very first pair of Nikes. She has been waiting for an LBC delivery for days, only to know that she's been waiting for nothing.

(Update as of May 9)