- Mark Beer was scammed on Facebook Marketplace
- One bank took two years to fully refund him
A Devon man who was scammed on Facebook Marketplace lost nearly £10,000 after being advised by the bank it was safe to send the money has been given a full refund after a two year battle.
Mark Beer, 53, was left fuming when the motorhome he’d already paid for – on the advice of his bank – failed to turn up on its scheduled delivery day.
He finally got all of his money back last week after instructing Richardson Hartley Law, the parent firm of National Fraud Helpline.
The scammers had used a fake PayPal email address to ask him to pay the £9,500 asking price for the Autotrail Chieftain motorhome into a supposedly secure PayPal holding account.
“The idea was that I’d have a week with the van to say whether I wanted it, and then the money would be passed over to the bloke who was selling it,” said Mark, who lives near Barnstaple.
“I went into Santander before I made the payment because I wasn’t sure about it, and showed them all the correspondence I had, including the email from the ‘PayPal personal helper’.
“The woman behind the counter said it should be fine – those were her exact words.”
Mark made the payment there and then, on August 15, 2023, with the motorhome due to be delivered a week later.
When it didn’t arrive, he contacted the delivery company.
“They didn’t know anything about it, and so I knew instantly that it was a blag,” he said. “It was very upsetting. And the van was back up for sale with a different number plate a few days later.”
Santander initially tried to blame Mark for transferring the money, but eventually agreed to pay him half of the £9,500, with the other half to come from HSBC, the receiving bank. But
HSBC initially failed to pay out.
Mark instructed Richardson Hartley Law, to take on his case late last year. He finally received a settlement for the rest of his money from HSBC last week.
Martin Richardson, a Richardson Hartley Law which runs the National Fraud Helpline website- www.nationalfraudhelpline.co.uk , said: “We were always confident that we would get the rest of Mr Beer’s money back but it’s been a long battle.
‘Mr Beer asked the Santander to check if it was right to send the money and was told it was fine.
‘To be fair to Santander they did the right thing and sent him back their half of the money. HSBC initially refused our request to pay out the half it owed as the receiving bank so we took the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service who ordered that the rest of the money should be refunded.
‘Facebook Marketplace is rife with scams. We would urge anyone to be extremely cautious.’
The law firm has issued five tips to help avoid Facebook Marketplace scams.
The money Mark had used lost in the scam came from compensation he received from grinder accident an in September 2021 while working for a charity that helps people with special needs and disabilities find work.
“I was cutting up steel with five students watching me when the blade on the grinder shattered,” he said. “It ripped the grinder out of my hands and threw it straight at my face. It hit me in the mouth and I got a deep 11-inch cut from just underneath my chin to just underneath my ear.”
Mark lost three teeth after the accident, which has left him with permanent nerve damage and adjustment disorder with anxiety.
After eventually receiving £26,000 in compensation, he decided to buy the motorhome, but the scam had left him feeling “awfully stressed”.
He said: ‘I’m glad I’ve got the money back but it shouldn’t have taken this long and been so difficult.
“I’ve lost all confidence in the banks now. I went into the bank thinking that if there was something wrong they would have told me there and then and I wouldn’t have made the payment. That was the whole reason for going in there.”
Five Tips To Avoid being scammed on Facebook Marketplace.
- The offer looks incredibly cheap. If it seems too good to be true it probably is.
- You are asked to pay in an unusual way. If the seller asks you to pay with gift cards then this should be a huge red flag.
- Unusual photos. If the photos are screenshots or look old be careful.
- The seller is pressurising you. Scammers often demand money to be paid quickly
- Research the seller. See if they have a good ratings and reviews.
Click here for more information on Facebook Marketplace Scams
Have you been scammed on Facebook Marketplace? Contact National Fraud Helpline. Call 0333 0033218 or fill out our Claim Form.
