We are all looking for good internet deals these days, especially with things being so expensive or hard to get.
And we all know that if a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
But sometimes people need a life-experience reminder to be cautious about what they buy over the internet.
It doesn’t usually work out as well as it did for artist Brittany Everette.
The time has come for me to shamelessly plug my art😂
I’m a freelance, self-taught artist!Digital drawings and large colored pencil pieces are my specialties.
Here’s some of my work❤️
website: https://t.co/6qH0pf0fCj
IG: https://t.co/tFHpzkZx1R pic.twitter.com/7zBpPFdHIk— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
It all started when she couldn’t find a PS5 for sale–and she really wanted one.
So she decided to try an after-market deal she found through Twitter.
Everything seemed legit, so Brittany paid half of the price up front, and then waited anxiously for her new system to arrive.
I was skeptical at first but he seemed genuine. We agreed to 50% down then 50% on arrival.
It’s Saturday now. After sending me pictures of the ps5, I go ahead & send him $225 through Apple Pay for him to drop it off on Monday at a Staples to ship it.— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
There were red flags almost immediately.
They had agreed she would pay the rest on arrival, but he needed it sooner.
I told him I could send the money if he sent a picture of him holding the printed out drop-off confirmation or a shipping receipt, since tracking numbers take 24-48 hours to be able to actually track.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
The sick kid angle seems like the oldest trick in the book, but Brittany has a good heart and decided to trust him.
He just had to send her concrete evidence that he’d mailed the gaming system.
He agreed, and again, it seemed legit, so she helped him out and paid the other half.
He sends a picture of the Staples drop-off package receipt, with the store number, number of packages, & date. I send $225. He says he’ll send me the tracking number when it’s sent to him and to text him on Tuesday if I don’t hear from him. Cool. I’m super excited.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
As soon as he had her money, though, he blocked her on Twitter and deleted her from his phone.
THE TEXT BUBBLES ARE FUCKING GREEN. I check Twitter where he originally reached out, blocked. I reach out using another number. Blocked. Reach out on my husband’s Twitter. Left on read. He scammed me.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
She was devastated and no one could help. Not her bank, not Apple Pay.
Brittany had made a terrible error in judgment, and she was down, but she wasn’t out.
Not yet.
She tried to contact him again, and this time she gave him an ultimatum.
I reported his scam to FTC, IC3, and the FDIC. I try reaching out ONE LAST TIME, warning him that if I don’t see the funds in my account by 9:30pm, I promise he’ll never know peace again.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Still, he ignored her.
9:30 comes & goes. Radio silence. pic.twitter.com/ChEPnYmaH1
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
So what could she do, but come up with a plan to torment him?
He even kept changing his username which seems like a lot of work, especially if you’re going to scam more than one person.
Clearly the guy wasn’t a professional.
He kept changing his Twitter handle to different variations of his actual name. Every time he changed it, I would message him telling him I found him and will always find him lmao
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Armed with that knowledge, Detective Brittany was on the case.
This is full-fledged investigation now ok? I got my laptop, my phone, a cup of tea, and my notepad.
A special agent, if you will.— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Remember the saying “Criminals are stupid”? Well, this fella didn’t cover his tracks very well.
Turns out there’s only one Henry Beacon (this name is for the purpose of this story only. It’s completely made up) in Maryland, with an address in the same county as the Staples.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Brittany even found his email address.
Remember, I promised him I would always find him & he would never know peace again. 🙂
So I sent him this, as one does. pic.twitter.com/WaLD5ZxZxG— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Then he really slipped up.
Reverse searched and found everything I needed to know. Family members. Their emails. Phone numbers. Addresses. His mortgage. His cars. You name it. I had it. I had two options at this point – file a police report or take matters into my own hands.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Whoops. Wrong move, buddy. Should’ve just gone dark.
Instead of filing a police report, she made up a law firm called PA & P Legal.
How I Scammed A Scammer Part 2:
Naturally, the obvious choice here was to make a fake email.
By this time, I know this guy is stupid so I know he won’t bother looking anything up or noticing that it’s a made up law firm using a gmail account lmao— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
And then she contacted every email address she had found, including those belonging to his family members.
The PA&P Legal team got to work and emailed every single email that was associated with his name. pic.twitter.com/EU4Zsrn3Ht
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
While Brittany will admit that her email was obviously fake, it’s a lot more official and professional sounding than the fraudulent voicemails I get these days.
Anyway, she turned off her phone and went to relax for awhile–until her scammer started trying to contact her husband.
I check my phone to 3-4 long ass texts from his distraught fiancé. So naturally, I start snitching left and right. Screenshots, emails, alla that – including that he used his daughter’s disability and medical bills to scam me. She’s PISSED.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Then the story takes quite a turn. The fiancée was not at all amused.
She tells me she’s taking their child and leaving him. She can’t believe he would do this to someone. She had no idea this was the kind of person he was and was so sorry.
I’m messaging her back like pic.twitter.com/5Od2FhB24B— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Mr. Con Man reached out, full of apologies and “woe is me.”
Then who do I get a text from? Mr. Scammer himself. What a coincidence. pic.twitter.com/l9tH1tMHxs
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
It seemed he was full of apologies, but not much else. He still “didn’t have” Brittany’s money.
Meanwhile, his fiancé is texting me asking if I had the money.
I was like ???????
This man is saying he doesn’t have it but telling her he paid me back.
So what do I do?— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
So she tattled on him to his fiancée.
I warned this man that he would not know peace. He chose violence. Whatever happened after that is above me.
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
TL;DR: She warned him. And she got her money back.
Now look. Big guy is blocked, reported to the FDIC, the FTC, with an ic3 complaint.
His lady friend is leaving him, his father is upset, and my money is resting peacefully in my account.
The end. pic.twitter.com/Lmu818vuXY
— b. (@_BeeEv) January 22, 2021
Some commenters suggested she should have asked for MORE money, but she replied that then she would have been just as bad as he was, and although she still wanted a PS5, she was happy to just get her money back.
When asked what she learned from the experience, she said:
that ima just have to wait until 2025 for this gaming system bc I’m never buying from a reseller again 😂😂😂
The first moral of the story is, don’t try to take advantage of people.
The second moral of the story is, don’t settle for being taken advantage of.
Can you believe this crazy story? Would you have had the patience to con the guy into giving you your money back? Tell us in the comments!