LAKE WORTH, Fla. — We've all seen the ads that pop up on our Facebook pages. Some even advertise exactly what we've been searching online to buy, but one Florida woman is sharing a warning about an ad she was scammed by.
Kinga Trzaska of Lake Worth is over the moon excited about the arrival of her third baby in May.
"Yeah, that's him," she said as she pointed to a 3D sonogram picture. "We can't wait till he gets here."
Her youngest child right now is 9 years old, so she's having to buy all new things for her baby boy and she was searching online for a car seat that could turn into a stroller.
"I'm a big Facebook user and these ads came up and this car seat I've been looking at, that's normally $499 popped up for $89.90. So, that was a steal," said Trzaska.
She didn't realize the deal was too good to be true because, on its face, the website looked legitimate.
"It shows up as a secure site," said Trzaska as she hovered her mouse over the lock by the https URL, a sign that the sight is secure. "It shows up as 51 reviews and they're all great."
Trzaska bought two car seat strollers and was excited when she got an email that her order was received and would be processed. But, that's the only email she ever got.
"A month later, no confirmation, no tracking number," she said.
She said she contacted the phone number on the website and it did not work. She also said she sent emails to the company and would get a generic response to view her order online. Then, she got skeptical.
"I googled the name of the merchant, it was like so many complaints," she added.
There it was. Many others like her warned that this was a scam. The Better Business Bureau's scam tracker site found people all over the country who have reported being scammed by the same website.
"The only thing I kept thinking about is how many other expecting mothers this is happening to," said Trzaska.
You can look up a website's registration by searching "who is (company's domain)" on Google. The website 1supershop.com was created in 2017. It's registered in Tokyo and the domain is on GoDaddy.com's server. You can email Go Daddy about abuse on any site on their server at abuse@GoDaddy.com. You can also report an ad on Facebook by clicking the ... icon next to the ad.
Trzaska plans to file a complaint and has reached out to Facebook too. She got her money back through her bank and now just wants to warn others.
"I don’t want any other people to be in this position," she said.
The website 1supershop.com only has an international number and email contact. Scripps station WPTV in West Palm Beach emailed the contact and is waiting to hear back. They have also reached out to Facebook about this ad and to learn how Facebook vets advertisers.
If you've been a victim of a scam, you can report it to the Better Business Bureau. You can also fill out a consumer complaint form and send it to the attorney general's consumer complaint division.
