August 13, 2025
A woman who lost money buying a faulty car on Facebook is raising awareness on the growing number of marketplae scams.
A woman who lost her entire savings on a faulty car bought through Facebook Marketplace is warning others about the rising number of scams on the platform.
Tameria Mizell of Port Charlotte, Florida, spent months searching for a car before finding a 2015 Infiniti QX60 listed for $9,000 on Facebook Marketplace, Fox 4 Now reported. After seeing it in person and thinking it looked “great,” she negotiated the price down to $8,500 and bought it. However, within 24 hours of taking ownership, Mizell discovered multiple problems with the vehicle.
“It doesn’t work hardly at all, all the lights come up on the dash, if I go to push the gas pedal to drive around someone, there’s no power to the car,” Mizell said.
Some of the car’s problems include a gas pedal that wouldn’t power the vehicle, and water leaking inside whenever it rained. When asked if she felt safe driving it, Mizell replied, “No.” It wasn’t until she contacted the Infiniti dealership in Sarasota to check the car’s history that she discovered the full extent of its issues and realized the previous owner had been aware of them.
“I spoke with a gentleman on the phone, and he told me the previous owners had brought the vehicle there, and the dealership said the vehicle needed work done to it before it was going to be sold, and the previous owners neglected the work,” Mizell said.
Records show the car was taken to the dealership twice in February, about a month before the sale. On one visit, the owner reported dissatisfaction with repairs made at another garage following an accident. When Mizell asked the owner for a refund, he refused.
“He said the vehicle was bought as is and there is no refund,” Mizell said.
Mizell is in a tough situation, having spent all her money on the car with no funds left for the necessary repairs to make it drivable. She’s sharing her story to warn others about the increasing scams on Facebook Marketplace.
“I took a bad slip and fall 2 years ago, and I acquired a little bit of money, and that’s the only bit of money I had…$8,500,” Mizell said.
A 2024 study by cybersecurity firm F-Secure found that 62% of U.S. Facebook users have encountered scams on Facebook Marketplace, with scams on the platform rising nearly 200% in just one year.
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