SACRAMENTO, Calif. — South Sacramento resident Susan Kay just wanted to offload a stovetop oven, so she put it up for sale on a neighborhood Facebook page.
It's why when someone showed interest in the oven and asked to swing by to take pictures of it, she didn't anything of it.
Little did she know another person scrolling for ovens on Facebook would come across Kay's oven for sale on a Facebook post — but it wasn't her post.
Kay says not long after the man who was taking pictures of her oven left, another man pulled into her driveway looking to pick it up.
"My husband was kind of shocked because he said, 'Well, where do you have the money?' And the guy goes, 'Money?'" said Kay. "He goes, 'No, we already paid for it'. And we were like 'No no, nobody has paid for it.'"
Kay said her husband told her what happened after the truck drove off.
"We put two-and-two together and that's how we figured out this was a scam," she said. "I thought, oh my gosh this woman went online and found his Facebook posts where he was selling everything, including my stove."
Later on, Kay met Lisa Ann and said she found out Ann paid the alleged scammer $600 thinking he was in possession of the oven because of the pictures he took.
Both residents spoke at Kay's residence about the situation and she gave the actual oven to Ann at a heavily discounted price.
Now the women are working together to bring the alleged scammer to justice — using his alleged Facebook post history to collect information they're turning over to Sacramento police.
"I was talking to my 23-year-old son and telling him this story the other night and he just said, 'God (the alleged scammer) is dumb,'" said Ann. "I was surprised he didn't give me a fake address for that storage location, instead he gave me (Kay's) address."
Kay filed a police report on April 7 and Ann says she's filing a report under Sacramento County law enforcement.
Both women say they are confident they have enough information and evidence for police to take a serious look at their reported victimization.
And as they await further response from police, Ann said she is grateful to have the stovetop oven in the end and a new friend in Kay.
"(Kay) and I are now Facebook friends, we have each other's cell phone numbers," she said. "Now we're like a team in this whole thing."
ABC10 reached out to the Sacramento Police Department who sent us these tips about online transactions.
- Conduct transactions in person, at a safe location. Most SPD facilities have designated online transaction spaces for people to safely exchange money/property.
- Whenever possible, use cash or another trusted payment option to conduct the transaction. Convoluted usage of apps, gift cards, wire transfers, etc. are usually indicative of fraud.
- Be wary of individuals willing to conduct transactions sight unseen.
- If your instincts tell you something is wrong, it likely is. Cancel the transaction and try again another day.
- Above all else, don't put yourself in a dangerous situation. If at any point you feel unsafe during an in-person transaction, try to remove yourself from the situation, get to a safe place, and call 911.
WATCH MORE: Sacramento Homelessness: County gives update on 'Safe Stay Community' Sites | To The Point
