(WSVN) - It seemed like a great deal, and she bought a prepaid card to protect herself in case something went wrong. Something did go wrong, and she couldn’t get help, which is exactly why she turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
When Tashika Brown was young, she knew how many children she wanted to have. She says God had another plan.
Tashika Brown: “My plan was to have three, but I wound up with six, and and I’m happy for it. God blessed me with six.”
When you have a family that big, you have to work a lot, and Tashika does.
Tashika Brown: “I do storage auctions, you know, I buy storage units online.”
Tashika sells a lot of the stuff she buys at storage auctions at the Swap Shop, and she brings the materials in by going online to rent a truck for the day through Google … where recently an ad popped up.
Tashika Brown: “It was a 1-888 number, and I called them, and they were saying, if I get a Green Dot card, I can get a discount for the day. ‘Oh, that’s great.'”
Tashika had never used a Green Dot card, but to rent a truck for $20, she bought the card. When she called the so-called rental company, they told her to put $300 on the card instead of the $20 for the rental.
Tashika Brown: “I’m asking her, ‘Why $300?’ She said, ‘Oh, that’s for the deposit, plus the rental.'”
Then the person asked for the card information.
Tashika Brown: “So I gave the card name on the front, the card number in the back, the expiration date.”
That was a mistake.
When the person asked for Tashika’s driver’s license number, the shrewd businesswoman said, “Wait.”
Tashika Brown: “That’s where the red flag came from. That’s when I realized it and said, ‘Something’s wrong.'”
Tashika realized she was talking to a crook. She quickly called Green Dot.
Tashika Brown: “But by the time I can call Green Dot.com, they had already taken the money off the card. “
The crook had only needed a few seconds to remove the $300 from the Green Dot card.
Tashika Brown: “I was so mad. I just say, ‘You know what? I don’t know,’ and I just say, ‘I’m not going to give up.'”
Tashika called Green Dot, who basically told her she did need to give up.
Tashika Brown: “‘I’m sorry, Green Dot card is not liable for your $300.'”
Not fair, says Tashika.
Tashika Brown: “But to not help me, I don’t think that’s right.”
But legally, does a company that sells a prepaid card have to reimburse you like a credit card company would do if you were scammed? Howard?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “No, because legally, they are very different. A Green Dot card, called a prepaid card, is basically a cash card. It has the money you put in there. Whoever has it, or has the account number, can use it to remove the cash, and because the card is like cash, Green Dot is not responsible if a scammer steals it.”
We contacted Green Dot, who couldn’t discuss Tashika’s case but suggested victims contact law enforcement.
We did call the number of the crook. It’s disconnected. The ad they had on Google is gone.
In fact, nothing scammers do online is real.
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Never use a cash or prepaid card over the phone, or give the account number and PIN to anyone. Only use it in person. In fact, always use a credit card, because if you are scammed, federal law requires the credit card company to return all your money except for the first $50.”
Tashika is working hard to earn back the $300 the crook stole. She got scammed … once.
Tashika Brown: “I’ve learned my lesson. I can tell you that. You fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, that’s it; that won’t happen again.”
You always wonder, how can so many intelligent people get taken by scam artists? The simple reason: those crooks are shrewd, heartless and conniving.
One suggestion: slow down when someone contacts you. Make them wait a day or two. Con artists like to get your money quickly and move on. Legit people will stay with you.
Prepaid and it’s become a problem? Don’t let a conniving rascal scam you. Cash in with us. We don’t want credit, we just want you to be happy.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.