Ontario residents are warning others after being scammed by fake social media advertisements. One victim never received their order, while another received low-quality products that could not be returned without high international shipping costs.
Two Ontario residents are sharing their stories after falling victim to fraudulent social media advertisements. Both say they lost hundreds of dollars to deceptive online sellers posing as legitimate businesses.
Jackie Balfour of Niagara Falls said she came across an ad on Facebook for a clothing store claiming it was going out of business. She ordered a three-piece outfit and a pair of shoes, paying $135 in total. When the items arrived, she was shocked to find they were poorly made and that the shoes she believed were leather were actually plastic.
“These are $65 shoes that are plastic junk,” Balfour said, adding that when she tried to return the merchandise, she was told it had to be shipped to China at a cost of nearly $100, with no guarantee of a refund.
“I felt ripped off. I felt everything about the website was misleading and fraudulent,” she said.
Another victim, Jinrui Fu of Aurora, lost $250 after ordering a replacement tail light for his truck through a Facebook ad. After sending the payment, Fu was asked to pay additional insurance fees and never received the part.
“Even if it’s Facebook certified, don’t believe it – it’s a scam,” Fu said. “I feel disappointed in Facebook right now.”
Digital marketing expert Janita Pannu explained that scam advertisers often appear credible by mimicking real companies and running limited-time ads to collect payments before disappearing.
“They are getting hard to determine what’s real and what’s fake,” Pannu said. “Scammers are building these Facebook pages, running ads for a period of time, and then collecting payments without ever delivering the product.”
Experts advise consumers to verify websites before purchasing, avoid deals that seem too good to be true, and reach out to the business directly before placing an order. If the site’s return address or contact details seem suspicious, it’s best not to proceed.
Residents who believe they’ve been defrauded are encouraged to report incidents to their financial institutions, police, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
