Lisa Nisco bought a used 2017 Infiniti, with the goal of renting it out for a little bit of extra cash. Three months after the purchase, the car still sits in her driveway - and she says she is now out $8,000.
It started when Nisco connected with the vehicle’s seller on Facebook Marketplace in August. After looking at the vehicle in Brooklyn, Nisco agreed to meet the man in Queens to finalize the deal. She says she paid in cash, and he signed a bill of sale.
When Nisco went to register the vehicle with the DMV, she was told that the vehicle had been reported stolen. She says she was given strict orders from the NYPD to not drive the vehicle while they investigate.
"I was sick to my stomach,” said Nisco. “Now I have a car in my possession I can't do anything with, I have a fake title, what do I do?"
The man who sold the vehicle identified himself as Steven N. Andre on paperwork and went by the initials “CD” on Facebook Marketplace. Nisco says that after the transaction, his photo was gone and his profile name was changed.
One computer crime expert says while Facebook should do a better job protecting its marketplace users, you are shopping at your own risk.
“Facebook should give tips and tell them honestly ‘Look, we can't help you. We don't have a number when you're frauded to call, because we're not going to help you. You're on your own’,” said computer crime expert Ondrej Krehel.