Mesa woman loses $1,500 to Facebook Marketplace used car engine scam

Summary

A Mesa, Arizona woman named Deidri Schonewolf was scammed out of $1,500 after purchasing a used car engine through Facebook Marketplace. She had needed a new engine for her 2007 Dodge Charger and found a seller named “Ben” who promised to ship a used 5.7 liter Hemi engine for $1,500 with free shipping within seven to 10 days. Nearly three months after the transaction, the engine never arrived, and the seller stopped responding to her. Schonewolf had to borrow the money from her 401(k) to pay for the engine. Multiple other consumers also reported being scammed by the same seller, “Ben,” who blocked their contact information after the payments were made. On Your Side, a local news team, contacted the seller’s phone number and was met with an expletive-laden response before the call was hung up. Schonewolf is now disputing the charge with her credit card company and waiting for a resolution.