A $50 coat from Pendleton? No, I fell for a scam

Photo: Pendleton

For two years, I’ve been shopping for a new red coat. Challenging and time consuming, including returning one I ordered online that didn’t fit, I finally bought an O.K. purple one.

Then, I saw a brown plaid Pendleton coat advertised on Facebook for $50. Wow, I thought, that’s a great price. So, I ordered it although it isn’t a color that I like at all.

I ignored several red flags – the price was too good to be true, the review section on the website was empty, and when you got to checkout, the only option to buy was through PayPal.

As soon as I hit Place Order, I had regrets.

I entered the name Pendleton and Charles S. Dyer, the name indicated on PayPal, and nothing came up.

Then I searched for Pendleton scams. And, there it was, something I’d written about. Fraudulent companies steal the names of well-known companies, lifting their photos and logos, and setting up fake websites.

They usually don’t send anything or send inferior products. In addition, the scammers also obtain personal and financial information entered during checkout on the site. Names, addresses, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information is valuable on the black market and commonly used for identity theft.

After these companies get a lot of complaints, they shut down the fraudulent website and sit up another one.

I couldn’t believe I made such a big mistake. I hoped I could cancel the pending charge. However, it was Sunday and no one at the credit union or PayPal was available to help me.

So, I canceled my credit card even though I was reluctant to do so. I have a few reoccurring charges that are going to get messed up and I had another pending charge, a replacement vacuum cleaner hose, that I really need to get.

I went to the credit union on Monday and learned they won’t cancel a charge even though it’s pending. The only remedy is to file a dispute, which I did.

I’m so upset with Facebook for running ads by scammers.

I went back to Facebook right away after I made the purchase and saw the ad. I posted that it was a rip-off. Within the hour, the ad was taken down. However, the next day I saw another fake Pendleton ad.

It’s unbelievable how loose Facebook is with its business practices. It should never allow fraudulent ads like this to be place on its website.