Troubleshooter: Facebook message costs Triangle woman home
OXFORD, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Facebook message ended up costing a Triangle woman close to $2,000.
What Bessie Gartsy believed to be an answer to her prayers, turned out to cost her the last of what was in her bank account.
Gartsy was about to lose her home to foreclosure and hoped that the Facebook messages she had been receiving were true.
"Hello Grasty, can you please accept my request because they need to come to your home, to your house, and deliver your car to you this evening."
This was just one of the many Facebook messages to Bessie. She thought the messages were from the famous Texas mega preacher, Bishop T.D. Jakes.
"He inboxed me and he told me to start sending him some money, (because) they were going to send me $180,000," Gartsy said.
She followed the Facebook messages' instructions and wired money to whom she thought was Bishop Jakes.
"I kept saying, I don't believe you, I don't trust you," she said. "And he kept saying, 'Oh yes, I am a man of God and I am here to help you get out of your situation.'"
Five different times Gartsy wired money for a total of $1,800. She said she ignored the red flags and was convinced it was real.
She sent all the money she had and waited for Bishop Jakes to follow through on his end.
"I never did get any money from him," she said. "I didn't want my home to be foreclosed, but now it is."
Gartsy is not alone. Many people fall for these schemes, because scammers use a famous well known person or company to try and make it seem real.
Bessie learned the hard way; you can't trust someone based on who they claim to be.
"When they say they are going to send you some money, don't believe them," she said.
The best advice, be very cautious anytime someone communicates with you via Facebook or email as they can claim to be whoever they want.
Also, when they ask you to wire money or buy a prepaid debit card, that is another sure sign it's a scam.
ABC11 did reach out to T.D. Jakes Ministry, but no one ever got back to us.
