A woman recently shared a story that sounds almost too absurd to be real: a family member was scammed out of $4,000 after trusting a Facebook ad that looked legitimate. TikTok creator @adiita.lpz says the victim is a relative who fell for a convincing ad and warns that scams like this often target older adults. She adds that the ad wasn’t just some random post; it came from what appeared to be a paid Facebook advertisement. “That’s where it started,” she explains. The trouble began when her family member spotted an ad for a tractor, something they’d been looking to buy. “Your phones can hear you,” she jokes, noting how the timing of the ad felt eerily perfect. Her family member wanted a smaller tractor—nothing too old—to help move dirt around on their mountain property. The ad caught their eye because it offered a tractor for $8,000, a steal compared to the $12,000 to $14,000 they’d seen elsewhere. To be safe, her family member researched the company behind the ad and even found what they thought was its official website. But once they called the number listed, things started to unravel. What Happened Next? When her family member called the number on the website, someone answered right away. OWNERSHIP STORIES Viral stories from across the web Our team of experts tracks what owners are saying about car-shopping, repairs, the daily driving experience and more on social media. “They were extremely nice,” @adiita.lpz says, explaining that as someone who works in customer service, the overly friendly tone didn’t sit right. “If they’re extremely nice and accommodating, that’s a red flag to me.” The next sign something was off came when the supposed company offered to ship the tractor for free, even though it was located in the Midwest and her family member lives in California. Then came another catch: the company required a 50% deposit, or $4,000, to be wired into an escrow account through Bank of America. Her relative questioned the safety of that setup and asked to make the payment in person. So she went to the bank and transferred the money directly, purportedly without any warning from the teller that the transaction might be suspicious. “I think the bank should’ve questioned it more, but whatever,” @adiita.lpz says. The scammers gave a delivery date, but on that day, the family member received a call saying the tractor shipment had been delayed by a week. “Red flag,” @adiita.lpz says. Still, the scammers sweetened the deal by offering a $500 credit for the inconvenience, which she describes as yet another red flag. Then came the final warning sign: the supposed financing plan for the remaining balance required no interest payments over two years, which seemed far too good to be true. “That’s when I told her that something was weird,” she says. In her third video, @adiita.lpz reveals that the tractor never arrived. Her family member eventually realized she’d been conned, and within minutes of searching online, @adiita.lpz found that others, mostly farmers, had been scammed by the same fake website. Fake Facebook Ad Targets Farmers @adiita.lpz says the scam involving the fake tractor ad took place in July, which aligns with a Better Business Bureau (BBB) warning about what appears to be the same fraudulent operation. Here’s how it worked. The business @adiita.lpz’s family member thought they were buying from actually exists. It’s a real tractor shop. But scammers noticed the legitimate business didn’t have a website and used that to their advantage. They created a convincing fake site, complete with a phone number and address that matched the real business, and then used it to steal money from unsuspecting buyers. “I’m sure that this happens with more than just tractors,” @adiita.lpz says, adding that small business owners need to stay vigilant about impostor sites using their names. She explains that while the company itself was real, the website wasn’t. Someone had cloned the business online and used it to scam multiple people. The owners of the legitimate shop, she says, couldn’t do much because the fraudulent website wasn’t tied to them in any official way. According to the BBB, the scam spread through both search engine ads and Facebook’s sponsored posts, which lead to fake websites advertising equipment well below market prices. Victims are typically contacted by someone using an alias and pressured to wire money after signing what looks like a legitimate contract through Dropbox Sign, the BBB reports. “The instructions on how to wire funds list an illegitimate LLC created with names in an attempt to lend credibility to the transactions,” the BBB notes. The organization also warns that these fake businesses are often registered in different states than the victims they target and that consumers should be especially cautious with companies registered within the last six months. Gallery: Watch World's Largest Farm Tractor Get First Set Of New Tires In 43 Years Viewers Say Scammers Are Getting Smarter To protect themselves from scams like the one @adiita.lpz describes, the BBB advises consumers to be cautious of prices that seem unusually low, pick up vehicles or equipment in person whenever possible, double-check listings over the phone, and verify business registrations through state websites. The organization also stresses avoiding high-pressure sales tactics and never sharing personal information with unknown sellers. Even with those precautions, viewers who watched @adiita.lpz’s three-part TikTok series couldn’t believe how elaborate the scam was. “Unfortunately, scammers are getting more sophisticated, and also people get carried away with [a] deal and bypass the red flags,” one viewer noted. Others echoed that sentiment, saying the red flags were clear in hindsight. “Yup, too good to be true,” another person said. A third pointed out where things likely went wrong, commenting on @adiita.lpz’s second video, “Ayyy no 50% deposit, that’s where they get you.” Motor1 has reached out to @adiita.lpz via a TikTok direct message and Facebook parent company Meta via email. We’ll update this if either responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team