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FOX43 Finds Out: Don’t get duped while shopping online

Michael Leisenring thought he was buying a police scanner online, but now he is out more than $500 and has no scanner to show for it. FOX43 Finds Out what went ...
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Michael Leisenring thought he was buying a police scanner online, but now he is out more than $500 and has no scanner to show for it.

FOX43 Finds Out what went wrong.

"This one was for $265, this one is for $200 and this one is for $100."

Michael Leisenring  shows us his receipts for google play cards.

He bought these cards when he tried to buy this digital scanner on amazon.

But, he never got it.

The man from York says he wanted to order the scanner over the phone, because he was nervous about putting his credit card information online.

He says he searched for a phone number for Amazon Customer Support and called it.

"They said something about that I couldn`t use a credit card, that I had to use a google play card," said Leisenring.

He was told there was some sort of promotion, so he had to put hundreds of dollars on google play gift cards.

Though the person on the phone claimed Leisenring would get that money back.

"He said I had to go out and get an additional $500 google card before they could send the order."

In total, Leisenring gave the person $565 worth of google play gift cards over the phone.

"What did you have to do with the google Play cards? Scratch off the number on the back and give it to him and then take a picture of the front and back of the card and send it to him."

We had our FOX43 Finds Out photographer call the number Leisenring found, which was 1-877-225-9020.

The person on the phone told our photographer he was speaking with the amazon headquarters, that you can place an order over the phone and the company is running a promotion to save money if you use a gift card, especially a google play card.

Then, I called that same number.

The man on the line kept insisting he was located at the amazon headquarters in Seattle, that I can place an order over the phone and I can pay with a gift card.

However,  before that phone call, FOX43 Finds Out had already spoken to a real amazon spokesperson, who told me Amazon does not take orders over the phone and the only Amazon customer service phone number is 1-888-280-4331.

That spokesperson also told us the number Leisenring called is not associated with Amazon in anyway.

Leisenring says he was duped.

He filed a police report and is hoping he can somehow get his money back.

"I`m just hoping it doesn`t happen to anybody else."

Amazon has a list of resources on it's website, listing all sorts of phishing and payment scams the company wants customers to know about.

You can also report suspicious phone calls or activity to the company as well.

If you have a story you want Jackie to look into, FOX43 wants to find out.

Send her a message on Facebook or send an email to FOX43FindsOut@FOX43.com.

Here's our entire phone call with the person who claims to work at the Amazon Headquarters in Seattle Washington. The number we called was 1-877-225-9020:

 

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