An automotive fabricator who says he also handles everyday repairs says a cheap Facebook Marketplace find turned into a $105 lesson.
TikTok user @modfydmotorsports says he was looking for strut mounts for a customer’s Mitsubishi Eclipse. “It’s a very rare part,” he says.
Then he found someone on Facebook Marketplace claiming to run an auto shop who said he had them for just $19 apiece. With shipping, the total came to $105.
“I guess I’ve gambled more than that before,” @modfydmotorsports says.
There was one catch: He says the seller would only take payment through Chime or Zelle.
Thinking Chime was “just like PayPal,” @modfydmotorsports sent the $105. He says the seller sent a tracking number almost immediately. A few days later, though, he took a closer look at the shipping company: Atlas Express.
@modfydmotorsports says he wasn’t familiar with the company beforehand, but after what happened next, he called it a “fraudulent shipping company.”
He says Atlas Express contacted him asking for additional shipping insurance before the parts could be sent, and that’s when he says he realized the deal was a scam.
He contacted the seller, who, according to @modfydmotorsports, acted like nothing unusual was happening. He then turned to Chime and tried to get his $105 back, but says the company refused to refund him.
“Makes me feel really old, because I thought that only old people got scammed,” @modfydmotorsports says.
The Payment Method Was A Red Flag
The seller insisting on Chime or Zelle should have been a big red flag. According to the Federal Trade Commission, con artists regularly push buyers toward payment methods that are hard to reverse. It advises online marketplaces to use a credit card or another payment system that offers buyer protection, and to be wary of anyone who wants you to pay outside the marketplace itself.
In @modfydmotorsports’s case, he says he thought Chime worked “just like PayPal.” But it doesn’t, at least not in the sense of offering the same kind of purchase protection.
Chime says its Pay Anyone feature is designed for sending money to people you trust. Once a transfer to another Chime member is complete, it generally can’t be reversed. And if you send money for goods or services and they never show up, Chime says you have to work it out straight with the recipient.
The FTC also warns that unusually low prices can signal an online shopping scam, especially when the seller is unfamiliar. It recommends checking the seller’s name alongside terms such as “review,” “complaint,” or “scam” before sending money, and never buying from someone who insists on payment via gift cards, wire transfer, or crypto.
Next came the second odd payment request: the shipping company asking @modfydmotorsports to buy additional insurance.
That kind of unexpected fee is another reason to stop and verify who you’re dealing with. The FTC says that scammers may ask for extra money under names like “processing” or “shipping” charges once they already have someone on the hook.
Of course, none of that proves who was behind the listing @modfydmotorsports dealt with. But the pattern in his story lines up with several of the FTC’s biggest warnings. And by the time he realized something was wrong, getting that first $105 back was already going to be difficult.
Gallery: 2026 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross EV
Viewers Say The Signs Were Obvious
A few viewers thought the warning signs were pretty obvious in hindsight.
“Always a scam if PayPal is not [accepted],” one person wrote.
“Yeah, you right,” @modfydmotorsports replied.
Another commenter offered a broader lesson: “Always do your research. In anything in this world”
@modfydmotorsports had a different take on his own decision-making.
“Or full send with zero [expletive] given and get scammed like me,” he wrote.
One viewer was a little more sympathetic, writing, “Welcome to the club.”
@modfydmotorsports asked, “To the old people's club? Or stupid for getting scammed club?”
“Both!” the commenter replied.
Someone else kept it simple.
“No way,” they wrote.
And at least one viewer was more interested in what else was sitting in the shop than the Mitsubishi parts scam.
They said, “Never mind the Mitsubishi, I want to know about that Monte Carlo.”
Motor1 contacted @modfydmotorsports via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
