The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Anger as woman finds out diamond pendant is a fake
ADundee woman was conned out of £175 for a diamond pendant turned out to be which fake.
Violet Shephard bought the jewellery after seeing it for sale on Facebook Marketplace, and even paid petrol money to the seller after she drove from Broughty Ferry to deliver it.
Violet had the diamond tested and was surprised to find it was a fake.
But after sending the seller a Facebook message to complain and ask for a refund, she was blocked.
Police Scotland advised Violet the matter was a civil one and said she should seek advice from a lawyer.
But Violet said she was unlikely to do this as she may end up paying more in legal fees than she did for the necklace.
“I just want the woman to do the right thing,” Violet said, adding that it was not really about the money, but the way she had since been treated.
“I am disabled and have health conditions, including breathing problems. I can’t go out and find her and now she has blocked me.”
Violet, 56, said the woman had arrived with a man and both were wearing face masks.
“The man kept looking away like he didn’t want to be recognised,” she said.
The seller did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Marjorie Gibson, head of operations with Advice Direct Scotland, which runs consumeradvice.scot, said: “It can be hard to make a safe choice when you are shopping online.
“We encourage people to always use caution when buying from an online seller for the first time.
“Unfortunately, there are lots of fake goods on sale and it’s easy to get caught out.
“If possible, always use a credit card if spending over £100 – your purchase will be protected under the Consumer Credit Act.
“Our advisers can offer free, impartial advice to anyone who has been scammed and we encourage people to get in touch with us so that we can help protect more consumers.
“If you have concerns about a trader then you can also report this to your local Trading Standards department.”
“The man kept looking away like he didn’t want to be recognised