A Hempfield couple figured they were helping a fellow soldier prepare to deploy to Afghanistan when they agreed to buy a 2007 Chevrolet Colorado they found on Craigslist.

Jessica Timothy said “red flags went up” when her husband, Jason — a Pennsylvania Army National Guardsman — found the ad for the $3,500 truck.

Timothy, 28, said she was hesitant, but the couple went through with the transaction when the seller emailed photos of the truck, gave specific details of her military service and sent invoices bearing the logo of Amazon and Amazon Payments.

“The person who was selling the vehicle named the exact fort where they were staying, and the exact unit, and the exact time they were deploying,” Jessica Timothy said. “They either know someone in the military or are pretty well-versed, because their facts were to a T.”

Warren King, president of the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania, said the scam dates back three to four years and often targets military families.

“They always use terminology that's familiar to military members, so it does sound legitimate,” King said. “To take advantage of someone who's protecting our country, it's just a shame.”

Another warning sign is that the seller instructed the Timothys to use prepaid Amazon gift cards, King said.

The invoices listed the seller's name, Stephanie Walter, provided an address and gave directions on how to pay for the truck with the gift cards.

“My red flags went up with that, too, but (Jason) contacted Amazon Payments, and they sent him an invoice, with a contact email and a contact number that claimed to be Amazon,” Jessica Timothy said. “He bought the gift cards at Giant Eagle and sent them.”

The couple sent the seller details on how to redeem $4,500 in gift cards they purchased, which included $1,000 for shipping. They never received the truck, Jessica Timothy said, and the seller stopped responding to their emails.

The address the seller gave to the Timothys is for an 82-year-old Redmond, Wash., woman, who, when contacted by phone, said no one by the name of Stephanie Walter resides with her.

Jessica Timothy said when she contacted Amazon Payments, the company told her she was scammed by someone who used the company's logo, but they offered no refund and refused to stop payment on the gift cards.

“The girl I talked to ... said they receive hundreds of calls a week of people being subject to this scam,” Timothy said. “They have known about this scam for months. The fact Amazon has known about this scam and not made it public knowledge appalls me.”

Tom Cook, a public relations specialist with Amazon, said the invoices the Timothys received were not from Amazon.

“This is an ongoing scam,” Cook said. “They're just leveraging the (Amazon) name so people open the email.”

Cook said the invoice originated from a Gmail account, which Amazon doesn't use.

“If an email says it comes from Amazon, but it comes from a Gmail account, there is no way it came from Amazon,” Cook said. “They are claiming to be from Amazon for credibility.”

Cook, who said Amazon learned of a similar scheme last week in another state, declined comment on Timothy's contention the company has failed to publicize the scam so that others aren't victimized.

“This person who is doing this scam is still posting and still using Amazon as a cover-up,” Timothy said. “They need to do something to let people know this is being used, and not to trust that. If they can admit the invoices look legitimate to theirs, and they have emails and customer service numbers, then they need to take some responsibility to make people aware, because their name is being used.”

Timothy said she will continue to seek a refund through Amazon Payments. But King, of the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania, said it's unlikely.

King said although the invoice the Timothys received bore Amazon's logo, it likely didn't originate with Amazon or Amazon Payments because it requested payment be made with gift cards.

“Once those are purchased, it's like giving them cash, and Amazon isn't going to be responsible,” King said. “Always be leery of any transfer of money using a prepaid credit card, or MoneyGram, because you have no control over getting a refund.”

King said it's unlikely the seller can be traced because such scams often originate overseas.

“This person, for all we know, could be on the moon,” King said. “A lot of times, these scammers aren't in the United States.”

King said buyers can protect themselves from similar scams by meeting sellers in person before money is exchanged. If that's not possible, buyers can request the vehicle's VIN number to research its history.

“Then you have the option to run a report on it,” King said. For a fee, he said, services such as Carfax will provide a vehicle's mileage and location information.

“Once you ask for a VIN number, they won't be able to give you one because it's a fictitious car,” King said.

Jessica Timothy said she contacted police and the state attorney general's office for help.

No one from state police returned phone calls seeking comment.

Timothy said she plans to continue to hound Amazon and Amazon Payments for help in exposing the scam.

“We're out $4,500,” Timothy said, describing how her husband works two jobs and attends college part time to support her and their two young children. “To them, that's nothing. But to our family, it's everything.”

Liz Zemba is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412- 601-2166 or lzemba@tribweb.com.

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