Fake Widow Scams ETHS Track Star Saving For Car

EVANSTON, IL — A scam involving a purported widow's used car cost a local high school track star several years of her savings. Enyeava Michelin, a 17-year-old Evanston Township High School senior, lost $1,200 she wanted to spend to surprise her family with the car for Christmas, WMAQ-TV reports.

Michelin, a standout cross country and track and field athlete, saved the money by spending the past three summers working at a concession stand on Lake Michigan. She hoped to use it to buy a 2008 Toyota, which was being offered by someone claiming to be a grieving widow.

"I am selling this car because my husband died 3 months ago in an accident, the car belong to him and it brings me bad memories," said the emailed offer, which claimed that the deal would be covered by eBay's Buyer Protection Program.

By using a fake eBay Motors invoice, scammers convinced Michelin to use eBay branded gift cards as the form of payment, she told the NBC affiliate.

"At the time, it seemed like, 'Sure. Of course. eBay, eBay cards, eBay motors – it all makes sense,'" she said.

But after reading the numbers to the gift cards over the phone, Michelin didn't hear back. A few days later she contacted the seller, who asked for another $1,000. At that point, she said, she realized what had happened.

"I felt sick and I just kind of started crying," she told WMAQ.

eBay looked into the case and confirmed it was a scam. Sometimes scammers will promise eBay's protection in order to complete the scam, often exploiting well-known brand names to lure people into fraudulent transactions on fake websites.

"We always encourage all our shoppers to be cautious when they aren’t purchasing a vehicle directly through the eBay website," the company warned.

» More tips on warning signs from WMAQ

_{Top photo: Enyaeva Michelin in 2017 | Courtesy Chris Livatino, ETHS}