NYC woman gets blinded by cheap $350 Canon G7X deal, ignores obvious red flags, and ends up losing $550: ‘Idk why I try to see the good in people’
Why would anyone even sell an $800 camera for less than half the price?
We all love to gaslight ourselves into believing we have “lucky girl syndrome” the moment a ridiculous bargain pops up on our feed. You know how it goes: we stumble across something that usually costs an entire paycheck, convince ourselves the universe is personally smiling down on our bank account, and throw every basic internet safety rule straight out the window.
That is exactly how NYC creator Jasmine (@jasmine.alishaa) ended up with $550 in the hole. She was reportedly trying to replace her beloved Canon G7X Mark II camera and found a cheap deal. Although it appeared to be an obvious too-good-to-be-true red flag right away, Jasmine fell for it and kept losing money.
Getting ready for her little brother’s graduation, Jasmine took to TikTok to vent through the sting of getting scammed. She broke down the exact sequence of emotional manipulation that drained her funds before she finally cut her losses. “Honestly, now that I’m thinking about it, they’re probably watching this video right now and just laughing,” she said with a bittersweet laugh.
Chasing a dream bargain for a coveted Canon G7X
Having recently lost her camera, Jasmine was actively on the hunt for a replacement when a follower sent her a listing for a pristine Canon G7X Mark II reportedly priced at an unbelievable $350. Considering the camera typically retails for closer to $800, her skepticism took an immediate backseat to wishful thinking.
“I bought my last G7X for like $800,” she admitted. “So I’m just here thinking I had lucky girl syndrome or something.” But the red flags started waving almost immediately. Despite claiming to live in Florida, the seller allegedly agreed to accept an e-transfer. Jasmine noted the anomaly that e-transfers normally only function with Canadian banking institutions.
However, she ignored the odd financial setup and immediately sent over $435 CAD to cover the $350 USD sticker price. Right after that, the seller allegedly asked for an additional $100 shipping cost. Jasmine said that she had anticipated the extra cost and transferred the additional money without thinking twice.
The moment the payment cleared, the seller’s script reportedly took a dramatic, chaotic turn. Instead of sending tracking info, the seller allegedly messaged Jasmine claiming her husband had just discovered the transaction and was furious that she had let the camera go for pennies.
The seller kept moving goalposts and resorted to emotional manipulation
To fix the “husband” situation, the seller allegedly asked Jasmine to transfer another $100 and get the parcel shipped. “Mind you, I’ve already sent the money. I’m fully like, ‘No, this is unfair,’” Jasmine recounted. However, the seller still had a few tricks up her sleeve to get her demands met.
According to Jasmine, the seller kept coercing her, saying, “No, please, if you just send $100 more dollars, I’ll send you the camera right away.” And as dumb as it sounds, Jasmine reportedly ended up sending her another $100. “I’m actually just such a good person; I don’t know why I try to see the good in people.”
But as expected, giving in to the demand only invited bolder extortion. Even after Jasmine had dropped $550 so far, the seller allegedly followed up asking for another $50 to cover a supposed courier fee. Jasmine then demanded an immediate refund. Hilariously, the seller pulled out an emotional artillery in response.
The seller reportedly began sending photos of her children and swearing on her motherhood that she wasn’t a scammer because she “believed in karma.” By that point, Jasmine finally realized she was likely dealing with a seasoned fraudster rather than a frantic mom.
Down $550 with nothing in the mail, Jasmine owned up to the humbling reality that optimism and peer-to-peer marketplaces rarely mix well. She capped off the recap, showing off her completed makeup and outfit together, and reiterated that her quest for a Canon G7X isn’t over yet.
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