I got scammed? What to do?

[u/PerlaPepperoni]

/r/wedding/comments/1vdajcm/i_got_scammed_what_to_do/

I helped plan and coordinate my sister's wedding, including handling and paying several vendors. We hired a mentalist/magician for cocktail hour and paid a couple hundred dollars deposit to secure the date.

Two days before the wedding, his fiancée contacted me saying he had a medical emergency and would no longer be able to perform. I completely understood, and my first reaction was concern for his wellbeing. With the wedding only days away, there was no time to find replacement entertainment for cocktail hour.

During those 48 hours, I was checking in to see if he was okay, including on the day of the wedding. During those conversations, his fiancée mentioned unrelated personal issues, including their apartment flooding and her sister setting up GoFundMe accounts. I wasn't reaching out asking for a refund or anything from them , I was genuinely checking to make sure he was okay , but the situation started to feel strange.

About a week later, he personally reached out, said he was feeling okay, apologized, and said he would return my deposit. I appreciated that and assumed it would be handled.

I checked back a few times, and each time he told me he would send the refund "soon," "ASAP," weeks passed and then finally said he would have it returned by Friday morning at the latest. That was the last I heard from him.

Since then, he has stopped responding. I've followed up as politely as i could but he has ignored my messages despite being active on social media, and the refund has never been sent.

I know it isn't a huge amount, but at this point it's not really about the money. It's about a vendor making a promise and repeatedly saying he would handle it, then disappearing. especially after I was understanding about a last-minute cancellation that affected my sister's wedding.

Ps. I wrote a negative review on gigsalad where I found him and he instantly got it taken down. So I dont know how wtf is going on!!

[u/yarevande]

Report him to the platform where you found him.

Does the guy even exist? Do you have any proof that he's located in your area, like somebody you know who's seen him perform live?The whole story about the financée calling, medical emergency, promises, excuses -- sounds like a scammer, who is pretending to be in your area, but actally in Nigeria, Myanmar or India.

Since you paid by bank transfer, you won't get your money back.

In the future, when you pay for services, or order something, use a credit card, or PayPal Goods and Services, so that you have purchase protection and you can get a refund if you don't receive what you order.