FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — 7 News Detroit spoke to a Farmington Hills man named Joshua Taylor, who has multiple disabilities. He says he was targeted by a scammer and is sharing his story as a warning to others.
“Unfortunately, in this world, people try and take advantage of people, especially people who have already been disadvantaged,” said Taylor of Farmington Hills.
He suffers from multiple chronic illnesses and has been wheelchair-bound for the past two years.
Earlier this week, he was looking on a Facebook group that shares information about wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and that’s when he came across an interesting post.
“I saw a giveaway from what seemed to be a company out of Atlanta that was looking to bless three families with a wheelchair-accessible vehicle,” said Taylor.
Taylor entered the giveaway.
“I went through the process, they asked for a letter with your story, what kind of disabilities do you have?” Taylor added.
On Christmas Eve, Taylor received an email saying he had won a van.
“When I got the email that I was going to get this vehicle, I cried. I broke down because right now I’m driving a 2016 Corolla,” said Taylor.
As Taylor talked to the people behind the giveaway, It became clear something was off.
“When was the moment you realized something isn’t right and this could be a scam?” 7 News Detroit reporter Tiarra Braddock asked.
“They started to say, 'Can you come to Atlanta if you’re going to do it in person?' and so I asked for an address, and they gave me a building that is currently vacant and for sale,” said Taylor. “I asked for a VIN number for the van, and it was actually a van located in North Carolina owned by a company called Mobility Works.”
Taylor called the company Mobility Works, and they let him know that they weren’t involved in any giveaways.
“I felt like my life was being changed and then to find out it was a scam was crushing,” said Taylor.
7 News Detroit reached out to the company involved in the alleged giveaway, but they haven’t gotten back to us yet.
Thankfully, Taylor did not give out any sensitive information to the company, and he hopes his story puts people on high alert.
“Doing my homework is really what saved my butt,” said Taylor.
