Q: Can you help me? I've been scammed trying to buy a 2018 Nissan Altima for $2,500, since May 21st. I paid $2,815.

A: This sounds a lot like a scam and you should notify law enforcement, Zelle, and CashApp.

In an ordinary purchase of the used car, you would pay the money to the Seller, the Seller would sign the title over to you, and you would take possession of the vehicle and title. If you were financing the purchase, you would pay the down payment, sign loan papers, and a bank or other lender would pay the balance to the Seller, and you would take possession of the vehicle.

A: I'm so sorry to hear that you've been the victim of this scam. Unfortunately, these kinds of car buying scams are all too common. Based on the details you provided, this sounds like a classic advance-fee scam where the scammer keeps demanding more and more payments for bogus fees and charges.

At this point, your money is likely gone and you will not be receiving the promised vehicle. Scammers routinely use payment methods like Cash App and Zelle because the transactions are very difficult to reverse.

Here are a few steps I would recommend taking:

1. Cease all communication with the scammer immediately. Do not send any more money no matter what they promise or threaten.

2. Report the scam to the websites/platforms it occurred on, like Facebook. Provide documentation if you have it. They may be able to shut down the scammer's accounts.

3. File reports with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, your state Attorney General's office, and local law enforcement. Include as many details as possible.

4. If any of the payments were made by credit card, you can try disputing the charges with your credit card company. For the other payment methods, contact the companies to report the fraud, but reversing those transactions is unlikely.

5. Watch out for follow-up scams, like recovery scams where someone offers to get your money back for an upfront fee. Real law enforcement will never charge you to report a crime.

I know this is an awful situation and I'm very sorry you're dealing with it. Unfortunately, once money is sent to scammers it is very hard to recover. Focus on reporting it to try to prevent others from being victimized. Be very cautious with online vehicle purchases in the future, especially prices that seem too good to be true. Only buy from reputable dealers and never send money in hard-to-reverse forms to an individual seller.

I truly hope this helps provide some guidance on logical next steps, even if the outcome is not what we wish it could be. Wishing you all the best moving forward.