CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Hawaii couple thought they found the perfect boat motor online from a company listing a Corpus Christi address, but warning signs quickly emerged during their purchase attempt.
Donna Pickard, who lives in Hawaii, said what started as a routine online purchase for a boat motor quickly turned into a series of red flags.
"We were thrilled that it ships to Hawaii [for free]. We were like, okay, fine. Well, we're going to get it. And we started trying to pay for it," Pickard said.
The first concern arose when Pickard couldn't process her credit card payment.
"And we're like what do you mean? And we tried another. And then we thought, worst case scenario we do PayPal," Pickard said.
The company, Next Gen Outboards, lists 1216 Waldron Drive as its address. However, there is no Waldron Drive in Corpus Christi — only a Waldron Road.
Pickard said when she tried paying through PayPal, the company's name didn't appear as expected.
"It didn't say it was paying outboard next gen, it had an individual's name LLC," Pickard said.
Due to these concerns, Pickard decided not to purchase the motor for the boat she shares with her husband. She contacted the KRIS 6 newsroom asking for an investigation.
According to LoopNet.com, a commercial real estate site, no business named Next Gen Outboards exists at the listed address.
KRIS6 News called the company Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning but was unable to leave voicemails. KRIS6 News also sent several emails but has not received a response from the company.
KRIS6 News checked with the Better Business Bureau of the Coastal Bend to see if they had received complaints about the company, but found none.
The Better Business Bureau says simple checks, like verifying an address or using a credit card, can help protect consumers from potential scams.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
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