Company sends new camera to student who fell foul of online scam

A student who lost his camera after falling foul of an online scam is delighted after being given a new one.

Jay Stocks had been left without his camera after selling it on Gumtree to what he thought was a genuine buyer – only for it to turn out the person was trying to scam him out of his money.

However, Jay has now been sent the very camera he wanted to buy after a company took pity on the 17-year-old’s plight, Grimsby Live reports.

Jay has been sent a new Sony A7 camera courtesy of online camera exchange company MPB.

He also said he had been overwhelmed with the support he has received from the local community, with a number of other people offering him help.

Jay said: “It really feels a bit mad. I just cannot believe the amount of people who have been sticking up for me and offering help and support.

“I still can’t get over it – it is amazing.

“I just want to say a big thank you to MPB for sending me this dream camera. It means the world to me and is such a kind and wonderful thing for them to have done.”

Jay’s mum, Karen, said another woman had offered to send him a camera and a kind man even offered to send him £200 to make up for his loss.

She said: “There really are some wonderful people in the world. One woman offered to send Jay a new camera but as this one was coming, we couldn’t take it off her, but we are so grateful for the offer.

“There was also a kind gentleman who got in touch with us and offered to send us £200.  He sounded very sweet on the phone but we just couldn’t take the money because he may have needed it for himself. We are very thankful for the offer though, and still amazed at how kind some people can be.”

After Jay was scammed, he tried to get his camera back before it was sent off by Royal Mail.

Jay went to the Post Office before it was sent away, but they refused to return it despite him having a receipt.

They even refused to give it to the police, stating that it was now the property of Royal Mail until it was delivered. This left Jay without his camera and out of pocket, which was made worse by the act he had been planning on buying a new camera with the money from the sale.

The MPB team said: “We stumbled upon the GrimsbyLive article about Jay’s Gumtree trouble. It’s the worst feeling when something like that happens to you.

“We thought we’d brighten up his day a bit, and got in touch. Jay mentioned he was planning on saving up for a Sony A7 mirrorless camera, so we decided to send him a well-used Sony A7 from our stockroom, as well as a 50mm lens, kitbag, filter and SD card.

“Next time, we’d recommend that Jay sells his camera equipment to MPB. We offer free insured shipping to our warehouse and quick payments straight to your bank account. You’re selling straight to us, so it’s completely risk-free. You can also buy used camera gear directly from us too.

“The Sony A7 is a great little mirrorless camera, so we’re really excited for him. He’s only 17, so we think it’s the perfect camera to get him well on his way to getting to grips with photography. Good luck Jay, take care.”