Some Florida parents lost their hard-earned money in a widespread "Egg My Yard" scam that failed to deliver what the sellers promised on Easter Sunday, April 17.
The parents from Clermont and Minneola in Central Florida were expecting their front yards to be filled with toys and Easter treats, including a letter from the Easter Bunny to surprise their kids. However, despite closing the deal on social media, they all woke up to find nothing on their lawn.
Mom Mitzi Cohen told WESH that she found out about the Egg My Yard offer from advertisements going around local Facebook groups. The person behind the scam used the profile of "Sarah Honey."
She advertised that the service price ranged from $20 to $75, depending on what the parents wanted in their yards. The seller also asked for upfront payment using Venmo and other online cash apps.
Cohen and her fellow Florida parents said they didn't have a backup plan for Easter Sunday as they thought this was a good deal.
Community Came to the Rescue
Grandmother Gigi Capria said that she sent a message to Honey and even tried to call, but her attempts to contact them were left unanswered. She said that the person behind the account still read her last message where she was asking about the promised deliveries.
After Capria posted a warning in social media groups, she realized that she was not the only victim. According to WFLA, dozens of parents fell for the scam, and many of them are working moms who did not have any more time to prepare to give their children a treat for Easter.
The other parents also tried to look for Honey's Venmo transactions and realized that the account had disappeared. They also found out that at least six Facebook pages offered the Egg My Yard service.
Fortunately, other locals from Clermont and Minneola came to the rescue and offered batches of their extra Easter eggs and treats to the parents who didn't have a Plan B. Mom Eileen Scates couldn't be more thankful for the community's generosity, despite the last-minute preparations and said this was the spirit of Easter at work.
"Even though this thing happened that was terrible, it was kind of nice to see the community come together," Scrates said.
Egg My Yard Scam in Ohio
The police have been informed of the scam in Florida, but in 2021, some parents from northeast Ohio were also ripped-off by Egg My Yard scammers. WKYC reported that the parents found the service in Facebook groups. One parent even said that the supplier had good reviews.
But as with the scam in Florida, the parents in Ohio woke up with no eggs in their yards that Easter Sunday despite paying for the service. The seller also blocked them if they attempted to contact or ask for a refund.
However, the scammers were educators of the Parma City School District. The victims were able to file a case against her and her partner after the district officials offered to help with the investigations. It's unclear, however, if the Egg My Yard scam in Ohio has ties to the Florida scam.
