CLAY CENTER, Ohio — Car repairs can be expensive, but imagine paying hundreds of dollars to a mechanic and then realizing it’s a scam.

Last week in Ottawa County, Jeff Iffland and his wife needed help with their car’s starter and posted on Facebook looking for help. They found a man who came out, looked at the car and managed to get it running, but they said only by hitting the starter to temporarily jolt it back to life.

The next day, the car’s starter failed again and the mechanic ghosted them, leaving them out $200 for the repairs.

“At that point, we knew we’d been had,” Iffland said.

He said the mechanic they hired from Facebook offered to take their car to his garage and did.

“He’s like, ‘In my opinion, you don’t need a starter.’ I’m like, well, you’re the mechanic. If you’re say

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