Man accused of deceptive business practices not granted bond; online shopping scams on the rise, according to experts

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was denied bond today by a judge in the Boone County courthouse after being accused of deceptive business practices.

Mark Doninelli, 47, of Columbia, is charged with multiple felonies including forgery, odometer fraud, deceptive business practice and intent to defraud after allegedly attempting to sell a car on Facebook Marketplace and withholding information about it.

He is being held without bond at the Boone County Jail without bond. A motion to reinstate bond was filed at a hearing Friday.

Scams like these don't stop at Facebook. Online selling scammers have been seen on various social media platforms.

Nick Knoth, of the Better Business Bureau, said any item sold online has the possibility of being a scam.

"It could be anything from as small as somebody selling a pack of baseball cards that's fake, to saying that they're a used car dealership that doesn't actually exist," Knoth said. "People should really be careful. Trust but verify the information. Meet folks in a public safe location."

Knoth also said as more people are starting to buy items online through platforms like Facebook Marketplace, it gives scammers a chance to trick people.

More than 1 billion people purchase something from Facebook Marketplace each month, according to data from Capital One, a credit card company.

The Mexico Department of Public Safety is currently warning residents to watch out for scams after noticing an increase recently.