The unmasking of Jodi-Levonne Griffin: a scammer’s deception exposed
How a 47-year-old American scammed a Turkish hospital through chargeback fraud and got away with it
In a world where trust and integrity are paramount, the story of Jodi-Levonne Griffin serves as a cautionary tale for businesses and consumers alike. Griffin, a 47-year-old American national born in New Zealand, has been exposed as a scammer who committed chargeback fraud after undergoing extensive plastic surgery in Istanbul, Turkey.
In March 2023, Griffin, of Jacksonville, FL, traveled to Istanbul to have multiple surgeries performed, including Abdominoplasty, Breast Lift, Fat Injection for Brazilian Butt Lift, and Liposuction. To arrange her medical tourism experience, Griffin used the global facilitator MyMediTravel.
After paying a deposit in advance of her trip, Griffin allegedly told hospital staff that she was unable to make the remaining payment in cash, as is standard procedure, to avoid paying additional taxes when using a debit or credit card. Instead, she convinced the staff to let her pay the outstanding balance of $5,600 USD directly to MyMediTravel using her Navy Federal Credit Union credit card through a Stripe payment.
Unbeknownst to the hospital staff, Griffin had no intention of actually paying the outstanding balance. Instead, she saw the payment as a means to leave the hospital and Turkey without fulfilling her financial obligations. Her deception and fraud would take place back home in the safety of the United States.
Approximately one week after returning to the US, Griffin contacted her bank to initiate a chargeback for the full amount of $5,600. Despite having all the evidence and proof needed to expose the chargeback as fraudulent, the Navy Federal Credit Union quickly rejected MyMediTravel’s appeal in favor of Griffin.
When MyMediTravel contacted Stripe, the payment processor claimed to be powerless to intervene, stating that the decision on disputes ultimately lies with the bank. This left MyMediTravel with no recourse and a financial loss due to Griffin’s fraudulent actions.
Griffin’s reason for the chargeback, as quoted by the bank was that “due to language barrier, services were not rendered to our cardholder.” However, the physical evidence of her surgeries, including scars and bruising, clearly contradicts her claim. MyMediTravel even offered to arrange a video call between the bank and the surgeon to prove beyond doubt that Griffin had committed fraud, however, the bank was not interested and simply ignored the requests.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of due diligence and the potential consequences of trusting individuals who may have ulterior motives. As for Jodi-Levonne Griffin, her deception has been exposed, but it remains to be seen if she will face any consequences for her actions. The irony is that Griffin works for the Jacksonville State Attorney’s Office!
In the meantime, businesses like MyMediTravel must learn from this experience and implement more stringent policies to protect themselves from scammers like Griffin.
