As you all might know, I have been searching for work.
A couple of things came up this last week, and I should have known better.
I will give you the brief version of what happened.
I answered an as on craigslist for a personal assistant. I was slightly skeptical about the whole thing, was emailed a few times, but today took the CAKE.
I received a check for nearly $1,000 and was given instructions to deposit into my bank keep part of it for myself, and forward the rest by wire to someone. Needless to say, holding a large check in my hot and sweaty little mitts, my internal alarms started to go off (my tummy started to hurt and I got a sick feeling). You know those sort of alarms? I think they are referred to as 'gut' feelings.
I did a bit of research. Neither the person sending me the check nor the person who was named on the check exist. I didn't even bother looking up the next person I was supposed to wire the money to. So then I looked up a 'scammers' website and guess what I found? Yup, you got it. I was about to be involved in a money laundering, highly illegal, scam.
What did I do you might ask?
I copied the information I gleaned from the scam website and emailed it to the person I was ostensibly to work for. I also said I would pass all the information on to the local FBI office (big bluff there).
HE HAD THE NERVE TO EMAIL ME BACK AND ASK WHAT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I will just hang on to that little old checky wecky as a reminder that, even at my age, I can be had.
THEN,
my SO and I had a long, long, very long and repetitious, convo on the phone with a gentleman wanting us to use our credit card to buy into some sort of residual income thingy (which they never actually told us about). That ended in my
SO calling the guy out and hanging up.
SO calling the guy out and hanging up.
I feel so had, taken and misused.
Has anyone else ever had this sort of experience or am I just the lame one?
Ughh, I wrote a long post and I think I lost it so I'll rewrite and sorry if it shows up twice!
ReplyDeleteBut it happened to my friend when she answered an ad for a mystery shopper and Cindy from My Romantic Home did a blog post on a scam someone tried to pull on her from a dating site. I believe the culprits are from Nigeria, most commonly.
You also have to be careful when selling on Craigslist, they will offer to buy something and say they need it shipped so they offer more than you're asking. They say their assistant will send you a check then the check shows up for say $2000 instead of $200 but they'll say their asst. made a typo and just to cash it and send them the difference.
Don't feel silly or bad, the important thing is you caught it!!! I'm sure there's people out there who weren't as quick!
Hi Anne,
ReplyDeleteJust recently discovered your blog by way of the Frog and am really enjoying my visit here. Now in light of your recent bad craigslist experience, don't flip backwards or spaz on me, but do email me at aboundinglife8@yahoo.com. I have a resource that may help with your employment situation. Can't promise 'cause I'm not an employer, but I do have personal experience that it works if your in the right area. I write at night from an IPod, so I will not be able to respond to you until tomorrow, so do not panic, I am for real in trying to help you find something ok? :) We girls gotta stay together ya know. Many hugs and blessings!
xoxox,
Ellen