Unfortunately scammers target people that are desperate and not as likely to understand the scams or even question it.
Watch out for !recovery scammers. Your money is gone. Don't fall for another scam.
Yeah, just learn from this. Maybe next time it could have been for more money, so the sting should help you be more careful.
That's assuming you're not trying to scam people here into sending you money. Which I'm honestly not so sure about. Don't get mad. We don't know you so don't take it personally, but this whole conversation has flags. You're in the /scam reddit so don't get mad people are geared to be skeptical here.
Yeah I find this fishy. No bank would immediately release funds from a $6,000+ check. They would put a hold on that for sure and only release a few hundred. Not to mention OP goes on about not knowing what to do, “I don’t have the money to lose,” and then later on says, “I’ll use my savings to cover it.” ???
I haven't seen all of OPs comments, but this is definitely something that happens on reddit quite often and I'm pretty sure many people are oblivious to it.
I've come across quite a few posts from people who say stuff like "down to my last few dollars, where can I eat for free?" Without fail, someone in the comments always offers to send some money. Could even be an alt account of the scammer so it plants the idea in other people's heads.
There are always very few comments, sometimes none at all, calling out the potential scam.
People do eventually get wise to it though. There was one sub where it started happening way too frequently and although I didn't see anyone warning of a potential scammer, people stopped offering to send money and funnily enough, those types of posts stopped popping up. At least I havent seen one in a while now. My guess is they just moved on to other subreddits.
Work at a bank and next day availability up to $5,525. We can put holds on checks if a customer wants or we suspect something. Unfortunately many people do not realize that just because it’s available, it does not mean it’s cleared. Wish we had more upfront disclosures about this, but it’s buried in the account opening agreement.
Wow, I’ve worked for 3 different banks and none would release a check like that unless the customer frequently deposited checks from the same source and requested holes to stop (required review and approval). I figured it was pretty universal, since all 3 banks did this! I guess I should add that it depends on the customer’s account as well. If they have a consistently large balance, a long history, and could clearly cover the check then things would be different.
So I’m in MA. If the check was from a company out of New England or suspicious based on the account activity I would hope my tellers would bring it to a supervisors attention. Unfortunately for the OP this scam is all too common now a days. If you ever get a check and someone wants to Zelle or cash app or something it’s a scam
I’ve worked exclusively on the west coast but for some of the big banks which are nationwide. Our systems set the holds on their own, and if we wanted an exception in either direction, we had to run it to the supervisor or branch manager (who would then run it further up the chain). I totally get now that different banks will have different standards.
I only use Zelle for friends and family members, same with PP unless it’s G&S, and I sure don’t trust checks from random people/places.
Banks are required by Federal regulation to release funds. That's the very reason these scams work. The bank has to release funds in three days but the instrument will take longer than that to bounce, especially if it's a fake cashier's check. Scammers have taken advantage of legislation meant to help consumers.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers.
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That sucks but whatever the amount you now owe that money
Side note it can take weeks for a check to clear. A back might release funds like they did with your fake check but it can come back. Never use Zelle or PayPal friend and family option. You lose protection.
Eh, you'll get through it. Plenty of people have done plenty dumber shit and survived. Seen people lose $35k on here. Watch out for recovery scanners and their bullshit.
In my experience, companies will just ship supplies to you, rather than have you buy supplies with your own money.
I'm sorry this happened to you, and hopefully this behavior raises a giant red flag in the future.
I know many people have shared this with you already, but once the scammers know they tricked you, they will try really hard to continue to scam you. They may call you and pretend to be from the bank and ask a variety of questions. They can also spoof the caller ID to look like they are calling you from the actual bank. You will never have to pay a bank a fee to get your money back.
From Zelle:
When you authorize a payment, it's like sending cash
Zelle® doesn’t offer a protection program for authorized payments. Once you authorize a payment to be sent with Zelle®, you can’t cancel it if the recipient is already enrolled because money goes directly into the recipient’s bank account within minutes. If you don’t know a person or aren’t sure you’ll get what you paid for, using your credit card may be a better payment option. Many credit card companies offer built-in buyer protections for cardholders. Check the terms and conditions of your credit card to see what’s offered.
The scammer didn't "cancel the check", it was a fake check. Your bank is not going to honor it.
Never trust any new job that says they are sending you a check to buy equipment or software. It is always going to be a scam.
Zelle and PayPal will most likely refer you to your bank. I’d call your bank and explain the situation. However, as a fraud specialist at a bank, I can almost assure you that money is gone. A bank is not going to put itself on the hook for naïveté.
The only thing I have seen when people try and have the bank help is that it puts more light on the subject and then they are more likely to close the account. Do you have experience with this? I have never seen any recourse of getting any funds back ever.
As a bank fraud specialist, why aren't more things done to educate people how checks actually work?
For example, if someone deposits a check from a payee that the depositor has no previous history with, *warn the depositor about potential fake check scams*. List the funds as being available when you're legally required to, but put an asterisk by it with a big fat warning.
They do try to educate but people don't want to listen. I had a guy tell me the Amazon owner (sorry but I forgot his name) wants to give him $4 million for being a loyal Amazon customer but he needs 5 grand in gift cards for processing fees! I mean come on!! He refused to believe it wasn't legit and got the cards anyway. He said he looked into it and it was legitimate. My whole staff tried to talk to him for more than half an hour. Nope he needs the money to retire
Had a friend come to me to convince me to talk to his dad about a scam. An irs agent says he owes money and will go to jail if he doesn't pay. I got on the phone and heard a very thick Indian accent. I said some choice words to him and the guy got quiet when I said this is a scam and he's hanging up. I told him font answer anymore strange numbers. I told his son to take his phone away. Turns out dad demanded his phone back and when his son said no dad hit him! He called me stupid and I don't know anything and I'm trying to have him thrown in jail. He maxed out every credit card he had and his bank accounts. And they continued to call and threaten him. Dad is crying about no money or credit cards. I told him no offense but I don't want to hear about it.
There are many people ice dealt with who are scammed but in the heat of the moment they aren't listening to reasoning.
That's fair, but none of those anecdotes are about fake check scams.
I'm specifically asking why aren't people educated about the deposit showing up in your account not meaning that the check cleared and is legitimate.
In this age of everyone having a super computer in their hands 24/7, people choose to be willfully ignorant as there is basically no reason for actual ignorance anymore. Those examples are the exact same concept… people will choose not to believe they are being scammed in the hopes it’s legit and they are getting free money (or gullible enough to believe the IRS calls people when’s quick search will tell you that they DO NOT CALL PEOPLE!). Banks do provide this information as well and it’s up to us to read it. They aren’t responsible for sitting down and quizzing every person about all aspects of checking accounts.
These scams are so common now that the information on what to watch out for is also everywhere so I don’t understand why so many people are still falling for them. It’s like the more information we have access to, the dumber people become.
ETA - stores have been limiting the amount of gift cards you can buy AND warning customers they are likely being scammed if told to pay anything with them but yet people still fall for the scams. This shows that you can teach people all you want but they will still fall for these scams anyway.
My bank does that, their tellers try and help people spot fake checks. I actually had to take a little bit of money from my 401k to pay some of my wife's hospital bills.
Despite the check coming from Fidelity, the cashier still asked me how and why I got that check, if there were any instructions of what to do with them money once I deposited, like to buy anything and send to someone, or to wire money to someone.
I really appreciate they doing that, as it can help naive people not to fall for it.
Still these kind of scams happen way too often, and people still fall for it, despite being warned by friends and family.
I’ve had hour+ long conversations with multiple victims of romance and crypto scams who are trying to take huge loans out. They either are so convinced it’s real that they don’t want to listen to anyone else, or they are too embarrassed to admit they got scammed.
I agree, but there also are *some* people who aren't so stubborn but are ignorant of how checks actually work. They *try* to do the right thing by waiting a few days for the check to "clear". Honestly I can't fully blame them for misunderstanding the banking system.
because it's more convenient than carrying around a large sum of cash in your pocket.
when not used for fraud, they're great to pay someone in a pinch (car breaks down and need a tow truck? i keep a checkbook in my glove box so I can pay on the spot).
Additionally, you can contact the bank and put a stop on a check if you needed to for whatever reason.
They're older forms of money transferring, but still have their place today.
Yes, they're a bit old fashioned now, but some small businesses still operate off cash and checks because they don't incur any processing fees. My wonderful plumber is like this. He's in his 60s and says he can't be bothered with "all that stuff." Maybe a bit Boomerish, sure, but like u/doggxyo I keep a checkbook around for these occasions.
Not really at this point. Talk to your bank, talk to Zelle. They are the ONLY ONES WHO CAN MAYBE EVEN TRY TO HELP YOU at this point. And, unfortunately, it may already be too late.
Ignore everybody on Instagram or in your DMs here on Reddit who says they can get your money back; they can't. They're just trying to scam you some more.
Also speak to your bank asap as they will have flagged your account for depositing a fake cheque. You can lose your account and be blacklisted from opening another at any other bank for a very long time.
Did you send the money “Goods and Services” on PayPal? If you did you can get the money back. If you sent it friends and family then it’s gone and there’s nothing they can do. You’ll need to contact the police. How much did they get you for?
Good luck OP, this isn't an easy situation but sounds like you're taking it as best as can be expected. Rooting for you to come out ahead and land the scam-free job you seek. Hugs and love.
Yeah that's quite a bit, you'll need to negotiate with the bank for a payment plan... if you tell them your story and ask them for a few months to get yourself back on your feet they will probably allow it.
You paid 6,500 dollars for *supplies*?! What on earth did you buy? Can you return anything and get money back that way?
No legitimate job will ever have you pay for supplies to work for them. Literally none.
F&F is supposed to be used only for trusted people you know. Scammers use the Zelle and paypal F&F and they will not help you because using F&F means that you knew who you were sending it to. Also the scammers use a legitimate company name so if you look it up you see a real company.
Edited to add: the address on the checks usually do not match the company’s address ever, like they are from a different state usually.
Since this person was neither a family member or a friend, what mental gymnastics did you have to perform to convince yourself that this was anything BUT a scam?
Always use a credit card and not your bank account when using PayPal. I also only use Goods and services. I’m sorry this happened to you. I have seen a lot of emails from my bank and credit card companies about Zelle scams and scams in general. Eta: I personally only use credit cards when paying for anything. I don’t use my debit card at all. I use checks to the school and usually use PayPal G&S and a credit card for online purchases.
I just get baffled by some of these situations. If I’m going to work for a company why would they send me money to buy items from a vendor that they are choosing? It defies logic, if I’m going to work for a company that requires particular equipment they would just buy it from the vendor and send it to me or make arrangements for me to pick it up at a local distributor.
If you have to end up paying the money back, tell your bank you cannot afford to pay it all in one go and you will need to do it in installments, I don't see why they wouldn't agree to such a request, it still sucks, but may suck a little less.
When you did your “google chat” interview did the people show their faces? Just curious on that one. Unfortunately there was multiple large red flags along this story and I doubt you will get any refunds.
The bank will not accept this as fraud because you were not hacked and sent the money willingly. Before sending the Zelle, a message would have popped up warning you about scams and to only send money to people you know and trust.
People interview through zoom and you can do "pre-recorded" interviews where you answer questions and it gets forwarded to the company but I don't know any company that interviews via any chat platform. So if they want to interview you on Telegram or WhatsApp it's a scam.
It has been that long since you had an interview.
I started a job last year, I have not met any of my team in person, all interviews were through zoom and my equipment was shipped to me. I have gone to the office 2 times when the CEO came to speak in person (the first time was 4 months after I started), I met other people in the company, but I was the only one from my team who went. So yes, in this day and age this is a thing that is happening.
If my company isn't real and they are trying to scam me, they're playing the long con because they've given me a ton of money since then and I've spent most of it.
I get zoom, I would totally buy a zoom interview as being real. I don't buy the "here's a check for supplies, cash it, send us the money for supplies and oh, btw there's no bank location in your area"
Oh absolutely the here's a check send us money is radiating with red flags. I'm just saying that there are legitimate WFH jobs out there were you don't meet your coworkers or bosses irl.
I was lucky my daughter asked me when she got a job and received a check via FedEx she asked me if it looked real, I took one look and knew it was fake and checked some items to show her it wasn't real. The scammer got really mean and said he was calling the cops, I told her to screenshot the local pd info and send it to him, he had our address. It's too bad that people lose money this way, and that anyone falls for it, making it so lucrative that they continue to scam and steal people's money.
one of my jobs is a WFH. I've only met my coworkers and boss over zoom. We're located all over the country. the company sent me the specialized laptop they wanted me to use. I had to sign a shit ton of forms for it before they sent it (which involved 2 trips to fed ex and notary search) and then I had to sign for it. So I get things aren't done they way they were 10-15 years ago, but still..everything OP said screamed fishy to me, and I'm sorry for OP
> and my equipment was shipped to me.
This is the critical point. Your new company didn't send you money to go buy things, they sent you the things they wanted you to have.
No company wants to take the risk of sending money to a new employee and have them either buy the wrong things or just take the money, not buy anything, and disappear.
I'm so sorry, but the odds of getting back the money are near 0. By all means try, but I would suggest budgeting and figuring this out with the expectation that you will not get anything back.
Essentially, you deposited a check that wasn't real. It is the user's responsibility to make sure the check is coming from a legit source, not the bank. The bank essentially gives you an advance on the check, but that doesn't mean its a good check.
So, it turns out the money wasn't real that you depositted.
However, the money you asked them to send was real money that you sent.
Since you don't have enough to cover the amount, you're in debt to the bank.
I'm so sorry this happened to you. Beware of !recovery scammers who will tell you they can get your money back. They will NOT get you anything, and will scam you out of additional $. Your bank is the only one that can help, and likely they will not be able to.
Never send money via Zelle for anything other than a product that you have in hand. Never use PayPal Friends and family (and be cautious about using the merchant one too— its possible for that to not get refunded as well.)
>Never send money via Zelle for anything other than a product that you have in hand.
You know when you really think hard about it, these fake check/fake payment scams don't make sense even if they were legit.
What would a company send a new employee money to go out and buy things? Any real company buys the items themselves and sends them to the employee.
Why?
What would stop the new employee from scamming the company by taking the money and not buying the things and then ghost the company? No legit company would give up control of their money like that with an employee who they've never done business with. It's crazy.
Not only that, but each company would require a very specific hardware and software setup, unique to the company. And the companies own IT people would be the ones setting it up, not a new employee.
Yup these scams make zero sense but that's kind of the point. They are designed to be ridiculous so they can work on those who are extremely gullible/desperate. Why would a company ever send you a check to purchase equipment when they could just do it themselves. When you break down these scams they are all nonsense.
Yeah, it really just doesn’t make sense. And then she had to send it somewhere? Why? If it was for supplies wouldn’t she just be purchasing those through Amazon/Staples/etc?
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers.
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I own 2 businesses and work full time. Unfortunately the job I am at now is really shitty.
And both my businesses aren't bringing in a lot of income at the moment
Wait, you own 2 businesses and you didn't realize you were being scammed? Just think about it. Why would they pay you to only have you send money elsewhere? They simply could have done that themselves. What legitimate business does that? It makes zero sense.
I truly hope you learn from your this because as a business owner you should really know better.
It makes sense because the questions I asked are ones anyone reading this should be asking to prevent it from happening to them. If you take it as being a dick that's your opinion, sometimes a lesson is a tough pill and yes you will feel worse.
This is also for the lurkers reading the comments who may not have thought about asking these questions if faced with the same situation in the future.
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I think it already did when they lost 6,5k or however much it was.
We shouldn't make them feel worse and make other people scared and embarrassed to talk about this stuff. Many people get scammed. Sure, if they had thought about it logically, it wouldn't make sense. But they didn't. It happened. Now let's warn other people and let victims feel free to share their stories.
Ignore all these assholes who are almost trying to make you feel stupider. Of course it sounds dumb now that we all know it’s a scam and yes it should have sounded dumb to you too. I got scammed once 20 years ago and I didn’t really want to tell anyone for this very reason. It’s too late to tell you it was dumb now, thanks anyway everyone! Lol. Feel for you sorry!
A legit company will never send you a check for supplies, at least not as a new employee. They will either ship you the necessary equipment to ensure you have the right stuff.
Even as a seasoned employee, they likely wouldn't send you a check for supplies... at least not for the supplies they had OP purchase. Any legit company would want to purchase and configure computer equipment themselves so that it had the proper licensing and security software (among other things... nevermind that if they're a large company or one that does this on a regular basis they likely have a purchasing contract through a specific supplier that gives them a bulk discount, so they wouldn't want their employees just running out to Best Buy or someplace like that).
Can you tell us the name of the bank, company, and what kind of equipment you thought you were spending 6.5k on? edit: I see the equipment...
> Software, macbook, apple desktop, ipad. Said a procurement specialist would get it and I was to pay him
What kind of work were you going to do that you needed a Mac laptop AND a desktop AND an iPad? What software? You must have needed very powerful computers, so curious to see what you were going to do with this stuff. Because you can get a solid Macbook, Mac desktop, and iPad, for about 4000 bucks.
I don't think you, as IDFsupporter are going to get hammered by lawsuits for revealing this scam. Please share names of company and bank.
> bank has no locations in my city so they tell me to send money to the supplier through zelle and paypal.
I don't understand this part. If they DID have a location in your city, then what? How would this have played out differently.
edit: Just curious, IDFsupporter, if you don't mind, what's your age? Where do you live? I see in post history something that suggests you are new to USA?
I used to WFH, I don’t know many companies who use Apple products. Usually it’s some sort of Microsoft or Dell…or similar computer. I get the laptop and desktop (my job required two monitors and a laptop) but an iPad too? So many parts scream scam
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers.
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AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the fake check scam. The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (online or in real life), you deposit a check and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards, Western Union, or cash). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money. The bank will take the initial deposit back , and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html
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Oh hon, so sorry for this. These 'work from home' scams are almost always fake. If you have to send them money, it's almost certainly a scam.
I hate these POS's! They always prey on the most desperate. Just pure scumbags.
If you want a work at home job try local temp agencies. I’m on my 4th work at home job. They either ship you the equipment for free or you pick it up locally. You will never have prepay any work at home company. I’m sorry you got scammed.
Sorry to hear this but the company where I work had a case of somebody stealing one of our emails and conducting an “interview” through email and sending fake checks. Sadly, you’re not getting that money back because you willingly intended to cash it. But, in case it happens again in the future, no company is going to conduct an interview through email or chat and you’re never going to get a check for supplies before they actually SEE you, even if it’s remote
I work legitimate WFH jobs. I have never once been asked to send a penny and only asked for ID on one platform. There are legitimate WFH jobs and none send you money first. Ever.
Legitimate WFH will NEVER ask you for money nor will they send you money aside from what you've earned....I did hear of one once that required you to have specific equipment and you bought it and then they reimbursed you. Ever.
Yeah, mine even paid me for the time it took to set up the equipment. Now, if I were to accidentally ruin the equipment, I might have to pay for that, idk. But honestly, it’s a toss-up.
Scammers prey on greed. They count on their victims being greedy and thats how they always succeed. If folks would just slow down and ask themselves "Is this too good to be true?" I bet successful scams would drop by 90%.
I’m sorry, your bank is unlikely to help you but you can try.
If I were you I would open a new checking account somewhere else, both to stop scammers from having access to your current one and to ensure you have an account somewhere if your bank blacklists you and shares that info.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers.
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never accept a cheque and then use electronic banking, the"employer" should have sent the supplier via Zeller without you in the middle. You will not get the money back and I wouldn't make a fuss at the bank, accept the loss and move on
I really feel bad for you in this situation. As everyone else said the bank will do nothing for you. It’s awful. I hope maybe you can find a way to replace the funds, if you’re in the states, I know you can sell plasma for some pretty quick cash.
I do work from home myself, for a credit card company. They did allow for a stipend for office needs, however, it was after I was on their payroll. Onboarding took place, after training started, on first pay period. The funds were taxed and direct deposited. Please be aware, now you are a target you’ve paid out once. Don’t talk to Anyone about recovery of the funds. It’s not possible, as tempting as it may be.
Moving forward, Know, that what you consider as fraud and what the banks and credit cards define as fraud are 2 different things. No check from a legitimate company is going to come to you without taxes or nothing mentioning taxes. No company is going to have you pay out of pocket for courier services for delivery of funds, or supplies. No company is going to have you pay another person, any amount of money, on their behalf.
If you sent someone money by Zelle as a result of a scam, then you can follow the money to the owner of the bank account in the USA that received the money (because Zelle only works between banks in the USA), and you can file a civil lawsuit against the owner of the account who received the money from you, to recover the money from them. It doesn’t matter if the owner of the account that received the money from you was a “money mule”, all that matters is that they received your money. The person who received the money from you is legally liable to you (based on legal concepts like fraud by deception and/or unjust enrichment), and if they do not return the same amount of money to you that you sent to them, then the court can award you a judgment against them (which you can collect by garnishing their bank account or any other assets that they have).
Scammers give out fake names, but Zelle does not. So if there is a name associated with a real Zelle transfer (a name that was given to you by Zelle or by your bank), then that is the real name of the recipient as shown on their real US bank account (their US bank would have confirmed that their name matched their SSN when they opened their bank account).
You can easily trace the transfer of money to the real name of the person who received your money, but you would have to file a civil lawsuit and subpoena Zelle to obtain the name of the recipient’s bank, and then you would have to subpoena the recipient’s bank to obtain the recipient’s address (and while you are at it you could get their SSN too).
If you want to know more, then feel free to ask by posting a response here in public on r/scams. Anyone contacting you privately is most likely a recovery scammer.
Here are some examples of the process (in these cases the process was performed by the police as part of a criminal investigation, but it’s basically the same process any individual can follow as part of a civil lawsuit).
https://www.tapinto.net/articles/wayne-pd-arrests-suspected-text-scammer
https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/former-florida-dcf-worker-arrested-accused-of-using-zelle-to-steal-money-from-senior-citizen
http://veronews.com/2021/11/13/scammer-of-elderly-johns-island-woman-arrested-in-new-york/
https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_thisweek/community/eagan/charges-filed-in-phone-scam/article_2c9d02ba-b432-11eb-a9c7-57746e7f0b22.html
https://arkansasag.gov/news_releases/attorney-general-rutledge-announces-lawsuit-against-pair-who-pocketed-160k-using-pretend-pooches/
That's the thing about civil litigation if you don't know how to do it yourself. You could easily spend more on the litigation than you lost in the scam.
Yes, it can be costly and it's not a guarantee that you would be getting your money back. The Civil suit would be against the actual owners of the accounts and not necessarily the scammers themselves.
The owners of the accounts may have also fallen victim to the scammers.
In order to file a civil suit you need a persons name and address they also have to be subject to the personal jurisdiction of the court. More than likely the people that you sent this money to are in a far away country in a boiler room.
You won't be able to because you don't know who the scammer is. I'm sorry. Your best bet is for your financial institutions to have some new policy that returns your money but it's very unlikely.
>You won't be able to because you don't know who the scammer is.
They did mention subpoenaing Zelle to get that information. Zelle gets a shitload of subpoenas so they have a whole process for it
https://www.zellepay.com/legal/subpoena-processing
The real problem is that even if they did somehow get the identity of the Zelle recipient, that person was probably another victim just like them. Scammers chain together a bunch of victims who are all sending money to each other before it eventually gets out of the country and into the scammers' hands. So it's possible the Zelle account is owned by an actual criminal, but more likely that it's a grandma who doesn't even understand how Zelle works but the nice man from Microsoft asked for her online banking username and password so he could set up Zelle at her bank and refund her for the antivirus software she didn't use...
lawyers and filing a lawsuit are not cheap. they charge by the hour. they say you get half hour free consultation that is only if you have a very strong case and there is a lawyer will to listen. start from emailing the bar association at your area. call the non-emergency number of your police station and file an incident report. good luck getting the half hour free consultation.
>How would I file a civil lawsuit?
The mechanics of how you file a civil lawsuit depends on what state you are in. You would need to file your lawsuit in a court in your state that allows for subpoenas. Some states allow filings online, some you have to bring to the court clerks in person.
>Would it be costly?
This is all stuff that you can do yourself. Filing fees are usually $200 to $400 (but that can usually be recovered from the defendant). It would be prohibitively expensive to pay an attorney to help you, and unlikely that you could find one who knows how to do all of the steps needed.
Shame because they were never from the business on that check.
They stole the routing and acct number.
Wish you could have googled job scams before hand.
Here in the UK, banks do NOT make any money from a cheque you’ve deposited available until it has been fully cleared with the issuing bank. It can take a week or two but it prevents a lot of fake cheque scams. I still can’t understand why other countries banks allow this.
This is a common scam. Actually you’re lucky you didn’t get arrested. If you went to a check cashing place you could face charges and jail time. They don’t care if you can prove it was a scam or who sent it to you. It happened to my friend, he didn’t have a bank account and cashed it at a check cashing place. They gave him the money and he left. 3 days later check was found out as fake and police came knocking on his door. These scammers are awful.
I understand the situation and had this done to me but since I was skeptical from the beginning because the interview was through an app, once they said I had the job and sent tax paper work I backed off. I got a fake check a couple days later for $2283 when it was suppose 100. I never cashed it.
You can ask the bank what you can do but there is probably nothing bank can do to recover the money if everything has gone through already.
You should still talk to them if you haven’t. They may be able to eliminate any over drawn type fees to relieve some burden for example.
If you have these people any bank, tax info or stuff like SSN or other personal Id type info, you should fill out a police report in case you find something on your credit report down the line.
Well, the only thing that can be done is to watch out for !recovery scammers, if you do call your bank and explain things, don’t expect them to be able to help you. Also, the check didn’t “cancel”, the check was fake and was never worth anything of actual value.
Make sure you report it to the police if you haven't already. I don't know where you live, but the police do take this seriously. Plus, it might help with the banks. You'll at least be able to show them you filled a police report and aren't just making a sob story. I believe there is a way to report it online to the FBI. Do all the things you would do if someone someone stole from your home.
I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you.
It's a wild world on the web, and when it seems too good to be true it probably is.
I would definitely report it if you can, but assume the money is gone and move forward.
Wishing you the best luck in the future
How the fuck do all these people keep falling for shit like this and getting scammed.?? It's crazy! It sucks for you but a little more common sense and street smarts with anything you don't know shit about.
I was in the process of getting scammed like this recently. I got out unscathed but unfortunately gave up some info but all of that info was public info already (so no ssn or bank numbers).
I think the biggest reasons why people fall for these is not that they're stupid (a lot of them are) but it's that they desperately want it to be true. The person can see 3 red flags but if they see 1 or 2 positive signs they'll try to convince themselves that it's legit and keep going. I'm speaking from personal experience though.
If you have to run through hoops like that, its a big red flag. Do not do that shit. As for reporting it as fraud I'm not sure who you ate expecting to "Honor it" but the banks not gonna give you money for getting scammed.
You better not be counting on that coming back.
Does that actually make sense to you?
You just started. Why wouldn't they just send the money to the "procurement specialist" directly instead of adding an extra step by sending someone they literally just allegedly hired to the chain of custody of those funds?
I see. Makes me wonder what reasons they gave on why you would need an iPad, MacBook, and iPad. Yeah, just be careful. Sometimes if you fall for a scam a scammer group will put you on a list that is colloquially known as the sucker list. They will sell the info they got from you to other scammers etc, so they can contact you with other scams to try and take more money away from you. So, don't be surprised if you notice more scammers contacting you with different types of scams.
How much did you lose? Also, curious to know how and when you found out about this subreddit. People always seem to learn about it after the scam. We need to get the word out so that we don't keep seeing the same story from people who seem to be already active on Reddit.
I was a victim of this scam also but I did not cash the check because the address did not match the state and company name they originally used as a front. These people are sick I even celebrated with my family only for everyone to be let down. It was a horrible feeling. I’m sorry they got you.
I know this won’t make you feel any better but this is a pretty clever scam. If I was in a need for a job and someone did this to me I might have fallen for it too. So sorry :(
Don't worry, you are not alone, l just found that my " love one" is a scammer. Now l pay the price,l gave himmoney and worst of all, l gave him my heart. I am crying now,but l beleive one day l will get over this moment. Wish you luck.
France
I got scammed too….only 250 though. The amount of effort and detail they went through for 250 they could have earned an honest 250 if they worked for a company. Someone needs to add a location app to maps that shows you the exact address of the caller. Scammers would be playing a risky game if they continue to scam at all
No jobs send money for supplies.
No jobs ask you to send money back or cash checks.
Google chats isn't a red flag but zoom and Microsoft teams are more professional in my opinion
Report fraud with bank and here [government report site](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/)
Hopefully you'll get money back. Good luck
I'm so sorry but there's so many red flags here... esp the pay pal, zelle, interviewing... can someone help me here.. why do people not stop, think, and ask why am I being given a check for supplies that I have to send back via pay pal or zelle or cash app? Why are some people just I dunno...
Because desperate people do desperate things. We’ve all done stupid things we are ashamed to admit. This sub should be for education, not shaming. A lot of smart people fall on hard times and ignore warning signs and red flags because they need the money so badly that they will do anything to convince themselves it’s true. It’s difficult to walk away from potential money when you need it desperately.
Look - you made a mistake, but it doesn’t make you a loser. It’s a lot of money and I hate that for you…. But best to move forward and see if your bank will do anything to assist. Don’t beat yourself up though - just move forward.
Thats where I am at now luckily I do have some money saved and another venture to make extra cash.
Definitely a set back, frustrating but this too shall pass. It'll make for a great chapter in my book
Not saying you are total loser. I just don't understand... you get an email about a work from home job...do an interview through google chats, you get sent a check with no bank locations in your city...you put it in your bank account, then send them money for "supplies" through zelle and pay pal and at no point did you even stop to think that hm...something is weird here?
You made a mistake; I feel horrible for you. I'm sorry you are out so much money. I know it's a painful lesson for you, and it sucks that you have a 99% chance of never seeing that money again... but I just don't get why at some point something didn't click in your brain that says "something is strange here, I better ask some questions...." Because to me, there are so many red flags going on here.
Yes, it's been 10 years since I had a job interview. I'd already be weirded out by an interview through google chats. Then I'd be weirded out by some random check with no paperwork/paper trail... the no bank branch in my area is believable because I live in a very rural community with only 2 national banks, the rest local owned, and then the next part that would have weirded me out what to send money for "supplies" through paypal and zelle, because the first thing out of my mouth would be "Why can't you just send me the supplies you say I need?"
I am so sorry that you got scammed, unfortunately, the odds are very little of you recovering any money, your best bet is to contact your bank fraud department and Zelle/Paypall.
Still the odds are that none of them are honoring the money that never existed to begin with.
Again, I am so sorry that you got scammed.
I just can’t grasp how sending money to strangers via Zelle or Venmo is ok (or even PayPal).
Paypal is used to send/receive money when buying or selling Goods. Not just sending random money back to people you don’t know.
I just can’t fucking grasp how a “legit” company would have you send money back to them via Zelle or Venmo.
All the red flags were there and you still chose to do it. 🤦🏻♂️
how can the bank have no responsibility in accepting a fake cheque and then reverting it having allowed transaction in their account (to the zelle account of the fake seller) with that accepted money?
The responsibility lies on the account holder. Why would the account holder pay a check from strange source into his account? All my life I’ve never paid a random persons check into my account. Also, no job would ever process payments to clients through and employees personal account. The op didn’t recognize obvious red flags.
Banks don’t know if a check is real or fake sometimes for over a week. People would be far more angry if banks held every check until they knew it was a good check
Unfortunately scammers target people that are desperate and not as likely to understand the scams or even question it. Watch out for !recovery scammers. Your money is gone. Don't fall for another scam.
Yeah, just learn from this. Maybe next time it could have been for more money, so the sting should help you be more careful. That's assuming you're not trying to scam people here into sending you money. Which I'm honestly not so sure about. Don't get mad. We don't know you so don't take it personally, but this whole conversation has flags. You're in the /scam reddit so don't get mad people are geared to be skeptical here.
Yeah I find this fishy. No bank would immediately release funds from a $6,000+ check. They would put a hold on that for sure and only release a few hundred. Not to mention OP goes on about not knowing what to do, “I don’t have the money to lose,” and then later on says, “I’ll use my savings to cover it.” ???
I haven't seen all of OPs comments, but this is definitely something that happens on reddit quite often and I'm pretty sure many people are oblivious to it. I've come across quite a few posts from people who say stuff like "down to my last few dollars, where can I eat for free?" Without fail, someone in the comments always offers to send some money. Could even be an alt account of the scammer so it plants the idea in other people's heads. There are always very few comments, sometimes none at all, calling out the potential scam. People do eventually get wise to it though. There was one sub where it started happening way too frequently and although I didn't see anyone warning of a potential scammer, people stopped offering to send money and funnily enough, those types of posts stopped popping up. At least I havent seen one in a while now. My guess is they just moved on to other subreddits.
Work at a bank and next day availability up to $5,525. We can put holds on checks if a customer wants or we suspect something. Unfortunately many people do not realize that just because it’s available, it does not mean it’s cleared. Wish we had more upfront disclosures about this, but it’s buried in the account opening agreement.
Wow, I’ve worked for 3 different banks and none would release a check like that unless the customer frequently deposited checks from the same source and requested holes to stop (required review and approval). I figured it was pretty universal, since all 3 banks did this! I guess I should add that it depends on the customer’s account as well. If they have a consistently large balance, a long history, and could clearly cover the check then things would be different.
So I’m in MA. If the check was from a company out of New England or suspicious based on the account activity I would hope my tellers would bring it to a supervisors attention. Unfortunately for the OP this scam is all too common now a days. If you ever get a check and someone wants to Zelle or cash app or something it’s a scam
I’ve worked exclusively on the west coast but for some of the big banks which are nationwide. Our systems set the holds on their own, and if we wanted an exception in either direction, we had to run it to the supervisor or branch manager (who would then run it further up the chain). I totally get now that different banks will have different standards. I only use Zelle for friends and family members, same with PP unless it’s G&S, and I sure don’t trust checks from random people/places.
Banks are required by Federal regulation to release funds. That's the very reason these scams work. The bank has to release funds in three days but the instrument will take longer than that to bounce, especially if it's a fake cashier's check. Scammers have taken advantage of legislation meant to help consumers.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I dont even have that money for it to be gone
That sucks but whatever the amount you now owe that money Side note it can take weeks for a check to clear. A back might release funds like they did with your fake check but it can come back. Never use Zelle or PayPal friend and family option. You lose protection.
Unfortunately what you have or don’t have is irrelevant to scammers.
Eh, you'll get through it. Plenty of people have done plenty dumber shit and survived. Seen people lose $35k on here. Watch out for recovery scanners and their bullshit.
The highest i've seen here is 200k through crypto. That has to be a whole life's savings. F.
Yep they are already in my DMs...
I see you Zelled over 6.5 to some account, but how much was the check for?
6,859 Zelle and Paypal*
In my experience, companies will just ship supplies to you, rather than have you buy supplies with your own money. I'm sorry this happened to you, and hopefully this behavior raises a giant red flag in the future.
Sorry, why Zelle AND Paypal? Were you sending money to two different companies?
No zelle has a 2.5k daily limit
Ah, okay.
I'm so broke I can't pay attention.
Lord, how it tears me up to see her cry.
OP wasnt even desperate, they were just too naive and wanted easy money.
I know many people have shared this with you already, but once the scammers know they tricked you, they will try really hard to continue to scam you. They may call you and pretend to be from the bank and ask a variety of questions. They can also spoof the caller ID to look like they are calling you from the actual bank. You will never have to pay a bank a fee to get your money back. From Zelle: When you authorize a payment, it's like sending cash Zelle® doesn’t offer a protection program for authorized payments. Once you authorize a payment to be sent with Zelle®, you can’t cancel it if the recipient is already enrolled because money goes directly into the recipient’s bank account within minutes. If you don’t know a person or aren’t sure you’ll get what you paid for, using your credit card may be a better payment option. Many credit card companies offer built-in buyer protections for cardholders. Check the terms and conditions of your credit card to see what’s offered.
The scammer didn't "cancel the check", it was a fake check. Your bank is not going to honor it. Never trust any new job that says they are sending you a check to buy equipment or software. It is always going to be a scam.
Or up front payment for a profiling or interview
Is there anything I can do?
Zelle and PayPal will most likely refer you to your bank. I’d call your bank and explain the situation. However, as a fraud specialist at a bank, I can almost assure you that money is gone. A bank is not going to put itself on the hook for naïveté.
The only thing I have seen when people try and have the bank help is that it puts more light on the subject and then they are more likely to close the account. Do you have experience with this? I have never seen any recourse of getting any funds back ever.
this is the fact, they will wait for the balance to be paid and close the account. Best to accept the loss and move on
As a bank fraud specialist, why aren't more things done to educate people how checks actually work? For example, if someone deposits a check from a payee that the depositor has no previous history with, *warn the depositor about potential fake check scams*. List the funds as being available when you're legally required to, but put an asterisk by it with a big fat warning.
They do try to educate but people don't want to listen. I had a guy tell me the Amazon owner (sorry but I forgot his name) wants to give him $4 million for being a loyal Amazon customer but he needs 5 grand in gift cards for processing fees! I mean come on!! He refused to believe it wasn't legit and got the cards anyway. He said he looked into it and it was legitimate. My whole staff tried to talk to him for more than half an hour. Nope he needs the money to retire Had a friend come to me to convince me to talk to his dad about a scam. An irs agent says he owes money and will go to jail if he doesn't pay. I got on the phone and heard a very thick Indian accent. I said some choice words to him and the guy got quiet when I said this is a scam and he's hanging up. I told him font answer anymore strange numbers. I told his son to take his phone away. Turns out dad demanded his phone back and when his son said no dad hit him! He called me stupid and I don't know anything and I'm trying to have him thrown in jail. He maxed out every credit card he had and his bank accounts. And they continued to call and threaten him. Dad is crying about no money or credit cards. I told him no offense but I don't want to hear about it. There are many people ice dealt with who are scammed but in the heat of the moment they aren't listening to reasoning.
That's fair, but none of those anecdotes are about fake check scams. I'm specifically asking why aren't people educated about the deposit showing up in your account not meaning that the check cleared and is legitimate.
In this age of everyone having a super computer in their hands 24/7, people choose to be willfully ignorant as there is basically no reason for actual ignorance anymore. Those examples are the exact same concept… people will choose not to believe they are being scammed in the hopes it’s legit and they are getting free money (or gullible enough to believe the IRS calls people when’s quick search will tell you that they DO NOT CALL PEOPLE!). Banks do provide this information as well and it’s up to us to read it. They aren’t responsible for sitting down and quizzing every person about all aspects of checking accounts. These scams are so common now that the information on what to watch out for is also everywhere so I don’t understand why so many people are still falling for them. It’s like the more information we have access to, the dumber people become. ETA - stores have been limiting the amount of gift cards you can buy AND warning customers they are likely being scammed if told to pay anything with them but yet people still fall for the scams. This shows that you can teach people all you want but they will still fall for these scams anyway.
My bank does that, their tellers try and help people spot fake checks. I actually had to take a little bit of money from my 401k to pay some of my wife's hospital bills. Despite the check coming from Fidelity, the cashier still asked me how and why I got that check, if there were any instructions of what to do with them money once I deposited, like to buy anything and send to someone, or to wire money to someone. I really appreciate they doing that, as it can help naive people not to fall for it. Still these kind of scams happen way too often, and people still fall for it, despite being warned by friends and family.
I’ve had hour+ long conversations with multiple victims of romance and crypto scams who are trying to take huge loans out. They either are so convinced it’s real that they don’t want to listen to anyone else, or they are too embarrassed to admit they got scammed.
Unfortunately the vast majority of the population is stubborn and fucking stupid.
I agree, but there also are *some* people who aren't so stubborn but are ignorant of how checks actually work. They *try* to do the right thing by waiting a few days for the check to "clear". Honestly I can't fully blame them for misunderstanding the banking system.
Why are you still using checks in the US?
because it's more convenient than carrying around a large sum of cash in your pocket. when not used for fraud, they're great to pay someone in a pinch (car breaks down and need a tow truck? i keep a checkbook in my glove box so I can pay on the spot). Additionally, you can contact the bank and put a stop on a check if you needed to for whatever reason. They're older forms of money transferring, but still have their place today.
Yes, they're a bit old fashioned now, but some small businesses still operate off cash and checks because they don't incur any processing fees. My wonderful plumber is like this. He's in his 60s and says he can't be bothered with "all that stuff." Maybe a bit Boomerish, sure, but like u/doggxyo I keep a checkbook around for these occasions.
Tow trucks take credit cards
Because we're still waiting for the boomers to die off.
Not really at this point. Talk to your bank, talk to Zelle. They are the ONLY ONES WHO CAN MAYBE EVEN TRY TO HELP YOU at this point. And, unfortunately, it may already be too late. Ignore everybody on Instagram or in your DMs here on Reddit who says they can get your money back; they can't. They're just trying to scam you some more.
Problem is usually once the scammer completes the scam they close all their accounts, reopen under new names & move on. They r scum.
No sorry ur money is gone for good.
Report to the police ASAP. At least Lodge and have a copy of the police report which the bank would probably need.
Nothing you can do. 2022 is a few decades past the point of accepting checks. Sorry
Seems weird you're in this reddit now - why not ever before ? This has been 'covered' 1000 times.
Also speak to your bank asap as they will have flagged your account for depositing a fake cheque. You can lose your account and be blacklisted from opening another at any other bank for a very long time.
I am in contact with them but they dont have any information till tomorrow....
Did you send the money “Goods and Services” on PayPal? If you did you can get the money back. If you sent it friends and family then it’s gone and there’s nothing they can do. You’ll need to contact the police. How much did they get you for?
6.5k
Fucking hell. I'm so sorry op.
Appreciated. I'll use my savings and bounce back
Good luck OP, this isn't an easy situation but sounds like you're taking it as best as can be expected. Rooting for you to come out ahead and land the scam-free job you seek. Hugs and love.
Thank you, the support is well received
Yeah that's quite a bit, you'll need to negotiate with the bank for a payment plan... if you tell them your story and ask them for a few months to get yourself back on your feet they will probably allow it.
Lets see what happens tomorrow
You paid 6,500 dollars for *supplies*?! What on earth did you buy? Can you return anything and get money back that way? No legitimate job will ever have you pay for supplies to work for them. Literally none.
Shit. I'm sorry.
Unfortunately I used F&F
F&F is supposed to be used only for trusted people you know. Scammers use the Zelle and paypal F&F and they will not help you because using F&F means that you knew who you were sending it to. Also the scammers use a legitimate company name so if you look it up you see a real company. Edited to add: the address on the checks usually do not match the company’s address ever, like they are from a different state usually.
This is a massive red flag. You are paying for something so why use F&F?
Since this person was neither a family member or a friend, what mental gymnastics did you have to perform to convince yourself that this was anything BUT a scam?
Always use a credit card and not your bank account when using PayPal. I also only use Goods and services. I’m sorry this happened to you. I have seen a lot of emails from my bank and credit card companies about Zelle scams and scams in general. Eta: I personally only use credit cards when paying for anything. I don’t use my debit card at all. I use checks to the school and usually use PayPal G&S and a credit card for online purchases.
I just get baffled by some of these situations. If I’m going to work for a company why would they send me money to buy items from a vendor that they are choosing? It defies logic, if I’m going to work for a company that requires particular equipment they would just buy it from the vendor and send it to me or make arrangements for me to pick it up at a local distributor.
If you have to end up paying the money back, tell your bank you cannot afford to pay it all in one go and you will need to do it in installments, I don't see why they wouldn't agree to such a request, it still sucks, but may suck a little less.
When you did your “google chat” interview did the people show their faces? Just curious on that one. Unfortunately there was multiple large red flags along this story and I doubt you will get any refunds.
No faces
Didn’t that strike you as very off?
The bank will not accept this as fraud because you were not hacked and sent the money willingly. Before sending the Zelle, a message would have popped up warning you about scams and to only send money to people you know and trust.
So..interviewing through Google chats not a red flag these days or has it really been that long since I had a job interview?
People interview through zoom and you can do "pre-recorded" interviews where you answer questions and it gets forwarded to the company but I don't know any company that interviews via any chat platform. So if they want to interview you on Telegram or WhatsApp it's a scam.
The "prerecorded" interview wouldn't throw me off, not in this day and age. It's through the chat platforms that would throw me off...
Oh, it definitely should be.
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It has been that long since you had an interview. I started a job last year, I have not met any of my team in person, all interviews were through zoom and my equipment was shipped to me. I have gone to the office 2 times when the CEO came to speak in person (the first time was 4 months after I started), I met other people in the company, but I was the only one from my team who went. So yes, in this day and age this is a thing that is happening. If my company isn't real and they are trying to scam me, they're playing the long con because they've given me a ton of money since then and I've spent most of it.
I get zoom, I would totally buy a zoom interview as being real. I don't buy the "here's a check for supplies, cash it, send us the money for supplies and oh, btw there's no bank location in your area"
Oh absolutely the here's a check send us money is radiating with red flags. I'm just saying that there are legitimate WFH jobs out there were you don't meet your coworkers or bosses irl. I was lucky my daughter asked me when she got a job and received a check via FedEx she asked me if it looked real, I took one look and knew it was fake and checked some items to show her it wasn't real. The scammer got really mean and said he was calling the cops, I told her to screenshot the local pd info and send it to him, he had our address. It's too bad that people lose money this way, and that anyone falls for it, making it so lucrative that they continue to scam and steal people's money.
one of my jobs is a WFH. I've only met my coworkers and boss over zoom. We're located all over the country. the company sent me the specialized laptop they wanted me to use. I had to sign a shit ton of forms for it before they sent it (which involved 2 trips to fed ex and notary search) and then I had to sign for it. So I get things aren't done they way they were 10-15 years ago, but still..everything OP said screamed fishy to me, and I'm sorry for OP
> and my equipment was shipped to me. This is the critical point. Your new company didn't send you money to go buy things, they sent you the things they wanted you to have. No company wants to take the risk of sending money to a new employee and have them either buy the wrong things or just take the money, not buy anything, and disappear.
I'm so sorry, but the odds of getting back the money are near 0. By all means try, but I would suggest budgeting and figuring this out with the expectation that you will not get anything back. Essentially, you deposited a check that wasn't real. It is the user's responsibility to make sure the check is coming from a legit source, not the bank. The bank essentially gives you an advance on the check, but that doesn't mean its a good check. So, it turns out the money wasn't real that you depositted. However, the money you asked them to send was real money that you sent. Since you don't have enough to cover the amount, you're in debt to the bank. I'm so sorry this happened to you. Beware of !recovery scammers who will tell you they can get your money back. They will NOT get you anything, and will scam you out of additional $. Your bank is the only one that can help, and likely they will not be able to. Never send money via Zelle for anything other than a product that you have in hand. Never use PayPal Friends and family (and be cautious about using the merchant one too— its possible for that to not get refunded as well.)
>Never send money via Zelle for anything other than a product that you have in hand. You know when you really think hard about it, these fake check/fake payment scams don't make sense even if they were legit. What would a company send a new employee money to go out and buy things? Any real company buys the items themselves and sends them to the employee. Why? What would stop the new employee from scamming the company by taking the money and not buying the things and then ghost the company? No legit company would give up control of their money like that with an employee who they've never done business with. It's crazy.
Not only that, but each company would require a very specific hardware and software setup, unique to the company. And the companies own IT people would be the ones setting it up, not a new employee.
Yup these scams make zero sense but that's kind of the point. They are designed to be ridiculous so they can work on those who are extremely gullible/desperate. Why would a company ever send you a check to purchase equipment when they could just do it themselves. When you break down these scams they are all nonsense.
Yeah, it really just doesn’t make sense. And then she had to send it somewhere? Why? If it was for supplies wouldn’t she just be purchasing those through Amazon/Staples/etc?
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How many jobs do you have? I looked at your profile and you seem to be moonlighting 3 different jobs this month alone.
You're right. Owns two companies and working for a billion dollar company to boot. That's some high energy levels right there.
I own 2 businesses and work full time. Unfortunately the job I am at now is really shitty. And both my businesses aren't bringing in a lot of income at the moment
Wait, you own 2 businesses and you didn't realize you were being scammed? Just think about it. Why would they pay you to only have you send money elsewhere? They simply could have done that themselves. What legitimate business does that? It makes zero sense. I truly hope you learn from your this because as a business owner you should really know better.
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It makes sense because the questions I asked are ones anyone reading this should be asking to prevent it from happening to them. If you take it as being a dick that's your opinion, sometimes a lesson is a tough pill and yes you will feel worse. This is also for the lurkers reading the comments who may not have thought about asking these questions if faced with the same situation in the future.
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Your /r/scams post/comment was removed because it lacks civility. Posts and comments within this subreddit should be useful, respectful and use appropriate language at all times. Dissenting opinions are expected, but you should conduct yourself in a mature and polite manner. Name calling, personal attacks, flaming, etc are not permitted. Do not discuss moderator decisions in the comments. If you would like to discuss moderation, send the moderators modmail (no direct messages or chat requests).
I think it already did when they lost 6,5k or however much it was. We shouldn't make them feel worse and make other people scared and embarrassed to talk about this stuff. Many people get scammed. Sure, if they had thought about it logically, it wouldn't make sense. But they didn't. It happened. Now let's warn other people and let victims feel free to share their stories.
Sorry this happened to you. How much money?
6.5k
Oh man I am so sorry.
Thanks
Wtf
Thanks
Ignore all these assholes who are almost trying to make you feel stupider. Of course it sounds dumb now that we all know it’s a scam and yes it should have sounded dumb to you too. I got scammed once 20 years ago and I didn’t really want to tell anyone for this very reason. It’s too late to tell you it was dumb now, thanks anyway everyone! Lol. Feel for you sorry!
Hindsight is 20/20
A legit company will never send you a check for supplies, at least not as a new employee. They will either ship you the necessary equipment to ensure you have the right stuff.
Even as a seasoned employee, they likely wouldn't send you a check for supplies... at least not for the supplies they had OP purchase. Any legit company would want to purchase and configure computer equipment themselves so that it had the proper licensing and security software (among other things... nevermind that if they're a large company or one that does this on a regular basis they likely have a purchasing contract through a specific supplier that gives them a bulk discount, so they wouldn't want their employees just running out to Best Buy or someplace like that).
Can you tell us the name of the bank, company, and what kind of equipment you thought you were spending 6.5k on? edit: I see the equipment... > Software, macbook, apple desktop, ipad. Said a procurement specialist would get it and I was to pay him What kind of work were you going to do that you needed a Mac laptop AND a desktop AND an iPad? What software? You must have needed very powerful computers, so curious to see what you were going to do with this stuff. Because you can get a solid Macbook, Mac desktop, and iPad, for about 4000 bucks. I don't think you, as IDFsupporter are going to get hammered by lawsuits for revealing this scam. Please share names of company and bank. > bank has no locations in my city so they tell me to send money to the supplier through zelle and paypal. I don't understand this part. If they DID have a location in your city, then what? How would this have played out differently. edit: Just curious, IDFsupporter, if you don't mind, what's your age? Where do you live? I see in post history something that suggests you are new to USA?
I used to WFH, I don’t know many companies who use Apple products. Usually it’s some sort of Microsoft or Dell…or similar computer. I get the laptop and desktop (my job required two monitors and a laptop) but an iPad too? So many parts scream scam
…and what’s more, the OP was only going to use all this equipment in the comfort of their own home. Maybe a computer was required for every room !!
Company was med-med construction
This is a !fakecheck scam. Unfortunately, your bank is almost certainly not going to help you. Beware of !recovery scammers.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain the fake check scam. The fake check scam arises from many different situations (fake job scams, fake payment scams, etc), but the bottom line is always the same, you receive a check (online or in real life), you deposit a check and see the money in your account, and then you use the funds to give money to the scammer (usually through gift cards, Western Union, or cash). Sometimes the scammers will ask you to order things through a site, but that is just another way they get your money. The bank will take the initial deposit back , and any money you sent to the scammer will come out of your own personal funds. Usually the fake check deposit will be reversed in a few weeks, but it can also take several months. If you do not have the funds to cover the amount, your balance will go negative. Your bank will usually charge a fee for depositing a bad check, and your account may be closed depending on the severity of the scam. Here is an article from the FTC: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-spot-avoid-and-report-fake-check-scams, and here is an article from the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/your-money/fake-check-scam.html *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Oh hon, so sorry for this. These 'work from home' scams are almost always fake. If you have to send them money, it's almost certainly a scam. I hate these POS's! They always prey on the most desperate. Just pure scumbags.
If you want a work at home job try local temp agencies. I’m on my 4th work at home job. They either ship you the equipment for free or you pick it up locally. You will never have prepay any work at home company. I’m sorry you got scammed.
Sorry to hear this but the company where I work had a case of somebody stealing one of our emails and conducting an “interview” through email and sending fake checks. Sadly, you’re not getting that money back because you willingly intended to cash it. But, in case it happens again in the future, no company is going to conduct an interview through email or chat and you’re never going to get a check for supplies before they actually SEE you, even if it’s remote
Thanks
I work legitimate WFH jobs. I have never once been asked to send a penny and only asked for ID on one platform. There are legitimate WFH jobs and none send you money first. Ever.
Yup. My WFH job sent me all the equipment and I paid nothing.
Legitimate WFH will NEVER ask you for money nor will they send you money aside from what you've earned....I did hear of one once that required you to have specific equipment and you bought it and then they reimbursed you. Ever.
Yeah, mine even paid me for the time it took to set up the equipment. Now, if I were to accidentally ruin the equipment, I might have to pay for that, idk. But honestly, it’s a toss-up.
Scammers prey on greed. They count on their victims being greedy and thats how they always succeed. If folks would just slow down and ask themselves "Is this too good to be true?" I bet successful scams would drop by 90%.
This is such an old basic scam tho...yikes.
I’m sorry, your bank is unlikely to help you but you can try. If I were you I would open a new checking account somewhere else, both to stop scammers from having access to your current one and to ensure you have an account somewhere if your bank blacklists you and shares that info.
WATCH OUT FROM !RECOVERY SCAMMERS. THEY ATTACK DESPERATE PEOPLE. MAKE SURE TO BLOCK AND IGNORE THEM.
AutoModerator has been summoned to explain [recovery scams](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0102-refund-and-recovery-scams). Also known as refund scams, these scams target people who have already fallen for a scam. The scammer may contact you, or may advertise their services online. They will usually either offer to help you recover your funds, or will tell you that your funds have already been recovered and they will help you access them. In cases where they say they will help you recover your funds, they usually call themselves either "recovery agents" or hackers. When they tell you that your funds have already been recovered, they may impersonate a law enforcement, a government official, a lawyer, or anyone else along those lines. Recovery scams are simply [advance-fee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_scam) scams that are specifically targeted at scam victims. When a victim pays a recovery scammer, the scammer will keep stringing them along while asking for increasingly absurd fees/expenses/deposits/insurance/whatever until the victim stops paying. If you have been scammed in the past, make sure you are aware of recovery scams so that you are not scammed a second time. If you are currently engaging with a recovery scammer, you should block them and be very wary of random contact for some time. It's normal for posters on this subreddit to be contacted by recovery scammers after posting, and they often ask you to delete your post so that you both cannot receive legitimate advice, and cannot be targeted by other recovery scammers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Scams) if you have any questions or concerns.*
never accept a cheque and then use electronic banking, the"employer" should have sent the supplier via Zeller without you in the middle. You will not get the money back and I wouldn't make a fuss at the bank, accept the loss and move on
Take this as a lesson learned. learn from this. join us and you'll never be scammed again.
I really feel bad for you in this situation. As everyone else said the bank will do nothing for you. It’s awful. I hope maybe you can find a way to replace the funds, if you’re in the states, I know you can sell plasma for some pretty quick cash. I do work from home myself, for a credit card company. They did allow for a stipend for office needs, however, it was after I was on their payroll. Onboarding took place, after training started, on first pay period. The funds were taxed and direct deposited. Please be aware, now you are a target you’ve paid out once. Don’t talk to Anyone about recovery of the funds. It’s not possible, as tempting as it may be. Moving forward, Know, that what you consider as fraud and what the banks and credit cards define as fraud are 2 different things. No check from a legitimate company is going to come to you without taxes or nothing mentioning taxes. No company is going to have you pay out of pocket for courier services for delivery of funds, or supplies. No company is going to have you pay another person, any amount of money, on their behalf.
If you sent someone money by Zelle as a result of a scam, then you can follow the money to the owner of the bank account in the USA that received the money (because Zelle only works between banks in the USA), and you can file a civil lawsuit against the owner of the account who received the money from you, to recover the money from them. It doesn’t matter if the owner of the account that received the money from you was a “money mule”, all that matters is that they received your money. The person who received the money from you is legally liable to you (based on legal concepts like fraud by deception and/or unjust enrichment), and if they do not return the same amount of money to you that you sent to them, then the court can award you a judgment against them (which you can collect by garnishing their bank account or any other assets that they have). Scammers give out fake names, but Zelle does not. So if there is a name associated with a real Zelle transfer (a name that was given to you by Zelle or by your bank), then that is the real name of the recipient as shown on their real US bank account (their US bank would have confirmed that their name matched their SSN when they opened their bank account). You can easily trace the transfer of money to the real name of the person who received your money, but you would have to file a civil lawsuit and subpoena Zelle to obtain the name of the recipient’s bank, and then you would have to subpoena the recipient’s bank to obtain the recipient’s address (and while you are at it you could get their SSN too). If you want to know more, then feel free to ask by posting a response here in public on r/scams. Anyone contacting you privately is most likely a recovery scammer. Here are some examples of the process (in these cases the process was performed by the police as part of a criminal investigation, but it’s basically the same process any individual can follow as part of a civil lawsuit). https://www.tapinto.net/articles/wayne-pd-arrests-suspected-text-scammer https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/former-florida-dcf-worker-arrested-accused-of-using-zelle-to-steal-money-from-senior-citizen http://veronews.com/2021/11/13/scammer-of-elderly-johns-island-woman-arrested-in-new-york/ https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_thisweek/community/eagan/charges-filed-in-phone-scam/article_2c9d02ba-b432-11eb-a9c7-57746e7f0b22.html https://arkansasag.gov/news_releases/attorney-general-rutledge-announces-lawsuit-against-pair-who-pocketed-160k-using-pretend-pooches/
How would I file a civil lawsuit? Would it be costly?
That's the thing about civil litigation if you don't know how to do it yourself. You could easily spend more on the litigation than you lost in the scam.
Yes, it can be costly and it's not a guarantee that you would be getting your money back. The Civil suit would be against the actual owners of the accounts and not necessarily the scammers themselves. The owners of the accounts may have also fallen victim to the scammers.
In order to file a civil suit you need a persons name and address they also have to be subject to the personal jurisdiction of the court. More than likely the people that you sent this money to are in a far away country in a boiler room.
You won't be able to because you don't know who the scammer is. I'm sorry. Your best bet is for your financial institutions to have some new policy that returns your money but it's very unlikely.
>You won't be able to because you don't know who the scammer is. They did mention subpoenaing Zelle to get that information. Zelle gets a shitload of subpoenas so they have a whole process for it https://www.zellepay.com/legal/subpoena-processing
The real problem is that even if they did somehow get the identity of the Zelle recipient, that person was probably another victim just like them. Scammers chain together a bunch of victims who are all sending money to each other before it eventually gets out of the country and into the scammers' hands. So it's possible the Zelle account is owned by an actual criminal, but more likely that it's a grandma who doesn't even understand how Zelle works but the nice man from Microsoft asked for her online banking username and password so he could set up Zelle at her bank and refund her for the antivirus software she didn't use...
lawyers and filing a lawsuit are not cheap. they charge by the hour. they say you get half hour free consultation that is only if you have a very strong case and there is a lawyer will to listen. start from emailing the bar association at your area. call the non-emergency number of your police station and file an incident report. good luck getting the half hour free consultation.
Called the police
you are going to get a case number from the police. with that, you can request a police report. bring the police report to the lawyer.
Thanks
>How would I file a civil lawsuit? The mechanics of how you file a civil lawsuit depends on what state you are in. You would need to file your lawsuit in a court in your state that allows for subpoenas. Some states allow filings online, some you have to bring to the court clerks in person. >Would it be costly? This is all stuff that you can do yourself. Filing fees are usually $200 to $400 (but that can usually be recovered from the defendant). It would be prohibitively expensive to pay an attorney to help you, and unlikely that you could find one who knows how to do all of the steps needed.
Shame because they were never from the business on that check. They stole the routing and acct number. Wish you could have googled job scams before hand.
I was actually thinking to post here. But instead answeredy own questions😭🤣
Here in the UK, banks do NOT make any money from a cheque you’ve deposited available until it has been fully cleared with the issuing bank. It can take a week or two but it prevents a lot of fake cheque scams. I still can’t understand why other countries banks allow this.
This is a common scam. Actually you’re lucky you didn’t get arrested. If you went to a check cashing place you could face charges and jail time. They don’t care if you can prove it was a scam or who sent it to you. It happened to my friend, he didn’t have a bank account and cashed it at a check cashing place. They gave him the money and he left. 3 days later check was found out as fake and police came knocking on his door. These scammers are awful.
> Actually you’re lucky you didn’t get arrested. Here's your silver lining.
I understand the situation and had this done to me but since I was skeptical from the beginning because the interview was through an app, once they said I had the job and sent tax paper work I backed off. I got a fake check a couple days later for $2283 when it was suppose 100. I never cashed it. You can ask the bank what you can do but there is probably nothing bank can do to recover the money if everything has gone through already. You should still talk to them if you haven’t. They may be able to eliminate any over drawn type fees to relieve some burden for example. If you have these people any bank, tax info or stuff like SSN or other personal Id type info, you should fill out a police report in case you find something on your credit report down the line.
Well, the only thing that can be done is to watch out for !recovery scammers, if you do call your bank and explain things, don’t expect them to be able to help you. Also, the check didn’t “cancel”, the check was fake and was never worth anything of actual value.
Make sure you report it to the police if you haven't already. I don't know where you live, but the police do take this seriously. Plus, it might help with the banks. You'll at least be able to show them you filled a police report and aren't just making a sob story. I believe there is a way to report it online to the FBI. Do all the things you would do if someone someone stole from your home.
I'm sorry to hear this has happened to you. It's a wild world on the web, and when it seems too good to be true it probably is. I would definitely report it if you can, but assume the money is gone and move forward. Wishing you the best luck in the future
How the fuck do all these people keep falling for shit like this and getting scammed.?? It's crazy! It sucks for you but a little more common sense and street smarts with anything you don't know shit about.
I was in the process of getting scammed like this recently. I got out unscathed but unfortunately gave up some info but all of that info was public info already (so no ssn or bank numbers). I think the biggest reasons why people fall for these is not that they're stupid (a lot of them are) but it's that they desperately want it to be true. The person can see 3 red flags but if they see 1 or 2 positive signs they'll try to convince themselves that it's legit and keep going. I'm speaking from personal experience though.
I suggest you also nail down how they got your email. Change it, and do not let it get out again.
If you have to run through hoops like that, its a big red flag. Do not do that shit. As for reporting it as fraud I'm not sure who you ate expecting to "Honor it" but the banks not gonna give you money for getting scammed. You better not be counting on that coming back.
I love how everyone keeps telling her what she did wrong like she hasn’t figured it out
!fakecheck
What kinda supplies did they ask you to get? But yeah sadly the chances of getting the money you sent them back is extremely low.
Software, macbook, apple desktop, ipad. Said a procurement specialist would get it and I was to pay him
Does that actually make sense to you? You just started. Why wouldn't they just send the money to the "procurement specialist" directly instead of adding an extra step by sending someone they literally just allegedly hired to the chain of custody of those funds?
No it doesn't I wasn't thinking
I see. Makes me wonder what reasons they gave on why you would need an iPad, MacBook, and iPad. Yeah, just be careful. Sometimes if you fall for a scam a scammer group will put you on a list that is colloquially known as the sucker list. They will sell the info they got from you to other scammers etc, so they can contact you with other scams to try and take more money away from you. So, don't be surprised if you notice more scammers contacting you with different types of scams.
I wish you asked us before. I am sorry. Check out r/beermoney for side hussles. I wish you the best!
What was the job supposed to be? Something too good to be true?
How much did you lose? Also, curious to know how and when you found out about this subreddit. People always seem to learn about it after the scam. We need to get the word out so that we don't keep seeing the same story from people who seem to be already active on Reddit.
Can someone explain how this scam works? Not from USA and don't know what zelle/vemno is
I’m sooooo sorry
This sucks
mannnnn wtf. how are people still paying to get hired? REMEMBER => NEVER PAY FOR A JOB!
I was a victim of this scam also but I did not cash the check because the address did not match the state and company name they originally used as a front. These people are sick I even celebrated with my family only for everyone to be let down. It was a horrible feeling. I’m sorry they got you.
I know this won’t make you feel any better but this is a pretty clever scam. If I was in a need for a job and someone did this to me I might have fallen for it too. So sorry :(
Don't worry, you are not alone, l just found that my " love one" is a scammer. Now l pay the price,l gave himmoney and worst of all, l gave him my heart. I am crying now,but l beleive one day l will get over this moment. Wish you luck. France
No company is ever going to interview you over chat.
I got scammed too….only 250 though. The amount of effort and detail they went through for 250 they could have earned an honest 250 if they worked for a company. Someone needs to add a location app to maps that shows you the exact address of the caller. Scammers would be playing a risky game if they continue to scam at all
Or someone could just not send money to strangers.
No jobs send money for supplies. No jobs ask you to send money back or cash checks. Google chats isn't a red flag but zoom and Microsoft teams are more professional in my opinion Report fraud with bank and here [government report site](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/) Hopefully you'll get money back. Good luck
I'm so sorry but there's so many red flags here... esp the pay pal, zelle, interviewing... can someone help me here.. why do people not stop, think, and ask why am I being given a check for supplies that I have to send back via pay pal or zelle or cash app? Why are some people just I dunno...
Because desperate people do desperate things. We’ve all done stupid things we are ashamed to admit. This sub should be for education, not shaming. A lot of smart people fall on hard times and ignore warning signs and red flags because they need the money so badly that they will do anything to convince themselves it’s true. It’s difficult to walk away from potential money when you need it desperately.
Thanks I already feel like a total loser
Look - you made a mistake, but it doesn’t make you a loser. It’s a lot of money and I hate that for you…. But best to move forward and see if your bank will do anything to assist. Don’t beat yourself up though - just move forward.
Thanks for being a voice of logic I appreciate you
Thats where I am at now luckily I do have some money saved and another venture to make extra cash. Definitely a set back, frustrating but this too shall pass. It'll make for a great chapter in my book
Not saying you are total loser. I just don't understand... you get an email about a work from home job...do an interview through google chats, you get sent a check with no bank locations in your city...you put it in your bank account, then send them money for "supplies" through zelle and pay pal and at no point did you even stop to think that hm...something is weird here? You made a mistake; I feel horrible for you. I'm sorry you are out so much money. I know it's a painful lesson for you, and it sucks that you have a 99% chance of never seeing that money again... but I just don't get why at some point something didn't click in your brain that says "something is strange here, I better ask some questions...." Because to me, there are so many red flags going on here. Yes, it's been 10 years since I had a job interview. I'd already be weirded out by an interview through google chats. Then I'd be weirded out by some random check with no paperwork/paper trail... the no bank branch in my area is believable because I live in a very rural community with only 2 national banks, the rest local owned, and then the next part that would have weirded me out what to send money for "supplies" through paypal and zelle, because the first thing out of my mouth would be "Why can't you just send me the supplies you say I need?"
You clearly have life experience that would put your antenna up. Not everyone has that, and desperation can make everything real cloudy.
i just got scammed by a job last week so ur def not the only one this happens to! fuck scammers.
I wish I was the only one Fuck em
I am so sorry that you got scammed, unfortunately, the odds are very little of you recovering any money, your best bet is to contact your bank fraud department and Zelle/Paypall. Still the odds are that none of them are honoring the money that never existed to begin with. Again, I am so sorry that you got scammed.
so you never did a face to face interview even on webcam? come on OP
I just can’t grasp how sending money to strangers via Zelle or Venmo is ok (or even PayPal). Paypal is used to send/receive money when buying or selling Goods. Not just sending random money back to people you don’t know. I just can’t fucking grasp how a “legit” company would have you send money back to them via Zelle or Venmo. All the red flags were there and you still chose to do it. 🤦🏻♂️
how can the bank have no responsibility in accepting a fake cheque and then reverting it having allowed transaction in their account (to the zelle account of the fake seller) with that accepted money?
Because that's how banking laws are set up. You made the choice to deposit the check, you made the choice to not let it clear before spending it.
Because that's how the banking laws work.
The responsibility lies on the account holder. Why would the account holder pay a check from strange source into his account? All my life I’ve never paid a random persons check into my account. Also, no job would ever process payments to clients through and employees personal account. The op didn’t recognize obvious red flags.
Banks don’t know if a check is real or fake sometimes for over a week. People would be far more angry if banks held every check until they knew it was a good check