by embarrassedintx
Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:28 pm
I am so sick over this situation. I lost $4,000 and want to share my pathetic story. Don't ask how I can be so stupid, I just never thought I would be a victim of a scam or thought a cashier's check could be counterfeit. From the beginning, I am a homeschooling mom of 2 teens and needed some help with a tutor for upper level subjects. I currently work about 5 hours a week doing some data entry for a business, but I needed to earn more money on my schedule. So I searched on jobs at craigslist. I found one that was looking for part time clerical work doing data entry using quickbooks and filing. I thought it was a physical location. I replied and was told this was an on line work at home position and to log into yahoo instant messenger for an interview. They asked questions about my skills and said I was hired. I was thrilled! Apparently a bit too thrilled since I didn't see what was coming. Anyway, I was emailed employment forms to sign and a confidentiality agreement. I was told I was working for Aigo group based out of China. I did take the time to look that up and it did show the same address on the forms they sent me and they had offices in the US and France. I was to log into instant messenger every morning for training. I had to type up 2 page reports on information on quickbooks and peachtree software. They gave me accounting questions to answer. No where in my mind did I think this was a scam. They told me that I would need equipment to set up my home office and I would meet with a rep at a local restaurant to make sure my equipment was set up. They were sending me a check for my signing bonus and hours worked and I was to wire the rest to the person who orders the company's office equipment. I get a fedex package from a person in CT with a check drawn on a daycare center in CA. I know a red flag should have gone up, but I was so hopeful it was an honest mistake and I still had a real job. I've had 2 surgeries in the past year for cancer, and my mind is not what it used to be. Sad excuse, I know, but why else could I have been so easily fooled? I was brave enough to ask about the strange check and was told it was a mistake in the accounting dept. and tear it up. I get another fed ex with another check that says cashiers check for $1,920 with the name Michael Roy, Jr. on it, also from CA. I was told he is the finance manager. I am to wire $1,600 to Michael Carter in Missouri and keep the rest for my paycheck. I thought since the money was in the US it wouldn't be a scam. What an idiot I am! Next week I do the same, but only wire $1,500 this time. Then I'm online with the person named Ty Mason who is training me, telling me that Michael was in a bad car accident and they can't find the money and I'll have to start all over again. Then I get the letter from my bank saying there is no such account and they debited my account the money and I'm broke! That's when I realized I was scammed. You can't explain the feeling you get when this happens to you. I am so ashamed that I have not told my family. I drained my kids college fund to cover this and I'm trying to sell my gold and silver and what ever else I can to make up for it. I tried to find someone to help me. I filled out the form on the FBI IC3 site and contacted my local branch Secret Service. I told them I am still on instant messenger can't they trace the the IP and catch him? I even have texts from him, can't you trace that? I was told no, and I'll never see the money again. They told me to mail them all the documents I had and I did. Now the scum bag has disconnected everything and we can't catch him. Maybe I watch too many NCIS and criminal minds TV shows, but shouldn't we be able to see when this Michael Carter picked up the money and if the ID was fake, wouldn't he be on a camera? couldn't we run facial recognition software to figure out who he is and catch him?
I get these constant emails and phone calls now since that Ty Mason had me fill that out on his form. I now know that all the emails are scams and I don't answer the phone. I cry myself to sleep every night and feel sick all the time. I feel like I'm the only idiot who fell for this. It just seemed pretty elaborate to be fake. I'd like to work for the FBI or Secret Service for free and respond to all these ads just so someone can catch them all! I don't know what else to do so I am not miserable all the time. Maybe venting on this board will help.
I get these constant emails and phone calls now since that Ty Mason had me fill that out on his form. I now know that all the emails are scams and I don't answer the phone. I cry myself to sleep every night and feel sick all the time. I feel like I'm the only idiot who fell for this. It just seemed pretty elaborate to be fake. I'd like to work for the FBI or Secret Service for free and respond to all these ads just so someone can catch them all! I don't know what else to do so I am not miserable all the time. Maybe venting on this board will help.
