Tales From Work: Episode 2

 Tales From Work: The Time I Got Job Scammed

By Inaya Syed

Have you ever been hired for a job only to get your bank account frozen later on? Let me explain. 

In the early days of working, I had an account with Upwork, a platform for freelancers. I sent out tons of proposals, hoping to land some gig work for my business and earn extra income on the side. Finally, one day, I got a response from a man named Adam Goldberg. I trusted this work too much. 

I worked for the person for two weeks, only to receive my paycheck of $800.00. I was ecstatic. I cashed it into the bank right away. Little did I know, it was a fraudulent check. It froze my bank account. I was suddenly angry. I texted the boss, Adam Goldberg, and demanded to know what was going on. 

"Why would they think it was a fraudulent check" and "Send me it back" were his responses. "I cannot. My bank account is frozen," I replied. "You scammed me!" He replied. I was flabbergasted. How could someone do this? Not only to me but to anyone else? I blocked him immediately.

Two weeks later, I receive a call from an unknown number. I pick up. "Hi, this is so-and-so, I am a friend of Adam. Please unblock him and send the money back to him." this person says. "I am sorry, I can't," I replied. I hang up.

Suddenly, the bank called, informing me that the bank decided to end the relationship between me and the bank. Again, I was flabbergasted at all this. Nearly three months later, my father finds out. He takes me to the bank. I explain the whole story. My father tries to salvage the relationship; however, the bank would not budge. I tried other banks, but I could not open another account due to being a risk. 

My father took me to a federal credit union, and we opened an account there. and the rest was history. Overall, this experience was terrible. I hope no one has to face what I had faced. The moral of the story: Never trust an online job! Never trust a paycheck of $800.00! Do not deposit it in your account! It is a scam.