I was just scammed out of $1500
Welp.
Some context:
I was recently brought on board for a part-time position at a small company in my current city. This morning I received an email purporting to be from my superior (let’s call him Joe Smith), asking me for help with a “a small team incentive I’m organizing today.” “Joe” asked me to go to a grocery store and buy $1500 worth in gift cards from a set of pre-approved stores or companies, including UberEats, Macy’s, Target, and Home Depot.
Now, for all of you seasoned veterans of scams, take a minute to marvel in my idiocy after you realize how many red flags there were. The subject line of the email was my first name. “Joe” did not, even once, mention the name of the company; he just referred to “the team.” He asked me to send photos of the gift cards and the receipt after I had made the purchase, along with information about my bank account.
And do you know what I did?
I went to the grocery store earlier this afternoon — not even two hours ago -- and bought $1500 worth in three gift cards, each worth $500. Because I’m an eager little beaver and want to be as helpful an employee as possible. (I’m in my 20s and my career is precarious, so I’m always looking to prove my worth.) I went to the cash register and merrily made the purchase. My bank texted me to ask if the transaction was fraudulent. Of course it wasn’t fraudulent, I thought to myself; I’m right here, making it! I happily confirmed the transaction.
Only after I returned home from the store, and was about to follow the rest of the instructions to the letter, did I actually see “Joe’s” email address. It was from a Russian domain: “officesmail at list dot ru.”
Dear readers, if you can imagine a gymnast doing somersaults in your stomach, concurrent with a rush of blood to your head akin to the feeling of speeding through a narrow tunnel at 500 mph…that is what I experienced, in that moment.
I am not a grandparent, or someone who doesn’t speak English as a first language, nor do I have any of the conventional risk factors for vulnerability to a scam. I’m a young professional and a digital native. And here we are.
I called my bank immediately to dispute the charge, and uploaded screenshots of “Joe’s” emails and the fake address to my banking app, but since I stupidly made the purchase myself, I am pessimistic about ever seeing that money again. For what it’s worth, the customer service person was very kind. I have also reported the scammer to the FTC for fraud.
It may seem like small potatoes compared to the truly livelihood-threatening scams that many of you have faced, but at my age and in a major American city, $1500 represents over half of my monthly rent; or almost two years’ worth of electricity; or almost three years’ worth of Internet service; or months and months of groceries; you get the idea.
End of rant. Now I need to go howl in despair at the setting sun.
EDIT: Wow, those of you who warned about recovery scams in DMs weren’t kidding.