Scam Alert

Thought I’d share my recent experience with a scam artist. Maybe save someone from losing their hard-earned money.

It started with me answering a Help Wanted ad in the online classifieds. The ad was listed was for a Warehouse Assistant for Wright Textile. Starting salary was $2,800 - $3,300 per month. After some difficulty — the guy had neglected to leave any contact information — I managed to get in touch with the place.

They wanted the standard information, a résumé and cover letter, which I provided. Then there were a few more questions, along with a request for references. After a few emails, they offered me the job.

The guy was a traveling businessman who dealt in art and other antiquities. The story was he would soon be opening a gallery in my area and needed someone to take delivery of the shipments and deliver them to the warehouse. I would also need to correspond with some of the sellers on the guy’s behalf and arrange for payments, keep accurate books for accounts receivable and payable.

It would start as a part time job; 15 hours per week for which I would be paid $500. If all went well, the job would become full time with a substantial pay increase.

This sounded good to me, although, from the start, I sort of had my doubts about it all. As did my son, who said “It’s a scam,” the moment I told him about the job. There was just something, not sure what, said it wasn’t legitimate. One clue was, the guy, whose name was Bryan Wright, seemed to have a little trouble with the English language. That alone wasn’t reason enough to dismiss the job though and I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But the farther along things progressed the more red flags there were. Like his name changing to Bryan Chan in later emails.

After a few more days I began to assume the whole thing was a scam. Still, I was curious and wanted to know what sort of scam he was running, so I played along. And, there always was the slight possibility that everything was on the up and up.

Bryan Chan eventually told me I was hired and that my first paycheck, as well as my first assignment, would be arriving in the mail. I waited for a week, and then another. Nothing came in the mail. About the time I figured the guy had just been wanting my information, I did get a check in the mail. It was a cashier’s check for $1550.30.

I didn’t get too excited. First I looked up the credit union the check had come from and found that it was a real bank. I then took the check to my bank and they did an initial query to see if the funds were available. They were. So, I deposited it.

The next day, I received my “instructions.” I was to take $250 out for myself and send the balance to Motherless Babies Home in Dallas, Texas. Well, sort of. The director of the Motherless Babies Home had requested the money be sent to her accountant in Dallas via a Moneygram. This all sounded odd to me, like money laundering or something. It didn’t make sense that I would be needed for such a transaction. If Mr. Bryan Chan wanted to donate to Motherless Babies Home (which is apparently a legitimate charity) he could have sent the funds directly to them in any number of ways. No need to pay me $250 to do it unless he was wanting to hide the transaction. A Moneygram, of course, would have my name attached. Whether legal or not, whatever he was up to, didn’t sound like something I wanted to be connected with.

I sent off an email, advising Mr. Chan that I was declining the job. I also may have alluded to some discussion with the Sheriff’s Office, which may or may not have happened. And then I asked for his address, you know, in case I needed to send the check back. Strangely, he didn’t want to provide his address. And he kept insisting that I send the funds off immediately. At this point I still didn’t know what the scam was. But I was still curious. The next day, I found out.

Visiting my bank, trying to find information, I was given the details on what the deal likely was.

The cashier’s check that I’d deposited was originally a good check — maybe — but before the transaction could be completed, whoever had written it would write another one with the same numbers and send it through for processing ahead of mine. Which would then make the check they’d sent me return as fraudulent. The idea is that most people would have already cashed the fraudulent check, purchased a Moneygram and sent it off. And, as a result, they would be out the $1300.30.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bryan Chan was getting antsy. He kept sending me emails, demanding to know what the problem was and why I hadn’t done as he’d instructed. Of course, he tried to play to my sympathies by referencing the poor motherless babies who were depending on me.

A couple of days later, the scenario given to me by my bank proved accurate; the check had been returned as fraudulent. I sent one final email, informing Mr. Chan that the “problem” he wondered about was that he’d sent me a fraudulent check. As such, I said I wouldn’t be sending any amount of money to anyone.

Strangely, I haven’t heard from the man since. ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.