Victim Location 48161
Total money lost $1,380
Type of a scam Fake Check/Money Order
I was sent an email through my college email account about a part-time job seeing that I am a financial aid student and I have a work-study grant available to me. I have received many offers for jobs. I also filled out many applications. so about a few weeks later I received a USPS packet in the mail it was the so-called work assignment. which I was to be a secret shopper. I was told that I was to evaluate the company and send in the report. I was sent a check for $1,380.00 and was to go and buy two $500.gift cards and report back by email or text of my experiences, so I did. I was to be paid $380 for doing the job. I have all emails, text, the tracking histories of the packages, (both of them that was seen to me) and the receipt and the two cards. so I was sent another assignment but the check had an error so I contacted them about that one. I was told that they would re-issue it. That was the 18th of Oct. So today (Oct 21,2019) I had a problem with my car that I need to get fixed so I went to the auto part store to get the parts thinking. OK, I have the money that will cover the cost of the repairs so I thought. I had the $380.00 no problem. OH, that was not the case, I got to the checkout at the auto parts store and started to pay for the parts. My card was declined, I couldn’t understand it. I called my bank and they could not understand what they were seeing either because the account shows that I have $390.00 in the account but the overall shows in bold red type (989.68) as available and current balance. I have the statements also. and I just received just now (as I’m writing this report to you about the scammers) a text from the same people showing that another "assignment" was just sent Fed-Ex. so the check was a fake and I am now in the hole $989.68 and have to pay this back. I don’t know what to say right now. I am a single mom of 5, ex-military and I just started college full time after over 13yrs. I really did not need this. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t know how to fix this now. I really don’t know who could help me fix this. I am a low-income mom just trying to take care of my kids and go to school to better myself from me and my family.
Where you in a hole for buying the two $500 cards or for depositing the check into your account?
Cause I may have accepted the same scam