Dream Stealers
Employment Scams Can Fu*k With Your Head
The voice on the other end of the phone is a heavy, Eastern European tone. As I shove my husband out of the room and shut the door to take the unexpected call, it barely registers as unusual for an interviewer in the US.
I've been applying to just about any writing job on LinkedIn's website I could find (you know, the old spray and pray method). Imagine the thrill when the email came from a videogame company offering to interview me for a creative writing gig. As a late-middle-aged, former middle manager seeking to reimagine life as a professional writer, the email felt like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
And that, my friend, is how they get into your head. Scammers prey on our emotions, fears, hopes, and dreams. Research shows the psychological impact on a victim's physical and mental well-being can be intense, and I can tell you that it is true.
Sadly, scores of people are taken in by employment scams annually in the United States. According to a Business Insider article from 2019:
In this scam, grifters pose as potential employers and fool victims into thinking they’re being offered a job or considered for a position. From there, they trick victims into sending money to be spent on “training” or “equipment,” or carry out a fake check scam using a bogus paycheck.
This scam was one of the most successful at getting victims to engage. Of the respondents who reported employment scams, 81% engaged with scammers and 25% lost money.
A job search is always a psychologically vulnerable burden, stressful, and inherently filled with fear of the unknown. Scammers know this and know that the more desperate someone is the more likely they are to engage and ultimately fork over their hard-earned cash. All of this makes job seekers easy prey.
Even though the shoe dropped over two weeks ago, I am still reeling emotionally. I've done all the soul-searching, twenty-twenty hindsight, and see-sawing back and forth between forgiving and berating myself. My response to a self-inflicted tragedy is always the same.
I remember feeling a little sick to my stomach when I first saw the email from the hiring manager, who I will call "Ken." I hadn't applied to the company, which will remain unnamed. Still, I had recently applied for a similar job title with another company. A search of applications I'd put in came up with the name of a talent search company, so it seemed reasonable that the videogame company could have my resume. I ignored my gut.
The email came with an attached "job briefing" describing the position, and I didn't want to be that idiot who opens virus-filled attachments. Barely able to contain my excitement, I did a cursory (too cursory, it turned out) check to ensure the company existed. My search results showed me that the company was real.
Once I opened the attachment, on the “company” letterhead, I saw my interviewer's name, "Karen.” I searched LinkedIn for that name and Ken’s. The company's profile listed these folks under the "people" tab. I performed a search of the company and the imposters with "scam" included in the search criteria to be extra cautious. It all seemed to be ok.
In my deliriously happy state, it seemed possible that they really would want to interview me for my project management experience at least. It was all so exciting! Did the hiring manager see something about me that made me seem special? Had all the positive thoughts I faithfully put into the universe finally manifested into a dream career? Sadly, the answer is no.
I'll admit my suspicions were up from the beginning because the details were too good to be true. Still, I am inexperienced with applying for writing jobs, so I reasoned it could be my not knowing the industry. New Mac, new iPad, work from home, start immediately, full-time or part-time, full bennies, two-weeks paid training, then a raise. All to do a job I hadn't realized existed, which was to write the narrative for an RPG (role-playing videogame).
It all went so fast after that. I kept saying, "this can't be real, but I want it to be!” My husband, typically a very savvy, skeptical guy, was also willing to put his hesitations aside and hope right along with me.
The directions in the interview brief instructed me to create an account for an online text app, which turned out to be a red flag and engage with Karen for an interview that lasted ninety minutes. Karen complimented me and said I did well and to expect to hear back within forty-eight hours.
I signed a background consent form the next day, which gratefully didn't include my social security number. We reasoned it must be for a simple public records check. Ken advised me via text to keep my cell phone near because I would hear back about the next steps the following Monday.
The weekend was glorious. I watched videos online to learn what I could about writing in the video game world. I kept writing my name and the job title, imagining myself in the role. If I managed to do well and land the position, could I become the award-winning writer I always dreamed of being? You see, I am genuinely intrigued by the idea of this kind of work.
Even though my age is a little more advanced than the typical gamer stereotype, I play RPGs. Of course, the graphics are exciting, but for me, it's the story that keeps me engaged. The dialogue between the characters keeps me slashing away at the bad guys, killing dragons, solving puzzles, performing silly escort missions, and collecting various junk so the protagonist can open a door. At the same time, the dialogue streams back and forth between the characters and advances the story in the game. For me, the reward in gaming is sitting in raptured attention during a cut scene and learning what comes next.
Because of my long history of playing RPGs, no other career path offer could have resulted in such an immediate and ecstatic emotional reaction. My common sense and proverbial self-defense sword flew out the window once my imagination took over.
I received the signed offer letter on Monday, forged with the name of an executive at the legitimate company. I was confident-ish that the offer could be genuine and wanted the position badly enough, so I emailed over my driver's license and checking account information on a payroll deposit form.
The email I received back cemented my fears that the job was fake. The tone suddenly smacked of Nigerian Prince, and the sick feeling in my stomach became more pronounced.
The scam eventually turned out to be about depositing stolen "disbursement" checks in my checking account, apparently for the scammer to sweep back out. I don't know precisely because I immediately stopped communicating with Ken and Karen.
With a very exposed, violated, and sick feeling, I went directly to my bank to close my compromised checking account. Luckily, the scammers hadn't emptied it yet. I suppose they were waiting for me to deposit the stolen three thousand dollar check they emailed to deposit via a mobile banking app.
I also filed a fraud alert with the credit reporting agencies. Even though my SSN wasn't exposed, it made me feel slightly better to take that step. Additionally, I filed a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Granted, the amount of money in question is peanuts compared to other financial crimes. Still, again, it made me feel better to file the report.
I then tried to contact someone at the company to alert them an imposter was out there. I called the company, left a message, put out notes on Social, and tried messaging a couple of people on LinkedIn. It took some effort, but eventually, I got a callback and told my story to the very kind person on the other end of the phone.
It pains me deeply to type these words, but sharing my story feels essential. I want to help others be more aware and careful than I was. I am ashamed and saddened and have lost my trust in myself for the time being.
Even though I didn't lose any money, I lost days of my job search and, more importantly, my self-respect. Losing the money would have been less painful, to be honest.
Our careers are an integral part of who we are as humans. Our jobs define us in many ways, and feelings of self-worth can be informed by our ability to earn an income. Plus, society tends to ignore and devalue women my age, so vulnerable emotions crop up pretty often during a job search. This completely avoidable episode put me on the fast track to self-abhorrence, which is never helpful.
Although I am mortified to admit how gullible I was (and at my age!!!), I'm hoping that by sharing my story, I might help a few people avoid having similar experiences.
