I called the police.
I explained to them the situation, as I did to the bank, and the police official replied:
“Ok. So, we won’t be able to file a report because you did not send them any money, fortunately. All we can do is ask you to be more cautious the next time and tell this story to your friends so people are aware of this and can protect themselves from scammers.”
So, here is my story.
Two weeks ago, I went to Mystic Market with my debit card to buy food. I was about to pay, ready to leave, when the cashier told me my card had been declined. This had happened before and the bank had had its reasons to freeze my account, however, that Wednesday I couldn’t think of a reasonable explanation for it.
Thus, with an empty stomach filled with frustration, I called the bank.
After explaining what had happened at the Mystic Market and demanding an explanation, the person at customer service said, in a voice calmer than you would expect it to be: “Well, Miss Mena, it seems that the check you deposited on Monday is fraudulent. Please go as soon as possible to your branch bank and talk to your account official.”
What? Fraudulent?
Rewind to one month before. After posting a service ad as a babysitter at Used Victoria, I was contacted by a “family” from Germany that were coming over for three weeks and needed a babysitter for their twins.
After agreeing on the terms and conditions, they said they would be sending me the paycheck in a week. A week later, I got said check with more money than what they were supposed to pay me. They explained the difference by saying that they had to pay other fees to their travel agent so they just sent all the money together.
This was the check I deposited on Monday. This “family,” supposedly from Germany, was the reason why my bank account was frozen.
As soon as I hung up the phone I called my dad, who works in the financial sector, and he calmly told me to go to the bank branch and give them all the info about the issuer of the check. And so I did.
Once I got to the bank, I was sent to the office of the branch manager. While I explained what had happened, she kept on filling in the blanks of my story as if she had been there with me the entire time.
She knew the story, and she was not surprised.
“Ok, so this type of fraud is called ‘The Nigerian Scam.’ They find a victim online, normally a babysitter or a housekeeper, and offer them a job. They send you more money than they were supposed to pay you and then ask for the extra money back. The scammer is hoping you transfer the excess money back before you discover that their check was counterfeit. Miss Mena, you are not the only one deceived and you are not alone. Thanks for stopping by, we are taking care of the check now, but now you need to go to the police and report the case.”
She ended our impromptu meeting by giving me the address of the Saanich Police station to file a report, a coffee, and tissues (at this point I was crying and sobbing uncontrollably).
Moral of the story: be cautious of scams and frauds.
When a family, group of people or an individual from somewhere in the world contacts you for a service you advertized online, wait until you meet them in person to make any decisions and give them any information. Go to your nearest bank and get “The Little Black Book of Scams” Canadian Edition, and read it thoroughly. It’ll save you the distress.