According to Pew Research Center, 73% of the population has gotten scammed at some point in their life. Some target children, some target vulnerable adults, but our young women population generally stays safe with popular scams. Recently, there has been an uptick in the sophistication of scams, with both men and women falling for scams. This is my story of falling for a scam.
HerCampus at Rowan University has always felt like an inclusive space. We are women who try our best to balance our schoolwork, relationships, and each other. It is due to the effort of so many women in HerCampus that it has gained popularity. With more members, the risk of more bots is also introduced. HerCampus Rowan uses a platform called GroupMe for our groupchat. It is a popular platform for clubs and organizations because it is so accessible both as an admin and as a member. GroupMe, just like any other app, has people who either impersonate real Rowan students, or people just trying to join whatever group they can to scam whoever. These profiles typically have no profile picture and just say Rowan in their profile.
It was Friday, April 10th when I fell for the scam. I was scrolling on my phone when I saw a GroupMe notification. I saw a private message from somebody I did not know, but saw we had a mutual organization in common, HerCampus. Her text said she wanted to ask a question and it was okay if I did not want to answer. She then proceeded to ask if she could use my profile picture as inspiration for another picture she was doing for a client. After checking her profile, I saw she had a picture with a bio that had interests, so I assumed it was not a bot and it was a legitimate woman from the club.
She was incredibly transparent about the process. She said I would get $500 for her to use my picture, and that the client was in a hurry to get the picture started as soon as possible. She also stated all of this was done digitally (payment and the picture). She sent some other pictures she had done, and she stated she was an art student getting into this sort of online market. I loved the pictures she sent, and told her I would be fine with her using my profile picture so I could ensure the legitimacy of the whole online process and then write her an article to help get her name out there.
Once I said yes (foolishly), I received a text from the client himself. He sent me screenshots of transactions that went through to further mitigate the fear it was a scam. He wanted me to mobile direct deposit the check into my account. This was consistent with what the girl had told me. I did so, and the check posted to my account. He then stated I needed to sell that $400 as bitcoin to send it back to him. Once I did that, I would get my actual money. I was never informed of needing to sell Bitcoin, and that was when the sinking feeling hit my stomach. I thought I could just sell the bitcoin to him and be rid of this money because I did not want to be involved anymore. The whole vibe of the conversation shifted to an angry tone when my bank flagged the bitcoin transaction and paused my CashApp activity.
Since all of this occurred on a Friday, the bank was closed then and for the weekend. I tried to transfer the money to my Venmo and Apple Cash to send it back, but nothing worked. I explained to the guy that I did not want his money anymore and that I would be able to send it Monday when the bank opened. The guy was not happy at all about that. He wanted me to send giftcards of the money or do a wire transfer. He then changed his tone from angry to threatening. He sent pictures of dismembered women and said it would be me if I did not send his money back.
It was an incredibly terrifying weekend. On one hand, I thought it was a threat that could be real and he could show up at any time and hurt my family. On the other hand, I also could surmise that he thought I was stealing his money and he just wanted to look tough. It was still incredibly scary and messed up. Around Sunday is when the original girl texted me.
She was much more nicer than the guy. She understood about the bank being closed and I would send the $400 no excuses at 9 am Monday, she just needed her number registered. When 9 am Monday approached, I Zelled the money back that way I could be rid of it quicker. She then stated she did not have her number registered with Zelle, and that I needed to now send it to her friend. I told her that was her fault, and I send proof to the man who was the “client”. I thought it was done an over with.
He stated I needed to deposit the check with my name on it or pay $200 for a stop check. I blocked the both of them after that. Two days later, on Wednesday, I got an email from my bank that said the check I mobile deposited was marked as fraudulent or altered, so the funds were taken out of my account. After Zelling the $400, I thought I would be even. On Wednesday, that $400 also went out of my account. I then got a text from the guy from another number claiming I needed to send money to remove the fact the check said fraudulent.
This whole process of getting scammed has been memorable. I know to look out more for if something does not feel right, it is not right. I also knew I could lean on my support system of friends, and that I could tell my parents about this and they could be supportive instead of judgmental. The support I received for my own mistakes instead of criticism is what led me to file a police report and a report with my bank. Both parties were encouraging filing a report, as many people get scammed and are too nervous or ashamed to come forward. I urge you, if you fell for a scam, do your part in reporting it so you mitigate the chances they scam someone else.
This whole incident was bittersweet. With all the love and support, it is still an emotional ordeal, especially during this busy time of the school year. Everyday is filled with working on moving past this, talking to the detectives, the bank, or blocking more numbers the scammer tries to text me with. It especially hurt that this came from somebody from the HerCampus group. While I am unsure of whether it is a legitimate person, I do think it is a random person. My immediate trust of women has been shaken, and that was truly the scariest part of this whole ordeal. I write this article to urge other women to lean on the women in your support system, and to never be too trusting of anybody, regardless of gender. This scammer picked the wrong organization to infiltrate, as we women stick together at the end of the day.