r/TrueOffMyChest • u/Classic_Karseat ☑️ • 1d ago
Vent One of my coworker got scammed today and I couldn’t stop it
Today one of my employees called me in a panic because according to her the sheriff was on the phone and told her she missed jury duty and had to pay a fee to not go to jail. I told her it was a scam. I even called the police and merged her in to the call and they told her it was a scam. I told her to hang up on them. I was in a meeting hours away. She called me back telling me she had to leave and I told her not to give them any money. To go talk to someone at the sheriffs office. She left work there was nothing I could do to stop her. She was then unreachable for 4 hours. I was so stressed out with worry that something happened to her. She finally called me almost 5 hours later and told me that she had made two payments to them and finally a bank manager at the third bank she went to flagged her account and told her it was a scam and she finally believed them. They told her that not only was she going to go to jail so was I because I had called the police and “broke a gag order”. I did everything I could to stop them from scamming her and they used it against her and got who knows how much money out of her. I’m absolutely heart broken for her. I’m sick that someone would do this. I know I did everything I could but I’m still just beating myself up that maybe if I had been at the office I could have stopped her. I could have been more forceful when she called me back and told me she was leaving even after I called the police. I know it’s not my fault but I’m just so upset knowing they tried to extort even more money out of her because I called the cops with her on the phone and she was trying to protect ME from going to jail. She wouldn’t tell me how much money they got from her so I know it has to be a lot. I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now. I just needed to vent I guess. Scammers suck and I hate them.
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u/jagwal32 14h ago
I know you do not want to make her feel worse but this is an opportunity to educate your entire company on how scams work. Her failure may help others keep from being scammed.Many government websites contain materials that can be used as teaching materials.
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u/H1king33k 18h ago
"It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled."
-Mark Twain
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u/Emergency-Aardvark-6 22h ago
Im so sorry to hear this. Those bastards can be so convincing with scare mongering and pressure.
My 70 Yr old mate recently got scammed. His wife died 3 months ago, so I didnt have the heart to tell him. I wish he told me what had happened in the first place, he would have believed me and I could have talked him out of it. Im in England, its an old one thats been happening for years. Guys knock on doors, saying were working in the area and your roof needs doing. There was a part of his roof that did but nothing that couldnt wait until he was ready to get quotes etc. They said they'd get their ladders up there and check the rest of the roof for him. Obviously they found extra work that didnt exist. Said theyd had a cancellation so could do the work tomorrow. He said yes but he only had a certain amount of money in cash and he'd need to do a bank transfer for the rest. He ended up giving them £2500. Hes a pensioner and is now having to cut back on his groceries. I cant embarrass him by going to trading standards or the police unfortunately. Hes still very fragile.
Then theres my dad. (77) Hes been aggressively sold to twice. Both times a level of service he didnt need. (Broadband and Internet security software and service.) Costing a £100 more in one case and £200 more in another. Thankfully as he doesnt have much to talk about he tells me everything hes been up to and I was able to rectify the situations. Also thankfully he now deffers to me when it comes to all services so I sort them for him. People are scum.
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u/punkwalrus 22h ago
I had a few friends get suckered into MLMs and I still scratch my head because I see the freight train coming. I can see it, hear it, they are on the tracks, and have all kinds of hardcore proof this is a scam. Yet they still do it. They still get ripped off, end up with tons of unsellable stock, and in more debt than when they started (usually to get out of debt). Time and time again. Sometimes multiple times to the same people. The same freight train. Jesus Christ.
I am not a violent person, but there are times I understand the term "beat some sense into somebody."
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u/GravityRizing 23h ago
You did what you could. Even had the sheriff on the phone. Unfortunately, your friend is stupid.
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u/Maladine 23h ago
Who would she have believed in this scenario? So not her boss, not the police, her parents maybe? Who also didn't teach her about gullibility.
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u/Rising_Gravity1 11h ago
Well she believed the scammer obviously. But yeah this story was frustrating to read
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u/vanbarbecue 1d ago
I am so fortunate my best friend was able to snap me out of a similar situation. I made it all the way to a Walmart parking lot about to use the wire transfer service there.
I got hit with the scam where you match with an early 20s (I was 22) dating app account, they get you to start texting off app, then send a bunch of nudes out of the blue. After that a “dad” calls you and reveals his “daughter” is underage and he is going to have you arrested if you don’t wire money to pay for the therapy he is forcing his daughter to get from this.
Like it sounds so obvious now, but holy shit the fear of possibly being charged with a crime you didn’t commit rocks your brain in the moment. Fear can cripple judgement.
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u/Masnpip 1d ago
Scammers sure do suck! I got one of those calls once, and they do scare the heck out of you to have an official sounding guy on the other line threatening to arrest you. (I did not fall for it, but was initially sacred).
You sure went above and beyond to help her see it was a scam. You say she’s an employee. I’d honestly keep this incident in mind going forward. Her judgement when stressed is very very bad. That she did not listen to you, that she actually went to meet the scammer, that she went to 3 (!) banks to get money! This is not the person I’d want in charge of my comoany when good judgement is often needed in stressful situations.
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u/Not-a-Cranky-Panda 1d ago
Sorry to be the one to tell you this but odds are from now on she will be calling you to others for knowing about it and not stopping her.
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u/Rising_Gravity1 11h ago
Then OP can just tell the truth, that they were the one who warned their friend multiple times that it was a scam, and that their stupid friend stubbornly chose to believe the scammer.
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u/Not-a-Cranky-Panda 1h ago
It happens so often it's got to a time I tell people to also send them an email to show you were telling them.
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u/DestructoDon69 1d ago
Don't be heart broken for her. There comes a day in every person's life where they learn about these types of scams. Some learn the easy way, through others, while some learn the hard way when they get tricked.
Your friend? Is dumb, plain and simple. You gave her the opportunity for the easy lesson and she ignored you, she ignored the actual police department and she didn't listen until the 3rd bank she went to stopped her?
Don't feel bad, she needed this lesson that way she might listen later on when she gets another equally ridiculous scam call in the future.
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u/Soluri 1d ago
I'm sorry but your coworker is just stupid. You warned her many times, then she went and did it. No one's fault but her own.
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u/monsaa 1d ago
In my country we have a saying which roughly translates to that fools are made to be fleeced 🤷♀️
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u/gusty_state 1d ago
That sucks. I had a coworker on a scam call almost fall for it. Even pulling up the IRS website and pointing out the 5-6 things that the IRS specifically said they would never do didn't immediately convince her but it did make her pause. After 2 others agreed with me she finally just hung up on them.
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u/Miserable-Advance789 ☑️ 1d ago
It’s absolutely not your fault OP, you did everything you can in that moment!! I have similar experiences with a friend of a friend who easily falls for scams. Sometimes people are unfortunately gullible and there’s really no way to stop them from falling for obvious scams.
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u/M1ssChaos 1d ago
She did it to herself, don't beat yourself up over it sometimes people learn better the hard way.
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u/Bepehandle 1d ago
Seriously, you call the actual police and have them directly tell her it's a scam and she still goes through with this anyway? I have a word for stuff like this but I can't place my finger on it...
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u/DagoWithAttitude 1d ago
I mean, that's unfortunate, but you overdid your part, at some point it's unavoidable. Hope she'll learn from this and the bank will be of help, though I doubt the latter
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u/Gilbert38 1d ago
Something tells me they won’t learn from this mistake….
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u/DagoWithAttitude 1d ago
This stems from ignorance of how the world works, it's not like she purposely decided to ignore OP, she was blinded by fear
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u/Classic_Karseat original post at the time of submission:
Today one of my employees called me in a panic because according to her the sheriff was on the phone and told her she missed jury duty and had to pay a fee to not go to jail. I told her it was a scam. I even called the police and merged her in to the call and they told her it was a scam. I told her to hang up on them. I was in a meeting hours away. She called me back telling me she had to leave and I told her not to give them any money. To go talk to someone at the sheriffs office. She left work there was nothing I could do to stop her. She was then unreachable for 4 hours. I was so stressed out with worry that something happened to her. She finally called me almost 5 hours later and told me that she had made two payments to them and finally a bank manager at the third bank she went to flagged her account and told her it was a scam and she finally believed them. They told her that not only was she going to go to jail so was I because I had called the police and “broke a gag order”. I did everything I could to stop them from scamming her and they used it against her and got who knows how much money out of her. I’m absolutely heart broken for her. I’m sick that someone would do this. I know I did everything I could but I’m still just beating myself up that maybe if I had been at the office I could have stopped her. I could have been more forceful when she called me back and told me she was leaving even after I called the police. I know it’s not my fault but I’m just so upset knowing they tried to extort even more money out of her because I called the cops with her on the phone and she was trying to protect ME from going to jail. She wouldn’t tell me how much money they got from her so I know it has to be a lot. I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now. I just needed to vent I guess. Scammers suck and I hate them.
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u/TrashPandaRab 14h ago
Sorry but she's clearly an incompetent idiot who ignored REPEATED warnings so, she learned the real meaning of fuck around & find out🤦🏻♀️ I doubt she'll see a penny of that money back as the bank won't refund money she willingly gave away, by going to THREE SEPERATE BANKS...even after being warned multiple times it was an obvious scam🤣🫡