Hello, my name is, Marisela G.

My life’s been a roller coaster, like forever & a day. Full of ups and downs .

However, for the past 4-5 years, my life’s been improving.

…at least, I would like to think so.

I stared by “paying it forward”.

Pretty soon I became my, visually impaired, older brother’s IHSS Provider. I am employed by the state of  CA. Plus I work for a restaurant, as well.

I finally have a bank account and was able to keep money in it.

Not to mention, I also help my parents, financially, they both live in Mexico.

I finally get my driver’s license back after 13 years ago when it got revoked. And I thought to my self, “it’s time to plan for a car”, a new car I can depend on.  Well my credit score isn’t too good, I’ve been taking out loans and paying them back to help boost my score.

So, sometime, someplace I caught the attention of a f***en hacker that got me for everything and more!     (a cry for HELP)

I am so mad at myself. How could I not seen it happening?

So he call my cell phone, talking about he works with a loan co. He can help me boost my credit score and help me get a $15,000 loan I had applied for but was denied., So my dumbass fell for it. his “company” deposited a total of 7 checks in my bank account in a matter of 48hrs.

How was I to know this wasn’t legit. I’m new at this banking game. Damn it!

And had me buying prepaid Wal-mart cards, and take and send pictures back to him. ( I wish I’d seen the red flags, but I didn’t.)

I thought nothing of it. My bank’s usually good for that, they investigate the check before releasing the funds. I don’t know what happen.?

Now I’m $8,000 plus, in the hole. My rent is due. My bills are piling up. I don’t know what to do. My bank has frozen all my accounts. I had to stop my direct deposits. So now I waiting on paper checks through the mail. Meanwhile this hacker keeps calling me asking me to open another bank account, he’ll help me clear up the misunderstanding with my bank. I’m hoping to get more info. on himself, so I can report him.

Meanwhile I don’t know what to do… my credit score is worst than ever now.

And if it weren’t enough, last night I twisted my ankle,  I think its sprained. I had to call off work today. And I’m still carless.

Somebody please help me? I feel as if I’m falling apart…

Thank you very much for reading my story.

Sincerely,

M.G.

Paypal.me/mari8821

cash app/$mg01152

I fell for a task scam. I didn’t find out it was a scam until after doing everything that was required, the money that was promised, well didn’t happen because it’s a scam. You can find out more about these on Reddit, which is where I found out that I’d been scammed. Now after I found this out, I also found on Reddit supposed recovery hackers that state they can help you recover what you have already been scammed out of. I trusted Reddit, like a fool. Yes I realize that I have doubly been a complete idiot and got scammed twice.

I need to go back to how this all happened. I am in my mid-fifties and have been struggling financially, emotionally for 9 years now, since I lost my partner in late 2015. In 2022 I found myself out of work and desperately looking for work. Sadly, ageism is real and after 6 months and 60 applications (even applying to goodwill as an associate- seriously looking for anything) and still no job. I decided I needed to go back to school and try and reinvent myself in a new career. I obtained my estheticians license in late 2023, and again applying to find work, and again was struggling to get hired anywhere. So I struck out on my own. My 77 year old mother decided to help me by opening a credit card and putting me on it as an authorized user.

I had worked hard to build my own credit for many many years, but in 2022 with not being able to find work, I couldn’t keep up and my credit score went into the toilet in mere months.

Struggling to get the business up and running I have been keeping my eye out for odd jobs anywhere I could find. I saw an ad running on Instagram for a job. This turned out to be the task scam. I now see these ads everywhere, now that I know what they are and report them every time I see them. They’re in Facebook marketplace, Instagram, and I’m sure so many more.. they’re literally everywhere.

I used the cash advance on the credit card in the task scam and then the recovery scam, I used simply the credit available.

My shame has been quite overwhelming because the balance now is so great that it is affecting my mother’s credit, and she is retired living on social security.

If all of this was only affecting me, I wouldn’t be here asking. My home, which is a 20 year old motorhome I purchased last year with money I received from the sale of my apartment, which I couldn’t afford to keep. I felt it was the cheapest way I could live given my situation over the last couple of years. I purchased a thousand trails membership and with that I am able to stay a few weeks at a time, then I dry camp the time I need to be out, then start over again the cycle.

It’s not ideal but it has kept a roof over my head.

Since being scammed I have seriously considered selling the motorhome to pay off the balance and just become homeless. It’s the only thing I own of real value. I am still trying very hard to get my esthetician business off the ground and that will continue.

But what is most important to me now is fixing this debt. My mother trusted me and I feel I have let her down. One can wonder how someone can fall for these scams, but as you see here from my own admission, it happens when one is desperate. That is how they get you.

My mother isn’t angry with me, she knows how trusting I am, but this is stressing her terribly and affecting her health, which scares me. I am fortunate to still have her and I want to be here for her. Not be a burden to her and a source of shame and embarrassment.

Please. Any help anyone can do will be truly appreciated. 

The scammers got about $10,000. 5k with the first task scam, and 5k with the recovery scam. If anyone needs proof, I’ve got it. I took screenshots of all the pages in the task scam, including their supposed “terms and conditions”, as well as all communication with the recovery scammer.

https://www.paypal.me/love4yourskin

Hello there,

Le me start with a quick introduction about myself. I prefer to remain anonymous. I am 33 years of age now. I lost my restaurant at 27 when covid reared its ugly head. I was a business owner at 25 in the food and beverage industry after falling in love with it after years of tending bar. After losing the business due to covid I worked numerous odd jobs while looking out my next long term venture. I was desperate and got involved with a gentleman in the IT world. later to find out he was a scammer and had several victims in the US like myself. I lost everything I had ever worked for due to desperate times. I am now working full time again but just looking and asking for a little extra help to get ahead to get provide a good life for my girlfriend and dogs. All I want is a ring and wedding and a place to call for us soon. Just seems impossible after all the events that I went through recently.

I appreciate the time to read this and thank you if you decide to help me get back on my feet and feel a sense of hope once again!

https://www.paypal.me/gplifka

Hi, My name is Avianne and I need your help. Why? Well, I’ll tell you.

I’m the sole breadwinner of my family which consists of my Mother, 64, my sister, 29, and my nephew, 5. My sister suffered a stroke a few years ago and is mostly unable to work and whatever funds she does get, goes toward raising her son.

Our life was comfortable. So much so, that I bought and renovated a home, and things were going well. That is, up until 6 six months ago.

I was approached by a friend who had a great investment opportunity and because she was a friend and she showed me proof of returns, I fell for it. I invested $30,000.00 into an online business, expecting to see a percentage of the returns monthly. I was promised that would be the case at least. To date, I haven’t received a cent of that money, and any attempts to reach my ‘friend’ go unanswered. To make matters worse, I lost my job 7 weeks ago. So, with no current source of income and my savings gone. I’m drowning and my family is starving. I feel like an absolute failure.

So, I come to you, humbly asking for any assistance that can be given. Just for us to get back on our feet.

I’m sincerely asking for the sum of $50,000.00, not just to cover my existing debt but to keep us afloat until I find employment.

These are my PayPal and Cash App

https://www.paypal.me/SweetAvi

https://cash.app/$AvianneMarcano

Thankyou for hearing my plight.

I was just curious about stock and I trust this person that I can make  money on the side and all the money that i save and from my saving and money frome equity been flush I lost I’m on a brick of my point that I will go crazy

Hi,

I am a single mom and all my funds were stolen from me by the scammers. I was scammed the scammer made me believe that I could earn some money and I invested my life savings hoping to help my kids financially and also with their college education. I did not get a single dollar back and I am totally broke and in huge debts.  I  have two kids and I do not have any money to pay for their education or pay my bills or clear my debts. I really need help to get back on track financially and also to help my kids for their college education. I would be extremely grateful for any gracious help that u can offer. My paypal link is

https://paypal.me/pagesheetal?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

I am looking forward for your gracious help.

Thanks and Regards,

Sheetal

I’m going to be 65 this year. I work for a company that has no health coverage, life insurance, retirement plan. I’ve been trying to invest on my own through the years, subscribing to various services, taking classes in person and virtually, all sorts of things to make enough income to leave this job. Now this job is relocating out of state and I will be looking at an ageism situation with regards to employment. I’ve been grateful for employment in general through the years and have been able to raise my 4 kids on my own. I work a 2nd job as a music teacher several nites a week that helps me to break even every month with rising cost of living. I do enjoy doing something meaningful, but it’s not that much $ and the 2 job sitch is exhausting. But THAT is not why I’m here. I wanted to give that as background. Like many my age, I get unsolicited invitations for this and that. I’ve gotten pretty good at weeding them out through the years and have not been victimized. Until now. Several months ago, I got involved with an online investing community, that through the weeks eased me into a place of trust–and hope. I thought it was a godsend if truth be told. It was for an ICO opportunity (Initial Coin Offering). Like an IPO for stocks, for new cryptocurrencies. It was allegedly a group “institutional” move. I started out for about a month of so just watching others on the sidelines because I was skeptical. I chatted with others (turns out they were about my age) in a chat and they reported they were having success. I eventually took the dive into the deep end. Initially investing smaller amounts. I had some rainy day money in my bank account. Gone. Then I had some stocks that were sitting idle that I closed and sent those proceeds. I converted my dollars into cryptocurrency and sent that. Bottomline is I converted all of my savings which amounted to about 50K to them. This is shaming to even write this here. It’s hard to even say these words because I’m a person if you met me, would never think I’d be that naive. There were yellow flags throughout the process, but the further I got into the deep end, the more I needed this to manifest as promised. There was a website that I was “trading” the new crypto I had purchased with my real money deposits. I watched those accounts grow. This sounds horrible so far. But THIS is not why I’m writing here. I would just write off this 50K to my stupidity and tell no one once I realized it was a scam. So here’s why I’m here: In order to get to “institutional status” for my account, I needed to have a 100K account size. With it would come tax advantages, etc. I didn’t have 100K. Heck, I had just cobbled together 50K liquidating this and that. The only thing remaining was a CC (and I wasn’t going to do THAT-“that would be stupid” I told myself). So instead I cashed in on my remaining resource–the equity in my home. I took out a Home Equity Loan to the amount of 101,500 @ 9.3% interest. I was on the cusp of withdrawing and I wanted to get the tax advantages. It went through without a hitch as I have great credit. I pay my bills on time, live within my means, don’t live fancy, no outstanding debts–I’m that guy. Then I tried to withdraw. I’m sure you can figure out what happened there. I was physically sick not only at the loss of an amount of money I have never had in my account at one time, but also sickened at the shame–stunned I could be that stupid. After all, I’m a clever, resourceful, industrious, intelligent person! So losing the 50K is well, I could just pick up a couple more part time jobs I suppose and work another ten years. But now there’s this 30 year $850 loan payment that will outlive me. I had plans for the Monopoly money I made: I was going to pay off my kids enormous college debts, give a nice wedding gift to my daughter to match her father’s, give a similar gift to my other 2 daughters who got married and I didn’t have the money at the time. I was going to pay off my mortgage, replace my 30 y/o carpeting, and give a large matching donation to my local church. I have some friends and family who need some assistance and I was going to help them. Instead, I let my dreams–my really nice intentions–blind me from the reality I was a victim of a malicious scam. The best outcome for me is to get this monster loan paid off in the next year or so–somehow! Thank you for reading my story.

I never thought it could happen to me. Like many of us, I was trying to build a better future. When I joined that Facebook group, It felt like I’d found a community of friends who understood the struggles of trying to get ahead financially. They seemed so knowledgeable , so confident. Their success stories gave me hope.

When they talked about this amazing opportunity in the Hong Kong stock market, I saw a chance to change my life,17000-that was my shot at a brighter tomorrow. It represented countless hours of hard work, sacrifice, and dreams.

The moment I realized it was all a lie, my world shattered. Those people I trusted, who I thought were looking out for me, had orchestrated a cruel scam! They portrayed on our hopes and left us with nothing but emptiness and betrayal.

17000 might now sound like much to some, but for me, it was everything. It was the vacation I’d promised my kids, the repairs my car desperately needed, the start of a college fund. In the blink of an eye, it was gone.

The hardest part isn’t just the money. its the loss of trust, the feeling this same pain, this same shame. If you are one of them, please know its not your fault. We were deceived  by experts in manipulation. But together, we can heal we can warn others, and we can reclaim our power. Our stories matter, and by sharing them, we can protect others from experiencing this heartbreak!

Recuperating this money would mean more than just financial recovery. It would restore my faith in justice, give me hope for the future, and allow me to regain my piece of mind that I have been trying to get back for some time. Thank you and God Bless you for your help!!! My cash app is KCO1984

If anyone can help me not go bankrupt that would be Greatly appreciated !!!!!  I was scammed by Mike G. for about $50,000 and then many others while tring to find something to recoup my losses.  I all now totals up to over $60,000.  I am now working 7 days a week doing Uber just to keep up with all the credit cards I have charged up to the MAX.

I am 70 years old and do not know how much longer I can keep working 7 days a week.  If anyone out there can find it in their heart to give me a hand here that would be very nice.

My PayPal email address is:

opflipq1@gmail.com

Thieves took every penny from our bank account, leaving us with $0.00 balance before was $25,843.00.

Yes, they sure did!  Even our Veterans Disability Check.   My husband is a veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, he now has Stage 4 COPD, suffers from severe anxiety and PTSD.  I am a cancer survivor (non-hodgkins lymphoma) 14 years now.

We had every dime stolen from our bank account and due to the fact that we used a bank called Chime, we found out they are not FDIC insured and neither do they have protections in place for when you have been scammed.  We have filed every government and law enforcement report we could, and have been informed that due to the type of neo-bank there is little we can do to recover stolen funds.

We had finally after 3 years saved enough money to put a down payment on a home of our own since ours had burned to the ground 3 years ago.  We are not asking for a down payment, or anything like that.

We just need enough to get us thru until our next check arrives on the first of July, 2024.  Every bill we have could not get paid due to thieves wiping out our bank account.  They didn’t even leave us a penny, no money for food, electric, bills ANYTHING!

We are just asking for help to get us to the next month.  Any amount would be amazing and very appreciated, we need $5,612.38 for monthly expenses.  But, if not than anything will help.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

@paulastrayhorn is my paypal me