Alexa Margaret

Life after getting scammed

Where do I even start? As the global pandemic hit and I am a student I decided that I wanted to try and make some money online. This is where I made my first mistake. My immediate go to was Instagram after seeing all these YouTube videos about talking to people online and getting paid for it. I know really the chances of finding genuine people are very slim ! I began messaging 2 people who obviously were not who they said they were. Although I was sceptical I went along with it. I never knew I could be so gullible. I was told I would receive $5,000 all I had to do was pay a fee to make the transaction available. (I used PayPal). I was then told I had to pay over $500 and then another $500. So now I’m already down quite a bit of money. I then realise what is happening and tell the man that I am going to sue him. He then threatens to kill me if I do and he sends me a photo of a gun. The 2nd man I was talking to also promised me money and when I paid the “fee” to make a transaction I lost another $500. I then went online to look for some help and I was very scared and confused and had lost so much money that I worked hard for. I was then introduced to cyberspace (although who knows what the name has been changed to as it changes constantly to scam people). I paid them over $200 after emailing back and forth with a worker and then they told me that to get my money back that they had “recovered '' that I had to pay them $1,000. It was at this moment I realised I had been fooled. How could I keep being so gullible and thinking that everyone I would come in contact with was a good person. I have lost the courage and motivation to interact with people anymore. I feel that I can’t trust anyone. When sending money I also used Skrill which locked my account for no reason and asked for personal details which I provided so that my account would be unlocked. I have been emailing them since late October and it is now mid April and I have yet to receive any help. I am now broke and broken inside. How could I be so foolish. Why was I foolish enough to believe strangers when I barely believe the people that I am surrounded by. Even before this incident I had severe mental health issues and now my world is completely shattered. I haven’t told anyone of my pain and unfortunate circumstances as I don’t want to rely on anyone yet it is really weighing down on my mind. I felt that I had to share my story to make sure others don’t make the mistakes I made. Please be careful in this world. My life fell apart and I have not made any of the money back. Of course I then tried various other methods of trying to gain the money back like gambling. I only spent $20 in total hoping that I would be able to double or even triple it. I was in panic mode so I thought any little thing I did could help me. I researched the internet on ways to make money online and believe me I have tried so many websites I've lost count. Spoiler alert none of them work. It is difficult to be accepted by online companies, especially when you don't have specific qualifications. So word to the wise. When looking for financial gain in a sketchy way please think of my misery and make good choices.