How I Lost \$3,000 to a Scam (And Almost My Mind)

💬 It started with a message.


Late one night, as I was scrolling Instagram with my usual cocktail of boredom and insomnia, a DM notification lit up my screen.


> “Hey, you’d be perfect for a remote job I just started. Easy work, good pay. Lmk if interested!”


It was from a college acquaintance — not someone I spoke to often, but someone real. Her page was still filled with selfies, memes, and graduation photos. Verified, active, human.


I replied.


She told me she was working with a new e-commerce platform that paid people to “test payment systems.” All I had to do was receive money via check, deposit it into my bank, and wire it to a "verification account" to prove the system worked. They’d even pay me a \$500 bonus per transaction.


It sounded weird. But also — kind of legitimate? I mean, why would she lie?


e check arrived two days later.


It looked real. Official bank logo. Watermark. All the bells and whistles. It was made out to me — for \$2,500.


> “Deposit it today, send the funds to the testing wallet, and keep \$500 as your cut,” she texted.


I deposited the check using mobile banking. No red flags. It cleared “pending” in less than 24 hours. I wired \$2,000 using Western Union to a name I now realize doesn’t exist. I even messaged her a photo of the receipt.


And then everything exploded.


Three days later, I got an email from my bank.

Subject line:“Returned Check — Fraudulent Deposit.”


The check had bounced. The money I thought I had never actually existed. And now, I was \$2,000 overdrawn.


Frantic, I reached out to her — or, I thought I did. The account was gone. Vanished. Her Instagram had been hacked. The scammer had been impersonating her the whole time.


I had wired real money out of my account based on a fake check, to a fake name, under fake pretenses.


- I spiraled.


For the next few hours, I stared at my bank app like it could undo itself. I felt nauseous. I replayed everything: the check, the DMs, the moment I told my roommate, “This could be a cool side hustle.”


I wanted to throw up.


That night, I barely slept. The shame — more than the money — consumed me. How could I, someone educated, digitally literate, aware of scams, get duped like this?


The truth behind the scam (and why it works)


Later, I learned that this type of fraud is called an “overpayment scam.” It’s shockingly common — especially on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, and LinkedIn.


Here’s how it works:


A scammer gains access to a real person’s account (often someone you loosely know).

They send realistic job offers or payment gigs that involve checks or wire transfers.

The check bounces days after you’ve already sent real money.

Your bank holds you liable — because you authorized the wire.


> The FTC reports thousands of these cases annually, and victims often lose between \$500–\$5,000. Most never recover the funds.


---


I tried to fix it. The damage was already done.


I reported everything:

✔️ To my bank (they said I was liable)

✔️ To the police (they took a report and wished me luck)

✔️ To Instagram (they never responded)

✔️ To the FTC (just to feel like I was doing something)


My account sat at -\$2,031.46 for three weeks. I had to borrow money from my older brother to get out of the hole. That conversation still haunts me.


---


But this story isn’t just about money.


It's about how shame keeps people silent.

I didn’t want to tell anyone I got scammed — not even my best friends. I feared they’d laugh. Judge me. Say “How could you fall for that?”


But as soon as I opened up, I learned something shocking:

Almost everyone I know has had a close call.

Some had clicked phishing links. Others nearly fell for crypto “giveaways.” One friend was almost catfished by a fake job recruiter.


The only thing that saved them? Dumb luck.


---


Here’s what I learned — the hard way:


1. Just because it looks real doesn’t mean it is.

Scammers use real names, logos, banks, even hacked accounts of people you know.


2. A check isn’t really “cleared” just because your bank app says so.

It can take 5+ days to bounce back as fraudulent.


3. Banks won’t protect you from this.

You’re responsible if you send money based on a fake check — even if you were tricked.


4. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Real jobs don’t ask you to wire money first. Ever.


---


I lost \$3,000. But I gained clarity.


This scam took my money and my peace of mind. But it also made me more cautious, more outspoken — and more compassionate.


If you’ve been scammed, or almost scammed, please know this:

You are not stupid. You are not alone. And you can survive this.


I did.




Resources if this happened to you:


∆ [ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/)

∆ [IC3.gov (FBI Internet Crime Reporting)](https://www.ic3.gov)

∆ [Western Union Fraud Support](https://www.westernunion.com/us/en/fraud-awareness.html)

∆ Call your bank immediately and ask to speak with a fraud specialist.





If this story helped you feel seen or protected, consider sharing it. We don’t talk enough about scams because we’re too ashamed. But silence protects scammers. Stories protect each other.





❤️ Thank you for reading.


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