OMG...I'VE BEEN SCAMMED!

This lovely lady , with a rich ENGLISH accent called me to announce I was selected for a national registry of Who's Who!


She had quite a bit of my correct background information and assured me this was quite an honor....after all, I was a hard working professional with many accomplishments behind me. I was elated! I was also duped...hoodwinked... bamboozled! I  WAS  SCAMMED!


* After speaking to this lovely lady, I was asked to give my credit card numbers for a limited registration that would include full networking on all the media sites that mattered. She named organizations that were reputable and legit! She continued to inform me how this would further my ability to get my " name out there for important people to see" and help me with my career and goals! Wow! And all this for $399. Then she negotiated a lower fee for less time, $250 for 2years. Finally we got down to a post dated amount of $99 plus a few fees, total $125, which was a trial membership for 1 year and it included an airline ticket to anywhere for 2 to use as I please!

I was hesitant and said I needed to think about it. She could not call me back due to publishing deadlines. So, a post dated check would work and I relunctantly said I needed to think about it. She said she'd call me the next day, but she already had ALL my info...and I mean ALL. I was hesitant!


I had actually been included in a similar registry of professionals a few years ago, associated with my college, so it sounded legit. To add to my feeble excuse, I wanted desperately to update my resources to help me acquire a better position with better pay. But, boy, was I taken for a ride....straight to stupid naïve land with no stops.

So, I was ready for this sweet English lady to call me and I would politely turn down the offer. Instead, I looked up Who's Who to find a phone number to call her, when I literally choked on my morning coffee! There in front of me was screaming the words " Who's Who Worldwide Scam! I felt my heart stop and then beat almost out of my chest!!


Realizing my high level of idiotic and naive behavior, I quickly called my bank and panicked as my bank rep assured me all was OK, if, I rushed to my branch and explained the situation and they would expertly handle my incredibly stupid transaction with the nice English lady.{ aka: Ripoff Rita }

* Thank God...all was done in time. No monies was deducted and my life was sort of back to normal. Nice English lady, however had quite a bit of my info as she craftily withdrew my work and personal info during our phone interview.


Was my identity safe? What would transpire next? I was told to keep checking my credit and all transactions with banks and credit cards. I was warned to NEVER give out personal or work info over the phone or email as these scam artists are out there preying on John Q Public. I was warned...hopefully not too late.

So I am screaming from the mountain tops....BEWARE..... Everyday.. new scams are surfacing. Marketing scams where they send you a check for services not yet rendered by you...FALSE! People advertising for Personal Assistance for banking and Office help while they are out of the country...SCAM! They post on Craigslist...the newspapers...emails to you online...and yes, random phone calls!

My close call is my warning that in hard times like these criminals are very crafty and do their homework. It's bad for the legit people and businesses out there , but, this is reality!

******** And to quote a great older movie, "Reality Bites!

                                      Good luck John Q. Public!