Jen's Journal

A job that pays 35 an hour would be ideal for anyone, especially if it can be done from the comfort of your own home.

That’s what I thought when I was contacted at the end of May by AlgoWatt. They are a green tech solutions company that saw my resume and wanted me to interview for them.

The first email I received gave me directions to download a Telegram messaging app. Once I did that, I was to contact a Marta Fiorellino as she would be the one interviewing me.

I didn’t think anything of it; it seemed like a legit company and I went for it. Normally an interview is either by phone or video chat if it can’t be in person, but this was all through a secure message board.

The first few messages consisted of Marta explaining what the company was about and then she sent the interview questions.

I got the job, and I figured it was because I was a better writer than a speaker.

The next few days consisted of paperwork. I received an email from yet another woman that contained a W-4 form, a Job Offer Letter, an i-9 form, and even a code of business conduct form for the company.

Sounds legit, right? I thought so too.

Once that was sent in I was to start training in the next few weeks. A check was sent so that I could buy work materials.

I deposited almost five thousand dollars into my account but this would not clear for a few weeks. Marta then suggested they can send the work materials and all I had to pay for was shipping.

While I was hesitant, I figured the check they sent me would cover it. So I sent $300 to an account on Zelle, as per Marta’s instructions.

The day I left for Boston she said the vendor needed another $300 for the shipping, and I said yes. At this point, most of you are probably cringing at this and don’t understand how someone could be so gullible.

For me it wasn’t about believing her or not, it was about the fact that I finally got a well-paying job that I could do from home. I was desperate for something, as many people were in the beginning.

The next day she said if I could send $1750 because the funds I sent were not enough to cover the cost of equipment. Then she asked if it was possible to send this amount through bitcoin, and this is when I knew I was being scammed.

I told my boyfriend about it and he told his parents. While telling them I also found that the check they previously sent was requested back from the sender.

I was out $600 and I was not going to get one cent out of them. While this may seem like much, it is not nearly as much as other people have lost.

Regardless, I wanted to keep in contact with whoever was doing this so that they didn’t suspect I was onto them. I let “Marta” know that I couldn’t send anymore and she said that was fine, that they can just send another check.

So another one came in, again to the amount of nearly $5000. This time even before I made the deposit my boyfriend’s mother said she had a friend who worked at a bank and suggested we run it by her first.

She was able to run it through the Federal Reserve and the first time it was cleared, it looked like a real check.

The second time though it came up as a fraudulent check. While this was discouraging it also made sense. This was a business, a business where vulnerable and desperate people are targeted.

After that, I deleted the app after saving everything and I stopped all contact.

While this was an unfortunate experience, it did teach me all the things to watch out for.

First, if someone wants you to interview through telegram, that may not be a real job.

Second, be wary of any checks you receive for “job materials.”

Third, you should never have to pay a single cent to any company that wants to hire you, not even if they promise you will be reimbursed.

And finally, if a job seems too good to be true, it probably is. It is a shame that this is happening at a time when millions of people are unemployed. I waisted weeks with these people which kept me from researching and applying to other jobs.

I truly hope none of you ever have to go through this, and if you have, know that you are not the only one.