MONROE, N.C. — The Better Business Bureau is warning people that scammers have gotten more complex and are preying on people looking for remote work. One Monroe woman knows the danger firsthand after an encounter that left her asking, "Where’s the money?"
You never think it'll happen to you: Scammers tricking you into releasing your personal information. That’s what one Monroe mother thought. She could never become a victim, until she was.
Shelby Helms is a stay-at-home mom. The Monroe mother is used to wrangling her kids around her house, ensuring their homework and rooms are clean.
But now she has a new issue she needs to deal with, scammers.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
"I had everything set up," Helms said. "And then as soon as my banking information was in their hands, they quit responding entirely and everything disappeared."
Helms said she found the perfect remote job on LinkedIn. She applied and almost immediately they reached out.
"I got an email back from this company, claiming to be One Ledger Technologies, and offered me a job position, [I] went through the whole interview process over the phone, and they sent me a job offer letter," Helms said.
Helms knew scammers were lurking on the internet, and that’s why she did her due diligence.
"I sent to family members to look over and make sure 'Hey, this is real, like this is actually able to happen,'" Helms recalled.
But it wasn’t enough.
"I thought I covered all my bases," Helms said. "Usually I can spot a scam from a mile away, but this time, I was fooled."
For this mother of two, this remote position was her lifeline to the real world. Living in a rural town, she can't make the commute into the city every week.
"I was looking for a stay-at-home remote position," she said. "So I can still watch my kids and fit their schedules and still be able to bring in a little bit of money to provide for my family."
Helms said she’s now caught in a catch-22: If she can’t find a remote job, she’ll have to put her kids in day care -- but without a job, she can't even afford day care.
"Either way you look at it, and how are you expected as a parent, to trust strangers to protect and teach your children?" Helms asked. "When you can't even get a job from these strangers?"
Now Helms, who used to see the good in everyone, is a little more wary of everyone online.
"It makes me very nervous, I have yet to apply to another position online," she said.
In the end, she hopes to land a remote job so she can continue to do what she loves the most: Being a mom.
Looking back, Helms said she should have recognized the scam when she noticed the contract she was given was riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. Click here for more tips to spot a scam.
Here are some more tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:
- Emotional appeal - Any pitch that ratchets up your emotion will inhibit your rational judgment.
- Sense of urgency - You MUST act now, or else.
- Request for unorthodox payment - Gift cards, prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, etc.
- Explanations that don't ring true - If your new “landlord” can’t show you the inside of the house, that could be because they don’t own it.
- You won, now pay up - It’s not a prize if you have to pay for it. Taxes, fees, shipping, whatever.
- Too good to be true - That’s because it’s not true. Sorry, your long-lost relative didn’t die, leaving you millions. That car you bought online for a third of its Kelly Blue Book value doesn’t really exist. The son of a billionaire diamond broker didn’t “swipe right” on you and fall instantly in love. That work-at-home job paying you hundreds of dollars an hour for stuffing envelopes isn’t real.
WCNC Charlotte's Where's The Money series is all about leveling the playing field in the Carolinas by helping others and breaking down barriers. WCNC Charlotte doesn't want our viewers to be taken advantage of, so we’re here to help. Watch previous stories where we ask the question “Where’s the Money” in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.