HOUSTON — It seemed like the perfect job — work from home and no heavy lifting. But the job turned out to be a trap set by con men looking to make a quick buck for themselves.
Blair Flemings got caught up in a work-at-home scam after responding to an online job posting.
"Go on Craigslist, you know, they always have jobs," fraud victim Blair Flemings said that was the advice she got from her friends to find a job.
Flemings follows that advice. She quickly found a personal assistant job that would allow her to work from home.
"Processing orders, processing payments, you know, going to the bank, picking up banks, doing money orders," Fleming recalled about the job.
Fir her first assignment, Flemings was asked to deposit a $2,000 check she received in the mail. Then, she had to send three money orders to addresses she received in an e-mail.
"It was all through email and I, I should have known, I should have known," Flemings said.
She became apprehensive and asked to speak to her employer in person. She got a text message response that read:
Flemings told her employer that she understood and asked that they call at their earliest convenience. Instead of her employer calling, she got another text that read:
Flemings responded with a text that read:
"Why would someone trust you that has not seen you ever in their life with $2,000?" Flemings wondered.
She reached out to postal inspectors and her fears were confirmed. The check was counterfeit. The employer's goal was to steal Fleming's money.
Inspectors say it is always important to do you homework before accepting a job online.
"Make sure that this company is legitimate. Get references from that company. You now find other individuals that may be working for that company," advised U.S. Postal Inspector Stephanie Houston.
"I was looking for something fast and fast is not always good – fast is easy but it’s not always good," Flemings said.
Fortunately, Blair didn’t lose any money because she never deposited the counterfeit check. If she had followed the instructions, she would have withdrawn against her account and once the bank realized it was a fake – she would be responsible for the money lost.