Life lessons from falling for a scam
I am ashamed to admit that I got scammed. Nigerian scammers are the stuff of urban legend, so I felt doubly embarrassed that a young Nigerian like myself could have fallen for this.
I had received a mail from a certain “Jessica Brown, HR manager of XYZ Company” asking if I was interested in a ‘job opportunity’. Such a lazily spammy mail. I was unimpressed. I did not remember applying to that company for any job, but I had sent out a number of applications in the preceding days and I surely couldn’t remember all of them. The desperate job seeker in me replied “Yes” anyway. I had been approached by many wack employers, so my Yes was just seeing what would come next.
The next day, I got a mail from this person directing me to their company website to make an application. At this point, I should have wondered — hey how did you get my email address in the first place if it wasn’t through an application I made? But before I could think clearly , the job role “Operational Manager” blinded me and I quickly went to the website and sent an application. The website looked professional and legit. I was excited. Over the next two hours, I got a phone call and then an email informing me that my application was successful. My probation would begin the following day.
Well, the following day, I received some money. The mail said “Your first task is to buy cryptocurrency for our investors. We want to test how well you can coordinate payment and correspondence affairs. Can you handle this?” Eager to pass my probation, I said ‘Yes’ and immediately went to Youtube to learn all I could about cryptocurrency.
You know I have already stated that I am ashamed that I fell for this, please don’t judge me for being so gullible.
I went and bought the cryptocurrency and sent to the QR codes I was given. I would give further details on how they policed me every step of the way, but that would be too embarrassing. At this time, my mind was filled with flowers and sunshine, furnished by the robust employment letter I had received. All the benefits a person could ask for. I thought God had come through for the boy. I was already planning my resignation speech to my current employer. I was already being haughty with attendants at the grocery store. I’m not happy to admit this, but apparently that’s another lesson I learnt about myself from the incident.
It wasn’t until I got home after day one of probation that I casually mentioned to my flatmate that I had started a new job. No go day feel say na only you get dey work, I thought. “I’ll need to get a car soon’, I droned ,’ because this job requires a lot of moving around.”
He asked what company, what role. I told him I was now an Operational Manager for a logistics company, and that my job entailed processing payments from their clients. I said I had just come in from a long day of sorting out various payments for these clients. I felt good.
He responded “Wait oh — “ and that was the beginning of the revelation. He quickly connected the dots and I was suddenly made aware that I had been played.
I called the police, made a statement, and called my bank. I called all the people I had given the ‘good news’ to and gave them the real news.
I couldn’t help but think God why did you let me fall for this? Hadn’t I been in prayer during the period?
Welp. I can say now that I actually had enough clues and promptings to slow down and pause. My friends had said ‘Do your research.’ I saw that as unnecessary caution. I did some research perfunctorily though, and even that did not yield any assurance. This should have warned me. On my way to the cryptocurrency machine, a thought struck me — what if this is a scam? I chuckled and responded out loud to myself on the road “That doesn’t concern me. As long I’m doing my own honest work and getting paid for it, they can scam whoever they want.” Seems shocking now that I think about it. Another indicator that my heart was in a bad place.
Even at the machine, a lady who works where it was located warned me about the possibility of it being a scam. I laughed and assured her I knew who I was dealing with. It was written on the machine — Do not conduct transactions with individuals you do not know. I boned it. You could say God gave me all the necessary warning signs and I just wouldn’t heed them because, desperation. It wasn’t even about being desperately cash-strapped. It was that I was tired of not having a ‘good job’ and I just wanted that to end.
So then, I had been in prayer but hadn’t listened to the many cues that I got warning me. I later got to know that what happened to me is a common experience for immigrants like me who don’t know a lot. But still, I had enough resources to have done better.
I paid for that desperation ( read — lust). The bank froze my account for weeks and placed a hold on my account for the amount the scammers had sent in. That is, I was to bear financial loss. I who did not have a lot money to start with. I prayed to them and to God for mercy, and they eventually let me off the hook. But the whole experience took a toll on me emotionally.
My biggest lesson was the realization that desperation can substantively impede our cognition. In life, there’s no telling when the option of desperation will come. It may be financial, social, marital, emotional, sexual and so on. But it’s always that — an option. What if a person marries the wrong person out of desperation? They wouldn’t be as lucky as I was. No bank can let you off the hook for that, and God doesn’t encourage divorce. Thinking about it, the devil always capitalizes on our strong, excessive and unbridled desires — aka desperation, lust — to bind people in sell-your-soul deals. This is recorded through many stories in literature and in the Bible. We can choose not to be desperate. We can choose instead to persevere and possess our souls in patience.
“The trying of your faith worketh patience. Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.” — James 1:4–5
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust.” — James 1:14–15
