Fraud Victim Needs Tuition Help!
Hello everyone!
My name is Michael, and I am 22 years old. I just graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from Brandeis University. I made the Dean’s list each semester, and I worked very hard. I worked many hours at a campus convenience store to support myself, as I’m not wealthy and I come from a single-parent home. My mother has always taught my brother and me to be savers and not to be foolish with our money.
That’s why it’s so painful to admit that I just made an incredibly stupid mistake with my money.
I was just scammed by someone pretending to be an IRS agent. I was naive. They were very convincing and aggressive, and had access to so much of my personal information including my account balances and the last four digits of my Social Security number. They threatened to have me arrested if I did not immediately comply with their requests, and I panicked and wired my entire savings, just under $4,000, to a thief.
In less than a month, I am returning to Brandeis to attend grad school, in their Masters of International Economics and Finance Program. This money was saved from two summers of work, and was desperately needed to help pay my way through my first year of graduate school, primarily for living expenses -- textbooks, rent, utilities, and car insurance. I come from a single-parent home, and my mother is financially burdened with the responsibility of providing for her two children, with little help from any outside source. Additionally, due to recent medical costs arising from a presently indeterminate condition, I have little money to spare. I won’t be able to replace this money with my summer job. I’m determined to save as much as I can and find a way to make it somehow.
Ultimately, the theft of my money was my fault. My ignorance cost me all of my savings. While it would be very helpful to have people donate to help me replenish my stolen funds, I can’t really expect that.
However, I can use this forum to make people aware of the scam that I just fell victim to.
It’s an IRS impersonation scam, where criminals target unknowing people, claiming to be an IRS agent collecting money that is "owed". They target the elderly, recent immigrants, and young adults and use scare tactics (threat of immediate arrest, deportation, foreclosure on home, etc.) to trick people into revealing information about their bank accounts and finances. Once the victims realize it’s a scam, it is often too late to reverse the damage. You can read more about the scam here: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/taxes/tax-impostor-scam-worse-ever-congress-holds-hearing-n341906
Here is another, more informative link that describes the scam, and how its victims are affected: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/13/us/irs-scam/
Whether you choose to donate to me or not, please read about the scam and inform everybody you know. The best way to put these parasites out of business is with knowledge.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you do choose to donate, I greatly appreciate your generosity.
