Help Miranda Recover from Theft

Hello! My name is Miranda Owens. Thanks for taking the time to check out my gofundme. I'll take a moment to share a bit about myself, and then explain my situation and why I need your help. I am 24 years old, and immigrated to the United States from France to pursue an education at Cottey College. I graduated with my degree in psychology in the spring of 2020, and ended up establishing residence in the States due to the pandemic.

I have been supporting myself since then, and despite working hard and doing my best, I have recently become housing insecure and am currently seeking employment. I have limited access to career opportunities or community resources as I do not own a vehicle. Due to my limited mobility, I have been applying for remote positions. This is how I came to have all of my funds stolen and my bank account foreclosed.

While applying for hundreds of online positions, I was contacted by a company and offered an interview. I looked into the company and the individual who reached out to me, and was able to verify their identities. I went through the interview process and was hired. From there, they sent me a $5,000 check for a sign on bonus and to purchase office equipment. My bank accepted it and the funds reflected in my account. I was then asked to transfer the funds back to the company, which I made the mistake of doing.

Later that day I was informed by my bank that the original $5,000 check had bounced, that my account was being foreclosed, and that I owe the bank $5,000. Everything I had has been stolen, I don't have a penny to my name, I am now in debt to the bank, and I am still unemployed without a source of income. I have contacted the bank and authorities multiple times and they've said there's nothing they can do.

This was an incredibly elaborate scam in which the scammers impersonated an actual company, stole the identities of real people, fabricated official documents, and constructed a job role in which I was given training. I am absolutely devastated, shaken, and humiliated by this - but more than that I am terrified by the idea of what's going to happen to me now that I don't even have $20 to my name.

I am asking for $7,000 because $5k will effectively bring my account back up to $0, and I need the additional money to pay for an airbnb and food for the next month or two while I continue to look for work.

Because my account has been frozen, my friend Rowan Carter is posting the gofundme and will be receiving the money on my behalf.

Thank you so much for your time and support. I can't express how much it means to me after experiencing such a shocking sense of betrayal and cruelty. With your support, I will hopefully have enough stability to find a job, get housing, and from there apply to grad school and get to a point where I can pay it forward.

Thanks again, and sending love.

-Miranda