Praying for Better Days

Update: This is now an official investigation that may take years to solve. Things I learned from this scam: anytime someone accuses you of something, state you will meet them at the local police station to review the details. Never be so scared/brainwashed that you forget to talk to your loved ones. Always seek advice elsewhere, despite what you are being told on the phone. Never withdraw cash and deposit it or leave it elsewhere, as this is not protected by the bank. 

Hi, my name is Jasmine, and I’m a healthcare professional who unfortunately, has fallen victim to an awful scam. On May 9, 2022, I lost my life savings in a matter of hours. Not sure if it was the sleep deprivation, Monday morning vibes, or my nurturing/ always want to believe people are good spirit… but nonetheless, I let some scammers get the best of me. And for those of you who know me.. you know this doesn’t seem like something I would fall for.. but for some reason, they really got the best of me that day.

I was contacted on 5/9/22 at 10:06 am by supposedly US Customs and Border Protection, Officer Kristina Horgan (who is a real officer mind you), stating my name has been tied to illegal activity in El Paso, TX. Apparently a package was intercepted by USPS that contained fake IDs and other illegal items that were being shipped to a house registered/purchased under my name. When they set up surveillance at those homes, they found drug trafficking and money laundering were taking place there and since these homes were tied to my name, I was in trouble and a possible victim of identity theft. She stated that based on my criminal record, the department believes I’m innocent.. however this is a formal federal investigation so my options were: I could file an ADR (alternative dispute resolution) or hire an attorney and fight it on my own. They also stated, this case would be filed with my local police department.

About 30 minutes later, I received a call from the “West Chester Police Department,” confirming they received faxed documents from Officer Horgan explaining the situation and wanted to reiterate to me my rights/ options (ADR or hire an attorney and fight the case in El Paso, TX). The officer then asked me which choice I would like to proceed with and I stated I would proceed with the ADR option.

I then received a call from the “US Ambassador EEO- Mike Williams” who said he would help me with the ADR process. The ADR would require me to withdraw large amounts of money from all my bank accounts and leave the minimal required balance in each account and then deposit that money into an e-wallet. This money would then be transferred into my new bank accounts that are tied to my new social security number which they told me they would be issuing within the next 24 hours since they believe my identity has been stolen given the two homes purchased in TX. In addition, they stated the money had to be moved ASAP so they could deactivate my old social security number in an effort to catch the criminals since they will most likely be trying to access their bank accounts which were opened under my name. When they went to access them, they would be able to catch them since the banks would alert them that this deactivated account was trying to be accessed. At the time, it all seemed far fetched but also believable to a degree since there were so many moving pieces: (US) Border Control, (US) Marshall, Local Police Department, and the Department of Treasury - all who contacted me that day and never gave me a second to myself since “all calls had to be recorded” which I will explain later on.

Moving the money was hell and I literally thought to myself “I’m in a movie, how can this be happening to me?” But against my better judgement, I proceeded with the “ADR” process and believed this agent was here to help me. For a minute I even thought “wow, we have good security at the post office and look at all these agencies working together to protect their citizens” — silly me (in retrospect).

I had to go to 8 different banks to obtain my money since each branch had a $5k daily limit (though some were able to issue more based on the deposits made that day). More than $40k was withdrawn and deposited into an e-wallet which they told me was created for me with my new social security number attached to it. It turns out this “E-Wallet” was linked to a Bitcoin wallet that they own, which I later realized when the agent didn’t call me to set up the new social security number issuance and transfer my money back to my accounts.

I’m sure you’re probably wondering if I questioned this process or scam at all… and the answer is yes. I asked all agents to verify their identity so that I knew I was truly speaking to who they claim they were. They were able to provide me information that seemed reasonable like badge numbers, complete knowledge of the actual .gov website that they represented, and on top of it all… they called me from phone numbers that matched the phone numbers found on those US agency websites. Looking back, I should’ve known better but they were very convincing and well polished in their tactics and story, and well… I guess that’s how I fell victim to this.

Also, please note, I was kept on the phone with the scammer the entire time (8-9 hours total) because they told me I had to keep my phone on so that the conversations could be recorded and I could be protected under the court to show I was in compliance with them and have nothing to do with the other accounts/ people who stole my identity. I drove over 200 miles that day going from bank to bank and kiosk to kiosk and was not allowed to hang up the phone. I was also instructed not to discuss this with anyone since this is a federal investigation and I could put those I share this with in jeopardy. Although I wanted to call someone, I also wanted to protect my loved ones. Looking back, I definitely should have reached out to my loved ones so they could’ve walked me off the cliff I was about to jump off of.

I have reported these details to the local police, the fraud department, and the FBI. Unfortunately, they have all told me the same thing.. I will most likely not see any of that money again. Although that’s a hard pill to swallow, considering the hours worked and time put in to earn and save that money… at the end of the day, it is just that… money. And at the end of the day, I am happy I was not harmed during this process and I still have my health, my puppy, and many years ahead of me to rebuild what I’ve lost. To date, they left me with $1500 to my name.

Again, for anyone who knows me, I never ask for help and would never dream starting this page but under these circumstances I’m literally at a loss for words. Any donation would be greatly appreciated to help pay my mortgage, groceries, student loans, puppy needs, and more.

Thank you to everyone in advance who sends even a penny of hope my way and understands the shock I’m in, the fear of financial well-being, and for helping a person who let her belief in good people/humanity get the best of her/ her life savings!