Thank you for taking the time to read this.

My name is Seph (short for Joseph). I've always made my own way in life. Of course I've sometimes gotten help from friends, and I was always sure to return the help as soon as I could, but I've never asked for help like this before and to be honest, it's pretty embarrassing. I just don't see any other options.

Eighteen years ago, I started a small production company. In about 2 years I was getting by well enough to begin doing it full-time. Since then I've worked hard to grow my company and although I'll never be rich, I've kept my bills paid and gotten by. This year has been different though. Over the year my income has dropped by about 25% and I've been feeling the squeeze. Back in January I got a check from the IRS. I was confused and called them. They said it was an adjustment on my 2024 taxes and it was legit, so I went ahead and cashed it. This Fall they sent me a letter telling me the check was actually an error and I needed to repay it. To be honest, that money went for bills and I don't have it. I called them about it and they're saying they can direct withdraw from my bank account, which is hilarious since if the money was there I'd just give it to them, but they also said they can confiscate my property and there's the emergency. I sold my car over the summer because money was so tight so the only thing of any real value here is my computer, which is what I use for work. If they take that the company I've been building for almost 20 years is gone, along with my only way to make a living. I'm under a year away from getting Social Security but I'm out of time it seems. So here I am, hat in hand, asking for help from strangers so an old man doesn't wind up on the street.