Victim of Internet Scam
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My name is Sarah Hall. I'm a 21 year old photographer from Newfoundland, Canada. I run my own photography business, Sarah Hall Photography, where I specialize in cosplay and fashion photography. Today I have been the victim of an internet scam, having $1000 stolen from me.
Last week I posted an ad on Kijiji looking to see if anyone was selling a Canon 5D Mark III, because as most people know by now, my current camera is falling apart and just doesn't work well anymore. As a 21 year old who works part time and has to pay for life's necessities, I couldn't purchase a new camera for $3500.
A man from Ontario contacted me on Kijiji and said he had a camera and we can negotiate a price. We agreed on $1800, and I would pay him the $1000 upfront (I had saved that $1000 up for 2 years straight), and then I'd send the $800 when I received the camera in the mail and made sure it was in good condition. All seemed good and he seemed like a very respectable, kind, honest man. We had been communicating via text. I e-transferred him the money and he accepted. He didn't send it out that day as his daughter was "in the hospital after a diabetic attack" and he "couldn't leave her alone" as his wife had died and his daughter was all he had. I, being the nice person I am, sympathized and told him no worries.
So the next day he texted me saying he shipped it out. With a courier service called Safeway Courier. The name of it rang a bell (turns out I was thinking of Sameday Courier), so I didn't question why he shipped with that instead of Canada Post or FedEx. He gave me the tracking number and I go onto the site, put it in, and all seemed legit. He then asked me to send the $800 to help pay for medical bills for his daughter and stuff. I said I didn't feel comfortable doing that and he understood, although he kept bringing it up for days after.
Then last night I logged into my photography email and checked my spam inbox as I do from time to time, and I saw in my spam box is an email from "Safeway Courier" saying that my package was held at the Durham International Airport in Durham, Ontario and I had to pay tax revenue on it. $400. They didn't give me a place to send the money to, just said I had to send it to them for the camera to be sent on to me. I then googled this "airport" to get the number as I felt suspicious of this email, only to find out that the airport DOESN'T EXIST.
At this point I'm totally freaking out, and I went back to the Safeway Courier website and saw that they don't even have an office in Canada. Only in America, Australia, Ghana, and India. I called the American number. It was a number belonging to a random guy in America who was NOT Safeway Courier.
So I then immediately texted "Frank" and asked him exactly what was going on, why does Safeway Courier not exist in Canada, why are they asking for $400 in customs fees, why does their number not work, are you scamming me, etc. My father got on the phone and called this man, who finally picked up after a while. My father asked if he's speaking to Frank, he said yes, my father explained who he is and Frank said "oh I'm messaging her right now" and the line goes fuzzy and he hung up. That was at 1:45 PM on January 29th, and it is now 8:23PM on January 29th. Still no message from Frank. My father called the number back after half an hour, and it went straight to voicemail.
So we got on the phone to Scotiabank to see if there was a way to get the e-transfer back. There wasn't because he already accepted it, but they traced it. Even though I sent it to "Frank", a woman named Angie with the email address "sweet_angel_69er" accepted the transfer at National Bank somewhere in Canada. I then told Frank to reply to me or I would go to the police. No response. So I went to the police and filed a report. They say the likeliness of anything coming of it is slim to none, as that's what happens with 99% of these cases.
So now I'm out $1000 that took me 2 YEARS to save up, I'm probably not getting the money back, and I'm going on an extremely important photography trip in 2 weeks that I was trying very hard to get my new camera for. I'm stuck with my old camera and the fear that it may finally give out on me halfway through my trip, and I don't even have the money to put towards my camera. My family cannot afford to buy a new one, and I'm no longer trusting any independant sellers online. That is why I'm asking for $3000, as I am trying to get my new camera as soon as possible so I can run my business without fear of it breaking down halfway through a shoot, and without the shame and discouragement of the low quality photos it produces compared to the quality of my work. However, if I am able to make back the $1000 that has been stolen from me, I will be unbelievably, beyond grateful.
Please, if there is any way you could donate a dollar to help me out, it would be unbelievably appreciated. I am at a loss for what to do, and I've only opened this GoFundMe page at the recommendation of other people. I hate asking people for money, but at the time I currently cannot see another choice. I am trying to think of a way to give it back to anyone who donates, whether that be free shoots or prints, I want to personally thank anyone that can help me out in this extremely discouraging, hard time.
Thank you so much for reading, and to anyone who donates, my gratitude cannot be expressed simply through words. So imagine me reaching through the computer and giving you a giant hug. Thank you. <3
Sarah Hall
Last week I posted an ad on Kijiji looking to see if anyone was selling a Canon 5D Mark III, because as most people know by now, my current camera is falling apart and just doesn't work well anymore. As a 21 year old who works part time and has to pay for life's necessities, I couldn't purchase a new camera for $3500.
A man from Ontario contacted me on Kijiji and said he had a camera and we can negotiate a price. We agreed on $1800, and I would pay him the $1000 upfront (I had saved that $1000 up for 2 years straight), and then I'd send the $800 when I received the camera in the mail and made sure it was in good condition. All seemed good and he seemed like a very respectable, kind, honest man. We had been communicating via text. I e-transferred him the money and he accepted. He didn't send it out that day as his daughter was "in the hospital after a diabetic attack" and he "couldn't leave her alone" as his wife had died and his daughter was all he had. I, being the nice person I am, sympathized and told him no worries.
So the next day he texted me saying he shipped it out. With a courier service called Safeway Courier. The name of it rang a bell (turns out I was thinking of Sameday Courier), so I didn't question why he shipped with that instead of Canada Post or FedEx. He gave me the tracking number and I go onto the site, put it in, and all seemed legit. He then asked me to send the $800 to help pay for medical bills for his daughter and stuff. I said I didn't feel comfortable doing that and he understood, although he kept bringing it up for days after.
Then last night I logged into my photography email and checked my spam inbox as I do from time to time, and I saw in my spam box is an email from "Safeway Courier" saying that my package was held at the Durham International Airport in Durham, Ontario and I had to pay tax revenue on it. $400. They didn't give me a place to send the money to, just said I had to send it to them for the camera to be sent on to me. I then googled this "airport" to get the number as I felt suspicious of this email, only to find out that the airport DOESN'T EXIST.
At this point I'm totally freaking out, and I went back to the Safeway Courier website and saw that they don't even have an office in Canada. Only in America, Australia, Ghana, and India. I called the American number. It was a number belonging to a random guy in America who was NOT Safeway Courier.
So I then immediately texted "Frank" and asked him exactly what was going on, why does Safeway Courier not exist in Canada, why are they asking for $400 in customs fees, why does their number not work, are you scamming me, etc. My father got on the phone and called this man, who finally picked up after a while. My father asked if he's speaking to Frank, he said yes, my father explained who he is and Frank said "oh I'm messaging her right now" and the line goes fuzzy and he hung up. That was at 1:45 PM on January 29th, and it is now 8:23PM on January 29th. Still no message from Frank. My father called the number back after half an hour, and it went straight to voicemail.
So we got on the phone to Scotiabank to see if there was a way to get the e-transfer back. There wasn't because he already accepted it, but they traced it. Even though I sent it to "Frank", a woman named Angie with the email address "sweet_angel_69er" accepted the transfer at National Bank somewhere in Canada. I then told Frank to reply to me or I would go to the police. No response. So I went to the police and filed a report. They say the likeliness of anything coming of it is slim to none, as that's what happens with 99% of these cases.
So now I'm out $1000 that took me 2 YEARS to save up, I'm probably not getting the money back, and I'm going on an extremely important photography trip in 2 weeks that I was trying very hard to get my new camera for. I'm stuck with my old camera and the fear that it may finally give out on me halfway through my trip, and I don't even have the money to put towards my camera. My family cannot afford to buy a new one, and I'm no longer trusting any independant sellers online. That is why I'm asking for $3000, as I am trying to get my new camera as soon as possible so I can run my business without fear of it breaking down halfway through a shoot, and without the shame and discouragement of the low quality photos it produces compared to the quality of my work. However, if I am able to make back the $1000 that has been stolen from me, I will be unbelievably, beyond grateful.
Please, if there is any way you could donate a dollar to help me out, it would be unbelievably appreciated. I am at a loss for what to do, and I've only opened this GoFundMe page at the recommendation of other people. I hate asking people for money, but at the time I currently cannot see another choice. I am trying to think of a way to give it back to anyone who donates, whether that be free shoots or prints, I want to personally thank anyone that can help me out in this extremely discouraging, hard time.
Thank you so much for reading, and to anyone who donates, my gratitude cannot be expressed simply through words. So imagine me reaching through the computer and giving you a giant hug. Thank you. <3
Sarah Hall
Organizer
Sarah Hall
Organizer
St. John's, NL
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