I’m going to talk about a time when I got scammed. Yes, it’s embarrassing to admit it happened to me, but it did, so here’s the story.
About a year ago, I was looking for a full-time position. Instead, I got a second job in addition to the job I already had. I’m not going to disclose the details of the job due to privacy reasons, but it was advertised as a social media position where I would act as a social media lead, encouraging people to join a fitness program. This company branded itself as a women-centric organization focused on empowering women, but in reality, it was not so encourageing to women and false claims it was about changing people’s lives. Let me tell you, that was all nonsense whole company.
Yes, this company existed and was hiring, but to me, they were con artists and scammers. The woman running it was a fitness enthusiast who wanted to expand her following. She noticed that many in her audience were asking questions about menopause, so she quickly got certified in menopause education and started selling a program. Her goal seemed to be getting rich by capitalizing on her audience, and she targeted Americans because she knew she could make more money from them.
She had a system where she would hire social media leads to recruit people, primarily through Facebook, to join her program. At first, I was hesitant about the whole thing because I really needed the extra income due to the high cost of living. However, I was 50-50 on the decision. Every time I interacted with them, they were always dressed in sports attire and were very rude and disrespectful.
The work environment was horrible. They treated me like a second-class citizen. I have never been treated so poorly by an employer in my life, and I’ve had some bad jobs. The way they spoke to me was terrible. I wasn’t good at the job because it felt like I was deceiving people, pushing them into a program they couldn’t afford. The company focused solely on numbers, belittling me if I didn’t meet their expectations.
During training, I received one paycheck, which seemed fine at first. I worked for two more weeks and then got an email from them saying they had fired me. In the email, they stated they would pay me for the last two weeks I worked and wished me well. I expected to receive a paycheck within a week or so, but it never came. A month went by, and I still wasn’t paid. I sent multiple emails, submitted an invoice, and even requested payment through PayPal, but I got nothing. They never paid me.
It’s unbelievable that a company claiming to empower women and act professionally would refuse to pay an employee. I share this story because it’s important to be cautious when considering job offers. If there are red flags from the start, be careful. Many people are trying to make money by deceiving others. I understand I wasn’t good at the job, and I wasn’t comfortable lying to people. There is nothing wrong with refusing to deceive others.
However, it is wrong to promise payment and then not follow through. I eventually reported her account and blocked her. Since she wasn’t in America, there wasn’t much else I could do. It’s been a year now, and I’ve moved on, but I want others to be cautious. Be wary of people who message you on Facebook, claiming to be fitness experts or trying to sell you something. I’ve learned a lot from this experience, and I just wanted to share my story.
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