Scammed.

Little did I know.

Little did I know that while I sat philosophizing on my money being a rather fickle imaginary friend in my last blog, I was, in that moment being scammed.

(I will elaborate further, but let me just say that once I recovered from my initial shock at this event, I was actually quite excited because I had new story material, thus reinforcing a sneaking suspicion that I am strange.)

I've been on the hunt for a roommate and had placed an add on Craig's List-an edgy move, I know. That same day, a 25 year old girl from Spain wrote back saying that she needed a temporary place to stay here in the U.S. while on a special local project with her international company. She wanted the room asap and was sooooo thankful for the arrangement. She wanted to secure the place immediately, and would be arriving in two weeks. All key employer titles and project names remained mysteriously anonymous, everything was especially urgent-all should have been red flags but instead, I was actually lured into feeling pretty heroic for helping out a fellow young female from fellow latin roots. Dios mio...

Her name was Juliet, a now verifiably ill-fated name.

Everything was set into play one unsuspecting Friday, just after. A email from my mysterious romantic friend told of a UPS parcel that I needed to pick up containing prepay for rent. A check? Already? When was this girl arriving? She had said the end of the month, now two weeks earlier, she's setting things in motion. Oh, and another small detail: the check contains rent and her plane flight expense, to be forwarded through Money Gram to her travel agent by me to...Colorado? What in the world?? Lovely, I have a helpless idiota for a future roommate. This poor girl is sending money to a complete stranger, totally trusting me to do the right thing. And Colorado? I'm sorry, is there a Colorado near Madrid, Spain? Wouldn't a person plan their trip abroad from home instead of from...abroad? I wrote back cautioning her about such trusting decisions-ten cuidado, chica. Be careful. The next day, I read her sentimental reply:

Like my Dad use to say that ''TRUST IS GIVEN AND NOT EARNED''.....You get to know and trust people one day until they disappoint in you but in your own case;I can trust you since i will be coming to you and we will have to stay together and also show me some places when i get to states right?Try and get the package from UPS and get things done the way i explained to you in my previous e-mail....thanks once again for your effort and understanding...I can't wait to meet you in person.....Do have a nice weekend...Bye for now.

Regards
Juliet.

Again my heart was touched by this limited English explanation. Of course she was telling the truth. Of course... One more minor detail that gives me some mirth: the check was from La Puente, CA, hometown of my father. La Puente, the barrio, the L.A. suburb stylin' with shootings in narrow streets, completely strung out drug addicts, the hispanic cholos, the concrete playgrounds, etc, etc, etc. My Dad "escaped," as he still puts it, at the age of 25, after some months spent in jail for his involvement in the neighborhood. So now this check from La Puente, Valley Blvd...Dad said, "Oh I used to hitch-hike Valley Blvd, man!" I should have known something was wrong.

I deposited the check and stress began to mount almost immediately when my Money Gram attempts, aka my end of the deal I never signed up for, were thwarted. My debit card was out of commission, with a new one coming, so I couldn't use it for the online transaction. I tried to sign up for an online account, but accidentally entered my bank information incorrectly, so after waiting three days, I learned it was going at least three more to redo the whole process...meanwhile love letters from Juliet were coming twice daily with gentle proddings that she really needed the money soon to plan her trip, because again, she was sooooo excited to come since I was suuuuuch a good person...hmm.

But again, my affection for Juliet apparently got in the way of my distantly rapping reason.

The pressure of having this girl's money was something I wanted to be rid of immediately, therefore I had to find a way to send it asap. I even tried going to the Money Gram machine at 7-11 but it needed a debit card, the machine though, as the clerk assured me, "Works berry gud and it tell you how it work cas i don know." Thanks. Next I thought of Western Union, or just sending a check; my work schedule was making all of this difficult though-classes, after school meetings, and everyone closes shop at 5 o'clock out there, too early. Finally after nearly a week of having this lingering headache I was ready to do whatever it took to get it done-I should call Juliet's travel agent and see what she recommends here, in the essence of time.

Google Search: Kathy, travel agent, Brighton, Colorado...

...

...

Pop! First link reads...Kathy, travel agent, Brighton , Colorado, Money Gram Scam.

Freeze. Come again, scam? As in SCAM? I looked over the article quickly-it was a series of postings related to a fishy Secret-Shopper scam in which random addressees received checks of large amounts to go shop for customer service evaluation in certain stores. Excess money was to be sent through Money Gram to KATHY. The folks posting these stories were the suspicious ones, and it turned out many of these letters had gone out. Beware the scam was the general idea.

Now here is the part that I will relate honestly, albeit with much chagrin and embarrassment-my reason was as follows:

But Juliet isn't from Walmart. She's going to be my roommate. She apparently has nothing to do with this, must be a mistake...I gotta get rid of this money.

I know, I know, DISGUSTING trust. Need I say never again? But let's continue...I did mull it over, I thought through all the possibilities, all the ways I could get burned here-maybe I was being pulled unwittingly into some sort of money triangle, whose passage needed several hands. Worse case scenario, I just needed to get out from under these funds so that I couldn't be accused of "stealing it," or attempting to do so. Looks like it's Western Union, ya'll. I rushed to the bank after school, 4:40pm and counting. Those luminescent blue numbers of the clock in my honda burned bright with each minute it took to get there. Pull in, hop out, grab a withdrawl slip, sit down, give account number...

...

...

"Um, did you know you had a returned check?"

"What?"

"Yeah, that large check you deposited. It was returned. Counterfeit."

Scammed. Skeptical me fooled. Wow. This was the one possibility I had not foreseen in my list of "ways for Anika to be burned." Counterfeit. Had I sent funds any earlier, it would have been my money going to "Kathy & Ko." DUDE. There was another pause, I think the teller felt sorry for me, but was then surprised by my enthusiasm,

"Really?"

"Yes..."

"So the money's just gone?"

"Uhuh."

"And so that's it, right? I'm done, nothing that can 'get'

me?"

"No, it's just out of the account."

"That is actually good."

"It must have been that one scam?"

"I think so. But I'm good...thanks!" Apparently "good" was the only adjective I could think of at the moment.

"Not a problem." I could feel her watch me walk out.

Perhaps I should have been disillusioned, disappointed, but I was only very very relieved, and felt the afternoon air smooth over my stressed brow. Free at last, free at last...Thank you Lord, free at last.

Looks like the little I know is expanding.