The online world has become a natural place to form both personal and business connections. Whether through networking events or social media engagement, many of us rely on digital platforms to spark new opportunities. It’s an exciting frontier—but, unfortunately, it’s also one where scammers look for ways to take advantage of others. Why am I talking about this? Well, I had a close call about a year ago when I was almost scammed out of $1,000 CAD.
The Story Goes Something Like This
As a service-based business owner, I set aside time and mental energy to actively grow my business, connect with new people, and stay open to potential opportunities. One day, my sister reached out to me, saying a friend of hers was looking for a Virtual Assistant—or in this case, “someone to help him out remotely.”
To my credit, when she sent me a screenshot of the job description that her friend messaged her on Facebook, I was a little wary. I guess my instincts were tapping me on the shoulder. I immediately asked my sister to confirm it was legitimate, and she assured me it was.
What happened next, I’ll explain in the form of the following Red Flag Chronicles.
Hopefully, this won’t happen to you, but just in case, here are some red flags to be aware of in the online world of business connections and referrals.
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Job Postings Through Direct Messages
I’m not saying this is automatically a scam. Sharing a job opening through personal networks can be a legitimate way to find support for a business. That’s why I didn’t bat an eye (after the initial doubt that I felt I addressed). But it can be a risky situation because this is an access point for scammers to hack into someone’s social media account and impersonate them. They can be quite cunning and fool you—or even the person passing the info on to you.
What to do: Listen to your gut. If something seems off, proceed with caution. What is the person asking or offering? In my case, they were offering an opportunity that just fell into my lap so easily (too good to be true). Things can happen this way sometimes, but it’s best to stay alert and observe what happens next.
The Interview Is Moved to Another Chat Platform and Conducted via Chat Only
The first thing the scammer did was send me to another chatting platform (from Facebook to Telegram), likely to avoid leaving a trail on the hacked account. Secondly, they hid behind a chat conversation and never showed themselves.
What to do: If they aren’t willing to hop on a video or at least a phone call to connect with you and see if you’re a good fit to work together, I feel confident in saying: end the conversation immediately. You may also consider reporting this person.
Time Is of the Essence: Things Move Too Fast
So, you gave amazing answers, and they’re very impressed with you. You’ve got the job, and you can start right away! Wow! Maybe it’s legit—but also, maybe not.
If they purchase your hourly packages and book a video call, then you’re likely in the clear.
However, if the charade continues, I’d say if you haven’t ended it yet, now’s the time.
The First Task Assigned: Purchase Gift Cards Using Funds from a Cheque They Send You
We live in a world where you can deposit a cheque by taking a picture—no need to leave the house. But here’s a rule to live by: if your client wants you to make a purchase, they’ll either give you cash in hand or a valid credit card number. Anything else won’t do. A cheque deposited electronically takes a few days to clear, and if you haven’t already exited at this stage, now’s the time to let the scammer know you’ll only proceed once the cheque clears.
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The Moral of the Story
This whole time, I kept thinking, Gee, my sister’s friend is a bit odd. I finally called her to explain what was going on. I told her I’d been sent a cheque and was on my way to purchase some gift cards for her “friend.”
This is where the story both falls apart and ends happily—for me. After a sobering conversation with my sister, I realized how ridiculous the situation was and immediately pulled back.
I wasn’t talking to my sister’s friend at all. I was communicating with an unknown person, identity and whereabouts unknown, who wanted to disappear with my money after the transaction.
When I reported this to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, they weren’t surprised. Stories like this are unfortunately common. I’m one of the lucky ones—the only thing I lost was my time and attention.
Hopefully, my experience helps you avoid this pitfall. Above all, keep sound policies and standards in place, and don’t compromise them for anyone, let alone someone on the other side of a chat conversation.
If you’ve had similar experiences or close calls (I hope you haven’t), feel free to hit reply or forward it to someone you think might benefit from reading this.