Consumer complaint received 2023-10-18
Company: Early Warning Services, LLC
State: TX
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XXXX XXXX I received an email from XXXX someone called XXXX XXXX claiming to be from the HR department employee of XXXX XXXX XXXX About a remote job for Data entry clerk position. when I received the email i was very excited specially after I looked up the company on XXXX and it seemed like this might be the ideal start for my career. Then I did interview with them over Phone they offer me the remote job position and said all paperwork will be done after two week of probation period and it will be paid a probation period. They ask me that I have any printer on my place or not, they said to setup a remote workstation in my home they need my address they will send me a check to order all the laptop, software, and other thing so for issuing a check they need my baking information and I send them everything. Then they asked me to buy business check refill paper and they sail we will refurbish me. After buying that they send me a check of {$2900.00} from XXXX XXXX by email said to deposit that on my XXXX XXXX and I deposit the check to my XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX physically on XXXX XX/XX/2023. After that I was told by email that I will be contacted by a gentleman named XXXX by phone number ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) another HR employee of XXXX XXXX and I have to follow his instruction. After I deposited the check I was instructed by both XXXX to pay XXXX XXXX {$2000.00} by zelle for branded equipment that I would require for performing job remotely and after payment the vendor provide me tracking ID. After every payment they asked me to send screenshot to payment to XXXX XXXX number and to the email address of XXXX XXXX and I did as they said it was needed for finance department documentation process. As per instructions from XXXX I send {$2000.00}, via zelle to XXXX. I send that on XXXX XX/XX/2023 via my zelle which is linked with my bank. 

Then the next day XXXX XXXX I was instructed to send the remaining {$950.00} to the same recipient XXXX XXXX. However, it did not go through and when I inquired with my bank they said that the recipients bank was frozen. That made me suspicious. I let XXXX know about the zelle issue and then I got an email from this XXXX instructing me to send the money to another Zelle ID XXXX. When we tried to send the remaining it didnt go through and eventually my banking App access got blocked. Then I contacted XXXX again and this time they started telling me to send the money {$950.00} by XXXX  or XXXX XXXX which made me more suspicious. Finally I looked up the number of XXXX XXXX XXXX and called in and the lady who answered said if it is an email from XXXX XXXX. then it is fraudulent because she used to work here before then her account got hacked and no one work there named XXXX. 

On XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX reverse the deposit of {$2900.00} I made on XXXX XXXX through the check of XXXXXXXX XXXX I was given by email. After that I call XXXXXXXX XXXX, they told me make complaint to the bank you hold account with. I called XXXX XXXX they told me that was a bad check with frozen account so the reverse the money but in this scam, I lost my own {$2000.00} dollar money which was send by zelle to XXXX. I talked to zelle customer service, but they are not ready to give me back my XXXX-dollar zelle amount as I send the money by myself. Now XXXXXXXX XXXX and zelle no one is ready to return my own money which I lost by zelle Scam. 

XXXXXXXX XXXX send me a substitute check with a letter by mail on my home address that told me I can claim refund for this substitute check and money reversal within 30 days if I suffer any financial loss in this process so I call them try to make a claim XXXX said you can not make a claim as you deposited the check to bank not anyone else, I just want my {$2000.00} zelle scam money back that was my semester fee payment for last semester of graduation.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation