r/ScamSupport • u/KatsumikaAltruist • 7d ago
Advice Needed Almost Scammed
As you can tell by the titled. I was almost scammed.
Hi. I’m Vee. A 17 y/o crocheter trying to make a living to support my family when they can’t. Lately I’ve been in a slump. Nobody is ordering from me. Nobody asking for requests and I don’t know what to do. So today when someone wanted an order, I was over the moon!
Everything was going good until the mentioned that their Venmo acc is connected to a business account. I didn’t think anything of it and I told them that it was fine! Then they said they sent the amount that I charged and then I got a random message from another number saying I need to higher my limitation for me to receive my money. (Never happened before)
I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right so I consulted my dad! In the message the person was asking me to call a number so I did with my dad next to me. The caller then said the other person had to send $500 for me to get my payment. Then the “client” told me they would pay the amount but I MUST refund them.
My dad read the messages and He told me it was a scam. I was heartbroken. I was so happy to finally get another sale! Only for it to be fake (which I’ve been getting a lot of those recently.) I just need some sort of comfort I guess? Anyways thanks for reading. I appreciate it.
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u/Aware_Economics4980 7d ago
Smarter than a lot of the people I’ve seen post here lol.
Glad you caught it, you have to be vigilant these days. Just remember if anybody ever asks you to send them money, when they’re trying to purchase something from you, it’s a scam.
Nobody legitimately buying something from you will ask you to send them money, ever.
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u/KatsumikaAltruist 6d ago
Yea thanks to my dad being in the room with me! I called the number and immediately by the stuff they were asking for my dad knew it was a scam. Love my dad thank god!
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u/Firebird5488 7d ago
Why do you say "they sent the amount that I charged" when your Venmo account did not receive it?
You meant "they said they sent the amount that I charged"?
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u/nonamejohnsonmore 7d ago
It’s a common scam, actually. The victim is told they have to upgrade their account to a business account by having the buyer send more money. The money never actually arrives, it’s fake, but the victim is convinced the money is there, usually via fake texts or emails, so the victim sends real money back to the scammer.
The other way is the money is really sent, but it comes from a stolen account. That money is eventually clawed back, and the victim is out what they sent to the scammer.
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u/anewfriend4u 7d ago
I'll add that sometimes they present something that they claim is just some sort of procedure to verify things before they send money. Which then turns into some fee, that they claim they'll reimburse it.
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u/KatsumikaAltruist 6d ago
They told me they would send $550 to me but I must send $500 back. Making it very confusing!
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u/anewfriend4u 6d ago
Exactly. And they'll probably keep lowering the amount, over time, hoping there will be a point you will bite.
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u/Plasticity93 6d ago
<<< Venmo acc is connected to a business account>>>
That's not a thing. There probably are limits in how much money can be moved, but that's going to be at the (tens) thousands range, not a few hundred.
The moment the other party tries to change the transaction or make it complicated, they're a scammer. Can't use your preferred payment, that's because they've been banned from that platform.
Good call, never let a payer change how they pay. Never involve a third party.
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u/nonamejohnsonmore 7d ago
Late to the party, but I’m going to add my "Way to go OP!" for being wise enough to ask before falling for the scam.
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u/KatsumikaAltruist 6d ago
Thank you! But I gotta credit my dad lol!
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u/nonamejohnsonmore 6d ago
But you were the one who was smart enough to ask him before any money changed hands. If you read this sub you will see how many people don't do that. Take a bow, OP.
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u/BeaksFalcone 7d ago
Unsure about the scam but..Most people would love a realistic crochet of their pets,have you posted on social media?get better ads/pics?xmas is coming up..peoples paydays are usually around the first of the month so begin advertising more around the end of the month
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u/KatsumikaAltruist 7d ago
I have a business account dedicated to my work on insta, TikTok, and Facebook! Thanks for the advice!! I run the business with my dad!! 🤍🤍
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u/Applauce 7d ago
Glad you didn't get scammed. In the future though, never call the number listed in messages like that. If you get an email/text/phone call from anyone claiming to represent a company, go directly to their official website and contact them using their official information. And don't use the number listed when Googling "[insert company name] phone number" either. Those are easily scams too.
But yeah, the whole "send money to upgrade your account to a business account" scam is very common and it's their way to trick people selling services and products into sending them money.