by Trish Rupert

Created on: May 15, 2008

"Caught In The Trap"

Well, it all started, like many other people when the title company I was working for closed down last August (2007). I was devistated. I filed for unemployment and to my dismay, found that it only paid $550.00 every two weeks. What a shock! After making in the 70's in the lean times I was reduced to $1100.00 per month. I started looking for any and every opportunity I could find for work at home, part-time or whatever I could get. I put my resume on every site I could find and low and behold the job offers started coming in. Little did I know that there were not legitimate. The position was for "payment representative" for for DHL Global a large corporation that does business all over the world and I was to collect the money orders, do the bookkeeping, spreadsheet and deposit all money orders and checks into a bank account, keep 10% for salary, supplies, office, etc. and forward the balance to the company. I thought I had hit the jackpot. Then the SKY FELL IN. Bank of America, where the account was, called to tell me the money orders and checks were fake and I would be responsible for covering all of the shortages. I emailed, called and sent mail to the company who hired me but they were gone, took down the website and no phone. They completely disappeared off the face of the earth. I gave all the information to the bank who informed me that did not care about my job or my problems that they expected me to pay back all of the monies. Like that could happen. I thought the bank was responsible for making sure that all checks, etc. that you deposit were good but they informed me that they are not responsible for anything but coming after the account holder for any shortages. It does not make any difference that you were duped, your company shut down and your paycheck is not good or basically anything else that might happen to the consumer. We put out trust in the banks to make sure that they items presented to them are legitimate. How is the average consumer to know what is real as far as checks or money. Isn't that what banks were created for. To make a long story short, watch out for banks. You, the consumer have absolutely no protection of any kind. Bank of America has filed suit against me to recover over $7,000.00 which I do not have. It just goes to show, research everything, once, twice, twelve times to make sure it is kosier. I am now stuck with a huge judgment and will have to end up filing bankruptcy since I lost my house in foreclosure and am totally broke. FOOTNOTE: THE OUTCOME FOR OTHER INDIVIDUALS IN MY ARE HAVE NOT BEEN SO LUCKY. IF THEY TOOK THESE JOBS AND HAD ANY MONEY IN THE BANK IT WAS CONFISCATED BY THE BANK TO COVER THE CHECKS THAT WERE FAKE.

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