I Thought I was Too Savvy To Get Scammed

I pride myself on being pretty savvy. Hey, I grew up in New York City, went to college at 16 and have traveled the world. I thought I could see through all the ruses but here I am, shamefacedly confessing to the fact that I got scammed. I’m telling this story in hopes it will save some of my fellow small business owners from falling prey.

I got an email from a gentleman from Singapore who asked if my business took Credit Cards. There were three specific products he wanted produced in bulk. The order totaled over 100 pieces. It all sounded legit; particularly because of the specificity of his order. However, I called Square, who processes my Credit Card transactions and asked about any precautions I should take before putting this order through. I was told to just make sure my account was Credited with the funds and as long as they notified me that the funds were in my account, there should not be any problem. Sadly, that was not the case.

I worked for two weeks to fill the order. I had already been paid upfront. Still, there was a nagging anxiety about the transaction.