Ronnie Teich is a retired senior with a limited income, so when she received an email from SnagAJob.com with details on a data entry position, she thought it’d help her live more comfortably.

"I was accepted and I was tickled," said Miss Teich.

However, the modest proposition turned into a money pit. With her offer letter, Miss Teich received a check and instructions to send several payments to cover office expenses.

"The check was for $3,845. With the two Zelle payments, and the two Moneygrams, $245 was left in my account, which I was told was for me," said Miss Teich.

Even though the balance appeared in her account before sending the money, she later learned the money had not cleared. "I happened to go into my bank account about a day or two later, the check came back insufficient funds or whatever, and then I had a negative balance in my account," said Miss Teich.
After contacting her bank, she was told she would not be reimbursed. SnagAJob.com never got back to her, and neither did the scammers.

"The employment offer letter to me I thought was legitimate. I even went online to see that TTEC was a legitimate company," MissTeich said.

TTEC is well-known for offering work-from-home opportunities, and her offer letter listed the names of executives who work there. All information that's available online.
Miss Teich wishes she had listened to her gut when the person posing as a hiring manager asked her to send the payments via gift card. She refused, but still went through with the ruse. Now, she’s hoping to help others avoid the same regret.

"I’m just really, really upset about all this," said Miss Teich. "And I’m so happy I don’t have any family or friends because I’m too embarrassed, really, to say that I was a victim."
Miss Teich is not alone. So far this year, nearly 7,000 people have reported losing $27.3 million to business and job opportunity-related fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii reached out to TTEC, PNC Bank, and SnagAJob.com for comment on this story.

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