2008 Woodie Awards
Wicked Cool
Commentary: I Got Scammed
Rachael Burbank
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: A & E
He claimed he was an at-risk youth trying to improve his public speaking. He looked 18 and smelled like one too-rebellious from authority. He had these droopy eyes, polished white sneakers, and a windbreaker jacket. It had just started to rain.
I had to leave for work five minutes after he rang my doorbell; a sound that still frightens me. Then he told me the sob story; he was traveling around looking at different colleges and trying to earn the most points to receive a $10,000 scholarship. He said there were 493 other kids doing the same. I felt lucky I got him. He wanted to be a second grade teacher.
I wasn't thinking as I wrote him a check. He pitched a price, I thought to be too high, but none of it processed.
"You got scammed," said my manager after explaining why I was 10 minutes late. I never thought myself to be gullible. I mean, I can be, but not when it comes to people. I have always thought I could read people well. And that punk proved me wrong.
It's hard to admit sometimes that we cannot trust other people. A beggar can easily jump into his Hummer, take his wife out to a romantic anniversary dinner and pay with the change he collected.
But I have more compassion towards at-risk youth. An "at-risk" youth is a juvenile who tries to cope with the complicated stresses of teenage life and responds with criminal activity, drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuous sex, and could end up suicidal.
High school was miserable. Trauma occurs after every slam of a locker. Boyfriends, girlfriends, or lack there of, parental divorce, death, lack of acceptance, it all sucked.
I invited this young man into my house. He asked me what I am in school for, what my favorite color is, where I was from. He said he lived in Springfield, Mass. and was confused why I don't have a Boston accent. He told me he lived all over the country; he was a military brat. Before I signed my check, and this is how he got me, he said to tell my boyfriend, a marine, "Thanks for everything that you do."
He was a successful con-artist; he took advantage of my emotions.
It's upsetting that the kids who truly need support from others are taken advantage of by people like this. This kid made me distrust strangers.
He made me pity the fact that this guy will never need the true help of another person.
I had to leave for work five minutes after he rang my doorbell; a sound that still frightens me. Then he told me the sob story; he was traveling around looking at different colleges and trying to earn the most points to receive a $10,000 scholarship. He said there were 493 other kids doing the same. I felt lucky I got him. He wanted to be a second grade teacher.
I wasn't thinking as I wrote him a check. He pitched a price, I thought to be too high, but none of it processed.
"You got scammed," said my manager after explaining why I was 10 minutes late. I never thought myself to be gullible. I mean, I can be, but not when it comes to people. I have always thought I could read people well. And that punk proved me wrong.
It's hard to admit sometimes that we cannot trust other people. A beggar can easily jump into his Hummer, take his wife out to a romantic anniversary dinner and pay with the change he collected.
But I have more compassion towards at-risk youth. An "at-risk" youth is a juvenile who tries to cope with the complicated stresses of teenage life and responds with criminal activity, drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuous sex, and could end up suicidal.
High school was miserable. Trauma occurs after every slam of a locker. Boyfriends, girlfriends, or lack there of, parental divorce, death, lack of acceptance, it all sucked.
I invited this young man into my house. He asked me what I am in school for, what my favorite color is, where I was from. He said he lived in Springfield, Mass. and was confused why I don't have a Boston accent. He told me he lived all over the country; he was a military brat. Before I signed my check, and this is how he got me, he said to tell my boyfriend, a marine, "Thanks for everything that you do."
He was a successful con-artist; he took advantage of my emotions.
It's upsetting that the kids who truly need support from others are taken advantage of by people like this. This kid made me distrust strangers.
He made me pity the fact that this guy will never need the true help of another person.
Be the first to comment on this story