Lessons I Learned After Receiving $1300 in Counterfeit Money

"I like to take care of pretty women." 

Those words, said by a man who turned out to be a scumbag, replay in my mind as a reminder of the scam I went through.

It was February 18th, 2024—about four months ago. He sent me an ID with the name “Chris Griffin”. Though the ID photo bore some resemblance to him, he looked about 20 years younger than the person in the photo. I suspected he might have used his father’s or older brother’s ID or just a fake ID.

He transferred $200 to me through Venmo, which earned my trust, along with the ID. When we met, he handed me $1300 in cash with his left hand. Seeing that I had a machine to check the money, he quickly pulled back his left hand and handed me another stack of cash from his pocket with his right hand. I checked the money with the machine—it was real. At that point, I didn't think too much and put the cash on the desk.

When we finished, I went to the washroom. In that short period (less than 1 minute) before I came out, he switched the real money with fake money. Then he told me he had to go and will come back. I saw that he looked anxious, and I realized something was wrong. I quickly glanced at the desk—the money was still there. I thought I was overthinking it, so I believed him and let him leave. Later, I stored the cash in a drawer and got busy with other things. I didn't realize the money was fake until I went to the ATM to deposit it that night.

I texted him and questioned why he did this. He replied with one word—"Stop," hoping I would stop cursing him. I issued him a $1300 Venmo request, and he blocked me.

I was incredibly frustrated and annoyed that day and didn't sleep well.

For a while, I thought I had experienced a form of PTSD and I became very distrustful of all clients. Later, I spoke with other providers, and they shared their stories with me. One provider told me that once, when they finished, while she was in the washroom, the client took her Chanel bag (which contained all her cash) and left quietly. She lost much more than I did.I should consider myself lucky that I came out of the washroom quickly; if I had stayed in the washroom longer, that man might have done more unpredictable things.

A few days ago, a client shared his story with me. While he was in the washroom, the provider stole all the cash from his wallet. Although he discovered it before she left, she denied it and started screaming, forcing him to let her go. As for my case, if I had found what the man did earlier, he might have turned violent, and it could have escalated to robbery. (He is much taller and stronger than me.)

Through discussions with my provider and client friends, I learned valuable lessons:

• Stay vigilant and trust your gut. If your first impression of a person feels off, be extra cautious of their actions later on.

• Never let important items out of your sight when you go to the washroom alone. The thieves are always looking for opportunities , and they seize the best chance when they think nobody notices them.

• Human nature is complex. In my experience, scammers like to say a lot of nice things to gain your trust. Don't be fooled by their words.