Angry_Red_Queen75's journey

I recently had a frustrating experience with a remote job that turned out to be a scam. After being unemployed for over a year, I finally got a response to my applications and set up a Teams meeting with a recruiter. The meeting was conducted entirely through messaging, where they asked me questions about the job and confirmed that I was comfortable with the data entry tasks required. I was thrilled when I received an official offer letter that included all the typical details like position, compensation, benefits, and even the name of my supposed supervisor. I submitted all my paperwork, including my W-4 and I-9 forms, and was instructed to download the Signal app to communicate with my new supervisor. He told me that the company would send me a check to purchase my equipment, and once it cleared, I would receive a link to buy everything on their list. However, after I deposited the check, my bank flagged it for fraud, and my account was frozen. The recruiter kept texting me, asking if the check had cleared. When I called him, he answered casually, which struck me as unprofessional. I noticed his accent didn't sound American, and I started to suspect something was off. I played along, acting naive, but it became clear to me that this was a scam. Now, I'm trying to contact the actual company to report the fraud and warn others to be cautious. This experience has left me feeling defeated and violated, and I urge everyone to double-check any job offers they receive.