Applied at Pacific Depot for Data Entry Specialist

I just experienced a job scam that left me feeling incredibly disappointed and frustrated. After graduating college, I was eager to find a job, so when a recruiter reached out to me about a remote Data Entry Specialist position, I thought my luck was finally changing. I found the job on Handshake, and it seemed like a perfect fit since it required no prior experience and only a high school diploma. However, I quickly realized that the company name was suspicious. The job offer came from a recruiter linked to a different company called 'Pacific Depot,' and the original job post was mysteriously gone. They wanted me to communicate via Microsoft Teams for an interview, which felt odd but I went along with it. They sent me a survey to fill out instead of a traditional interview, and I was surprised when they offered me the job the next day, even though I logged in early for our scheduled chat. They promised great benefits, including insurance, and I was thrilled. They told me I would start on the 27th and would need to buy equipment like a laptop and iPad. They even sent me checks via email to cover these purchases, but when I tried to deposit them, they were put on hold until the 25th, just two days before my start date. They pressured me to buy the items quickly, suggesting I use my own money and that I'd be reimbursed later. I was skeptical but went along with it, only to realize that the vendor names they provided were vague and untrustworthy. When I asked for specifics about the vendors, they gave me confusing answers, and it became clear that this was a scam. I tried to verify the vendor's legitimacy, but when I contacted them, they had no idea what I was talking about. I confronted the recruiter about my concerns, but they just brushed me off. Eventually, I decided to cut ties with them, realizing I was being scammed. It was a hard lesson learned, and I felt foolish for almost falling for it.