Unemployed and Preyed Upon: My Experience with a Career Coach Scam
Last week, I had really weird conversation with someone who said they were a career coach and could 100% guarantee to help me get a high paying job. Sounds like a sweet deal, right? Yeah, not so fast.
Earlier in the week, I tuned into a Facebook livestream that was targeted at women who wanted to land a high paying job. Now I noticed it seemed like she was reading off of something but I kind of disregarded it because I’m at a place in my job search where I want to believe. She also said that she was just starting out and needed testimonials for her new business, so I thought it might be an inexpensive exchange of services as I was out of work and she was obviously just starting out. She offered a free one-hour intro counseling session to those on the stream so I took her up on the offer.
So the day of our call comes around. Mind you, I just got a rejection that morning from interviews I thought went well. I was feeling pretty down and definitely opened up to her on all my insecurities and was super vulnerable. I was looking forward to the call, thinking she would have some kind or re-assuring words as an experienced professional. What I got was quite the opposite.
She continued asking me questions about what’s going on in my life besides looking for work and how a high paying job would help. They were probing questions about what I thought was holding me back but she never responding with anything, just more questions. Then, almost like she was reading a script (we were NOT on video chat), she said she could 100% guarantee that she could help me get a high paying job and tried to sell me on her coaching program that involves 6 modules (??), a private facebook group and then one-on-one coaching. That is a pretty big deliverable if you ask me.
When I asked how much because things started to sound fishy, she said it is a $4000 commitment paid upfront. I told her that was a lot for me and she insisted that if I wanted to land the job that I should commit right away. I said I wasn’t ready. She said her “experience” has been that if someone doesn’t commit right away, then they usually don’t follow through and I should make the decision now.
To understand why I didn’t hang up right there, I want to bring up again that I’m already in an emotional upheaval because I just brought up my worst fears and shortcomings. She then gives me some random comparison about how if I committed to a pack of Zumba classes upfront and paid for them, I would go to them, right? Um, Zumba classes don’t cost $4000 = two months of my NYC rent.
Her responses reminded me of sales handbooks and how to respond if someone says they aren’t ready to commit — again, it sounded like she was reading it. I told her I needed the weekend to think about it. She said she would give me 24 hours and that’s it. We would have to schedule a call tomorrow, Saturday. I’m going skiing — no thanks.
I also said I needed more info on what was in these “modules” (which I have serious doubts she created) or someone to vouch for her. She mentioned someone she’s helped recently that got a high paying job and I asked if I could talk to her. She avoided the subject and said if I wanted to reserve a “seat” that I would need to put down $350 right now. I told her that after everything I’ve told her today, I’m feeling even more anxious and upset about the pressure she’s putting on me to commit to $4000. That didn’t soften her up at all.
We ended up hanging up because I felt like I was getting backed into a corner and was really uncomfortable. I was and still am distraught at what happened. I was preyed upon completely and openly. With so many out of work and desperate for guidance, how could such selfishness exist? I think if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that it definitely still does.
Reflecting now on it, the questions were designed to use my emotions to make a rash decision which involved handing over a significant amount of money to someone I know nothing about. Sounds like the definition of a scam to me.
Not making rash decisions based on emotion is a technique I have spent many years in therapy learning not to do. I’m glad I had the ability to say no thanks but I’m sure not everyone is so lucky. I hope sharing my experience helps someone else avoid a pitfall or feel confident that turning down a too-good-to-be-true offer is the best way forward.
Anyone have a similar experience?
