I am a firm believer that 99% of the world is made up of good people, incredible places, and beautiful things.
It’s that crummy 1% that tries to steal joy by cheating the system – bah humbug!
As Paul Harvey used to say, here’s the rest of the story…
Talk about a teachable moment
If you’ve been on this journey with me for more than a minute, you know that I joined my daughter – my smart, savvy, ambitious Angel Girl – in launching a network marketing skincare business for her birthday last year.
I’ve explored direct sales before via crafting (Creative Memories), through nutrition (ViSalus, Isagenix, and Pruvit), and even with another skincare company (Arbonne).
Why, Ashli? Why??
Well, three basic reasons:
- I see value and validity in the multi-level marketing model.
- I appreciate the intention and attention to products as well as customer service that this model demands.
- I especially like paying the lowest possible cost to enjoy ultra high-quality products that I love.
When I talked to my daughter about utilizing this type of opportunity to establish a stream of income while she is still quite young, she immediately saw the benefits as well. And when it came to selecting a home-based business to own, she selected Rodan+Fields without hesitation.
Since then, we have both grown into walking advertisements. We (including Coach and SonShine!) are truly “products of the products” from head to toe. It’s hokey when you hear it, but these cleansers, toners, scrubs, creams, and enhancements ARE life-changing skincare at its best.
We have also found a nice level of success without sacrificing the many other activities we both love to do. For me, that is reading, writing, yoga, quilting, and running my non-profit, Quilt 2 End ALZ. For Maci, that is college, classes, studying, dorm life, socializing, sorority, sisterhood, philanthropy, cheerleading, practices, workouts in the weight room, and physical therapy after an extensive ankle reconstruction surgery. We each spend a few hours a month on our business, and we each make enough from the business to cover the cost for all of our personal use products plus a few hundred dollars of fun money per month. Per person.
Not a bad business!
We’ve even received “random” orders from people who saw us on social media, friends of friends, or even someone we met in passing and to whom we shared a little bit about ourselves. Those orders are like icing on a really delicious cupcake!!
So, when Maci received an email from someone out of state saying they came across her R+F information and wanted to place an order, we didn’t guess the customer was part of the crummy 1%.
Then, she said that she needed to send Maci a check for her order. No biggie, for years and years Coach and I didn’t use credit cards, and I would never give someone my debit card info to carry around with them.
Then, the check arrived. A cashier’s check.
Written on official-looking paper, with the Capital One Bank logo where it should be, and “DocuGard Security Features” prominently displayed in all the right places.
BUT…
- The amount of the check is 5 times the amount Maci quoted for the products the customer asked to purchase – red flag #1.
- There is no phone number for the bank – red flag #2.
- The customer’s name, the sender’s name, and the name in the check memo do not match in any way, shape, or form – red flag #3.
- The printing quality is rather poor – red flag #4.
- When I called Capital One Bank, the representative told me that the routing and account numbers are not real – red flag #5.
Just to be sure that we are not crazy and this truly is a fake, we reached out to our local bank. We were right. Unfortunately, this type of scam is not rare.
We’ve reported the incident and turned in the evidence (the email correspondence, the fake check, and the mailing envelope it came in). And while my sweet, tender-hearted daughter is appalled that people in this world would do such things, I’ve reassured her that they are the crummy 1% and thus we can never let them steal our joy.
As Mom, I am happy that we experienced this teachable moment together. I’m proud of Maci for recognizing that something felt “off,” and I am thankful that she reached out to me when she wasn’t sure. It’s been a great lesson in real world business AND a reminder to stay vigilant while loving life and doing your thing.
If you’d like to read more, I found this article helpful; it does a great job of describing this type of fraud and what to do if someone tries to take you to the bank:
CASHIER’S CHECK FRAUD & SCAMS – HOW TO SPOT A FAKE
Thanks for being on this adventure with us!
With love and hugs,
Ashli
PS: If you haven’t placed your February order yet, here are my personal recommendations to beat dry, winter skin…
