Vulnerable and Ripe for a Scam

The world can be a real crappy place sometimes.

And very sadly, I think it’s the result of the world being simultaneously a pretty decent place, filled with gentle, vulnerable people.

Let me explain.

The Primal Scream

I remember the first time I ever really discovered how disgusting human nature can be. When I was in college, there was a fun tradition called “Primal Scream”. Primal Scream was when hundreds of students would open their dorm windows at 11PM every night of final exams and all scream at the same time. It was a fun and harmless way to unite the student body together in shared stress and frustration, and a great way to cut into that tension ever so slightly.

I love the concept. And see absolutely nothing bad about this lovely, innocuous tradition.

But that’s because I have a shred of morality. I see the good in things and people. Not all the time, but I certainly always try.

Seeking Nasty Opportunities

But then there are other types of folk out there.

They see opportunities. How can I manipulate this fun tradition for my own advantage?

Next thing you know, someone gets raped (!) during the Primal Scream, and this great tradition is marred forever. Some people stop wanting to participate. Some people see the tradition and think it’s inherently problematic. Others even call for its cancellation.

And once again, the lowest members of society end up dictating how the rest of us need to live.

Unemployed and Vulnerable

So here I am. It’s 2025. I’ve been job hunting for months now, with lots of ups and downs. The market is brutal. The salaries in Israel leave a lot to be desired. And prices seem to be going up left and right.

So what do I do? I apply to jobs every single day. I research resumes and try to spruce mine up. I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, improving my page and trying to make connections.

And then an awesome friend made a suggestion.

He’s trying to get his video business running. He offered to make a video for me–a kind of digital resume–to help me in my job hunt. I was incredibly grateful and the process and results were awesome.

I was nervous and excited to post this on LinkedIn. I was nervous because looking for a job is frustrating. Every time it feels like I’m almost crossing the finish line, or even just making progress, something comes along and dashes my hope. So I didn’t know what to expect. Was this going to be a game changer? Was I now one step away from getting my new employer’s attention?

Or was it just going to be another thing I put on my profile that goes unnoticed? Was I setting myself up for further disappointment?

So I posted it with one eye opened. And I waited.

My Guard Was Down

Suddenly, two recruiters reached out to me. Teeny alarm bells went off in my head for a couple of reasons. First, both recruiters seemed to have very underdeveloped LinkedIn profiles. Second, they not only reached out in a weird way. They reached out in the same weird way. They commented on posts of mine and asked for me to connect with them. Later I understood that until you have a certain amount of Connections, you cannot reach out to anyone directly.

But my guard was down. I was vulnerable. Perhaps even a little desperate. And even though not only were there a dozen signs they were not legitimate, I’m particularly good at spotting even highly-sneaky scammers. It’s a skill of mine! I’ve studied this, and had to do it extensively when I worked for GoDaddy. I felt small and weak, like a professional boxer getting beaten up by a toddler. And after it was all over, and I realized I wasted a lot of time and hope, I contemplated what had happened.

Like our aforementioned twisted rapist of SUNY Albany, there’s always someone out there looking to take advantage of the vulnerable. I put out a flag saying how intensely I was looking for a job. And weasels came out of the woodwork to piss on my flag.

I spent way too much time interacting with both of these twisted people before realizing I was being bamboozled. And frankly, I’m a little embarrassed.

The Signs of a Scam

The signs were vast:

They didn’t just send me a connection request, as I mentioned earlier. I didn’t understand why at the time, although I found it curious even without knowing why or looking into it.

They were listed as living in very unusual places, like Cameroon or Cote d’Ivoire. One didn’t have a profile picture (another red flag), but the one who did looked like the whitest human being alive. Not your typical fella from Cameroon!

They had almost no Connections.

They were very eager to place me in a vague role within their vague companies.

My alarm bells got unbearably loud when each “recruiter” asked me to send my resume, then upon evaluating it and seeing it wasn’t “good enough”, referred me to someone specific on Fiverr who would go ahead and fix everything up for me. Everything about this illogical progression was fishy.

Shockingly, these Fiverr folk were also in Africa, had almost no reviews, and despite my beginning the process of ignoring my new LinkedIn buddies, they began incessantly bothering me to find out if I had yet contacted their respective resume fixer comrades.

Unemployment and Sadness

I blocked and reported both accounts, and attempted to move on with my day.

But I felt a bit sad.

I felt sad because I was still unemployed.

I felt sad because yet another attempt to put myself out there actually ended up being uncomfortable and detrimental in the end.

And I felt angry with myself that I had become so frustrated with my circumstances, I let myself believe some moronic scammers. I know so much better than that!

Robbed of Vulnerability

Many years ago I was in a very bad place. I was still recovering from the trauma of a lousy marriage, my children moving to another country, and extreme financial distress. I got a call from a friend telling me she really wanted to help. We talked for a bit. She was very sympathetic. And I really appreciated her reaching out.

And then she tried to rope me into a pyramid scheme.

I never trusted her again.

For the longest time the lowest members of society have preyed upon those who were lost, those who found themselves struggling through life. Like cults seeking out child runaways.

I was low, and some fools tried to take advantage of me.

It’s very hard to be vulnerable in this very scary world. But we need to be vulnerable sometimes. And I feel like I was robbed just a little.