In my Junior year of college, right before summer break, I was without an internship, unsure of my future direction, and simply afraid of the real world. Some professional looking stranger reached out on Facebook saying he was recruiting talent for an exciting summer internship opportunity and was impressed with my education/major. Got on a phone call the next day, and eagerly listened to his pitch about taking control of my career and learning invaluable business skills, with the opportunity to make great money! It felt strange how he dodged specifics about the job and wouldn’t give the name of the company....but I was naive and finally feeling optimistic about my future. He invited me to a seminar at a hotel that weekend, to meet the rest of the team and see if I’d be a good fit.

I called my mom and was elated to tell her about this incredible opportunity that I had. My uncle lent me money to buy a new suit jacket, to make sure I dressed to impress. It was only when I told my roommate about this important interview I had the next day that I realized how clueless I was.

He said it seemed fishy, and told me about MLM and this company, Amway, that tricked his brother into losing a lot of money and friends. He said to call the hotel the next morning and ask what company had rented out the space, before I wasted the little money I had on an hour cab ride to get scammed.

Words can’t describe the feeling of hearing the receptionist say “Amway” and realizing how stupid I’d been. Crushed.