I never thought I was the type of person to fall for a scam.
I had been sitting at the Helldivers 2 loading screen for 90 minutes, waiting to get in. Then, I received a call. The person on the other end of the line told me they could get me into Helldivers 2. It’d cost me, but he claimed he was already in the game and could send me an invite from his account.
He seemed to know a lot about me — my address, my phone number, and even my Steam profile name. That threw me. But once he sent an in-game screenshot, I knew this guy had to be the real deal.
All I had to do was get him $50,000 in cash. I’d just stay on the phone with him, and he’d walk me through it every step of the way.
First, I headed straight to the bank to withdraw $50,000 from my trust fund. It was a gift from my grandmother. Sure, she wanted it to help with college, or a wedding, or a downpayment on a house. But she also said she wanted me to be happy. And right now? Nothing would make me happier than getting to actually play Helldivers 2.
Next, I had to put the money into a shoe box. Lucky for me, I’ve been using one as a monitor stand for the last 4 years. I pulled it off my desk and stuffed the money inside.
I stayed on the phone with the stranger. “Go outside,” he instructed. “A driver will pull up and open the back window. Do not look at the driver or talk to him. Put the box through the window, say ‘thank you,’ and go back to your PC.”
About 5 minutes later, a 2008 silver Toyota Camry with one black quarter panel pulled up and rolled down the back window. I tossed the shoebox into the dog hair-covered back seat amongst a pile of empty Bawls cans. The windows were tinted, so I couldn’t see the driver. I said “Thanks man, can’t wait to play!” as the car drove away.
I went back to my computer, waiting for an invite that never came. Then I discovered he’d hung up, and that’s when it hit me — I’d been scammed. I started to realize that maybe I’m not unique in this situation, and several friends felt strongly that if the scammer hadn’t mentioned Helldivers 2 I probably wouldn’t have fallen for this. I would do — or pay — anything to get into Helldivers 2.
For now, I’ll call in sick tomorrow and try to play at 9:30 AM on a weekday.
