“On January 26th, 2019, my husband and I decided it was time to get rid of some NASCAR memorabilia. We put them up for sale on eBay, Offer Up, and on Facebook.
Within 10 minutes of putting it up, I got a message from someone that was interested in one of the cars. They were willing to pay for it, but they wanted to send a check.
That was fine. I figured I could wait for the money to come in. So, I went along with the deal, trying not to think anything bad about it.
I guess it was a good thing since someone was willing to buy the car. I responded, ‘Yes’ because the guy sent me a check for over $2000 and my item was just $50 plus shipping and handling! However, a few things struck me as odd. The name and address on the package were not the same as the check. The check said Allstate construction Inc. and was from Florida, but the package came from Texas and from a totally different name.
I researched the name on the check and searched the address on Google and found an actual company. I thought, ‘OK, maybe it’s his company, and maybe he is the actual person contacting me.’ I called him first thing in the morning on the 28th and I asked if there was anybody named ‘Gordon.’
The woman that answered said, ‘No, we have no one here that works with that name, let me get you over to Jamie.’ She got me to Jamie, and I told him what was going on. He told me, ‘No, nobody works here with that name, this is my company.’ So, I proceeded to tell him all the numbers that were on the check, the account information that was shown, and everything. The seller had linked to Jamie’s account, and all of the bank information on that check was correct!
Jamie had no idea somebody was taking the company’s checks and reproducing them with the same account number.
Not even a couple hours after the phone call with Jamie, someone from Iowa called Jamie and said the same suspicious online selling transaction was happening to them! I called the guy, because if it were me, I would want someone out there to be decent enough to give me a head up and say, ‘Hey something is not right, and this doesn’t look like it’s their check.’
I did not expect anything besides a simple ‘thank you!’ and a talk with the police if they needed any more information.
On the contrary, Jamie’s company was way more thankful than what I expected! Jamie sent me a handwritten card thanking me, as well as an Amazon gift card.
I have always been taught that just because you do good in the world, you won’t necessarily be thanked. Being a good samaritan does not mean good things will happen to you right away. Sometimes, it’s the small things that make a difference, such as a simple ‘good day!’ or finding a dollar bill on the side of the road.
But if your good deed is received with immense gratitude like it was for me, be super appreciative and let the person know how grateful you are.
I hope Jamie understands how sweet it was for him to go above and beyond just to say, ‘Thank you.’
So, if something doesn’t seem right or if you need to stand up and say something… do it! It’s always good to be good. There’s already enough evil in this world with so many people taking advantage of other people’s situations and scamming them. It’s just not right, so speak up and say something when you notice it! Let’s do good in this world and spread love.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Elizabeth Papili, 31, Wilmington Delaware. Follow her journey on Facebook here. Do you have a similar experience? We’d like to hear your important journey. Submit your own story here. Be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
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