This would be the most boring episode of Catfish but here is my story:
Last night was one of those nights where I lost track of time catching up on work. There was a Teen Mom marathon on in the background while I organized recent transactions in Quickbooks. When you start a company, you have to figure out a way to be proficient in all aspects. I’ve never been keen on accounting but I’ve been able to teach myself the basics.
I’ve always had a bookkeeper to assist in the organization of my books and I have worked with quite a few different companies and freelance individuals over the past 6 years. I still do the majority of the work myself from invoicing to payroll and beyond. Recently, I decided to terminate my contract with my current bookkeeping firm because I was paying too much for the services being provided. I embarked on the search for a new bookkeeper and turned to social media to find that person. The search was easier than I had anticipated. One of my LinkedIn connections, David Wander, was the owner of a bookkeeping firm, Eastgate Bookkeeping, that specializes in helping small businesses. I sent him a message and he replied immediately and we scheduled a call for that afternoon. I checked out his website, read all of the testimonials and did my prerequisite basic analysis of all social channels for this individual and his business.
Source: Twitter
I mean he even looked like the type of guy you want working on your books. He seemed legitimate and after our call, I signed an agreement with him on March 1st. I provided him with modified ‘read only’ access to my bank accounts and quickbooks and sent him probably two dozen emails over the month with requests and general information. I didn’t think too much about not getting a response because most of the emails did not elicit one. On March 31st, I noticed my books were cluttered with outstanding tasks from the past 30 days. I gave my new bookkeeper the benefit of the doubt and figured maybe he’s the type to do it all in one sitting. I sent him an email with an end of the month checklist of to dos and it bounced back. Something wasn’t right, I emailed again, carefully checking the address and another bounce. I logged on to LinkedIn and his profile and his previous messages had disappeared, his profile was nowhere to be found.
I decided to pay a visit to his website which no longer existed. I called his number and you guessed it, it was disconnected. The only digital footprint left is an automated Twitter account.
As a business owner, the thought of deserting clients horrifies me. Luckily I had not paid him anything yet but the whole situation is very troublesome. I wonder now if behind that profile picture there isn’t some gorgeous young girl scamming business owners like myself into thinking they have found the perfect bookkeeper. I need Nev Schulman to intervene.
I used David’s company to handle my payroll taxes . He debited my checking account, and made the payments to the federal and state agencies. He literally disappeared one day, after taking $1200 and not making the payments. Other companies were taken for much more. I reported to police here, who recommended I call Ohio, who thought it should be handled here. Basically they both told me online crime is very hard to prosecute when someone disappears. I had recommended his services to others, and feel horrible about that. He was fine for over a year and I don’t know what happened.
PS. He did come to Virginia (where I reside) and I met him in person and took him to dinner! That’s definitely him, and he was professional and basically a nice guy.
That’s awful to hear, I am sorry that happened to you. If you ever need social media help, we will make sure you have a much better experience. Thank you for reading!