Hey everyone, I know this might get ignored, but I really need advice or help. If you see this, please share your thoughts. It’d mean so much.
Here’s the story: I started a small company about 11 months ago. It’s been slow, but I’ve been working hard to grow it. Money’s tight, so I plan every dollar carefully. I had a friend who also had a business. He showed me pictures, followers on his company’s page, and we talked a lot. I even helped him with ideas for his website.
My company does websites and graphic design. Later, he suggested a partnership between our businesses. I thought it was a basic deal, but instead, his parent company needed a $1,200 deposit (later raised to $1,500). He promised I’d get it back in 60 days. He also said I’d earn $8,000 and other small amounts for speaking on behalf of his company. It sounded good at the time, so I paid him the $1,500, even with a $300 late fee.
Then it got weird. He said my company’s ID number was fake. I showed him my legal paperwork, proving it wasn’t. He said his parent company’s lawyer was scamming them and wanted us to sue her. He asked for $5,000 cash, promising we’d get $14,000 back by summer. I didn’t trust it and called him out. His emails were fake, and my girlfriend even found the logo he used on a template site. When I confronted him, he claimed he’d lost $5,000 himself. Then he disappeared for two months.
By August, he still owed me the $1,500 deposit. He ignored all my questions about what he wanted for his website. I even tried using his travel agency to book flights. The tickets were overpriced, not what he promised, and the refund was a non-cash credit I can’t use. In September, he promised to pay me back from his first big paycheck, then blocked my number. Now he’s telling mutual friends that my company is fake.
I’m stuck. I barely have money for lawyers. My wedding is in three weeks, and I don’t know what to do. Any advice or ideas would help so much.