Episode 1
The $300,000 Wire Transfer
Or: How We Paid Protection Money to Internet Mobsters for a Decade
Narrator:
Lisa Harlow, 34, IT analyst at West Coast Pharmaceuticals. Analytical, smart, and cursed with the ability to spot problems everyone else ignores. She’s about to discover something that will test not only her patience, but her sanity.
Lisa Harlow, 34, IT analyst at West Coast Pharmaceuticals. Analytical, smart, and cursed with the ability to spot problems everyone else ignores. She’s about to discover something that will test not only her patience, but her sanity.
INT. Lisa’s Office – Afternoon
Lisa scrolls through recurring charges. She stops. Stares.
Lisa
RepGuard Solutions. $2,500 a month for… ten years? That’s three hundred thousand dollars.
She heads to Andrea’s office.
INT. Andrea’s Office – Continuous
Andrea Starling, VP and COO, is on her phone. Probably online shopping.
Lisa
What’s RepGuard Solutions?
Andrea (not looking up)
Oh, that’s the online review thing. Robert set it up years ago.
Lisa
For thirty thousand a year? Did anyone verify they’re legitimate?
Andrea (defensive)
It’s been working fine. If you’re so concerned, ask Robert.
Narrator:
Classic deflection. Lisa went back and did what any reasonable person would do. She Googled it. Turns out RepGuard Solutions creates fake reviews, then charges businesses to remove them. Offshore accounts. Cayman Islands. The whole scam playbook.
Classic deflection. Lisa went back and did what any reasonable person would do. She Googled it. Turns out RepGuard Solutions creates fake reviews, then charges businesses to remove them. Offshore accounts. Cayman Islands. The whole scam playbook.
INT. Lisa’s Office – Later
Ruby Benson, Sales Manager and Lisa’s closest ally, reviews the evidence on Lisa’s monitor.
Ruby (reading)
They create fake reviews and charge to remove them? And we wire money to the Cayman Islands?
Lisa
Three hundred thousand dollars over ten years.
Ruby
We need to tell Robert. He might not even know it’s a scam.
Lisa
I’ve got your back on this, right?
Ruby
Always. You’re absolutely right about this.
Narrator:
Robert T. Attwood. Age 58. CEO. Former doorknob magnate. Currently obsessed with two things: his Dobermans, Günter and Blue, and the company’s online reputation. He checks Yelp more often than his email. This obsession is about to become very expensive to explain.
Robert T. Attwood. Age 58. CEO. Former doorknob magnate. Currently obsessed with two things: his Dobermans, Günter and Blue, and the company’s online reputation. He checks Yelp more often than his email. This obsession is about to become very expensive to explain.
INT. Robert’s Office – Moments Later
Lisa, Ruby, and Andrea enter. Lisa carries a folder of printouts.
Lisa
Robert, RepGuard Solutions is a scam. We’ve paid them three hundred thousand dollars.
Robert
It’s an operating expense. For reputation management.
Lisa
They create fake reviews, then charge you to delete them. That’s the scam.
Lisa lays printouts on his desk. Robert doesn’t look at them.
Ruby
Lisa’s done the research. This company is fraudulent.
Robert
If we stop paying, they’ll put all the old reviews back online.
Lisa
Robert, they were never real reviews. That’s how the scam works.
Robert
I’ll think about it.
Narrator:
Translation: “I’m going to keep paying them.” Lisa was right. Ruby backed her up. Neither mattered. For three weeks, Lisa sent Robert evidence. He ignored it. The payments continued. Then Lisa got smart. If Robert wouldn’t listen to her, maybe he’d listen to someone who controlled the money.
Translation: “I’m going to keep paying them.” Lisa was right. Ruby backed her up. Neither mattered. For three weeks, Lisa sent Robert evidence. He ignored it. The payments continued. Then Lisa got smart. If Robert wouldn’t listen to her, maybe he’d listen to someone who controlled the money.
INT. Finance Office – Week Three
Claire Andrews, 32, Finance Manager. Brilliant, ambitious, zero tolerance for stupidity.
Lisa
Claire, we’ve been paying a scam company $2,500 a month for ten years.
Lisa hands her the folder. Claire reads, her expression darkening.
Claire
We’re wiring money to an offshore account for fake reviews? Does Robert know?
Lisa
I told him three weeks ago. He won’t stop the payments.
Claire
I’ll talk to him.
INT. Robert’s Office – Next Day
Claire enters without knocking, drops the folder on Robert’s desk.
Claire
I’ve been processing wire transfers to a scam company. We’re stopping them.
Robert
Claire, it’s more complicated…
Claire (interrupting)
It’s really not. We’re sending $30,000 a year to criminals. From a finance perspective, it’s insane. From a legal perspective, it’s problematic. From a common sense perspective, it’s embarrassing.
Silence.
Claire
I’m stopping the payments. If this gets audited, I’m not taking the fall for fraudulent wire transfers.
Robert (long pause)
Fine. Stop the payments.
Claire picks up the folder, pauses at the door.
Claire
You should thank Lisa. She’s the one who caught this.
Narrator:
After nearly a decade, after $300,000, after three weeks of Lisa being relentlessly right about everything, it was over. Claire stopped the payments that afternoon.
After nearly a decade, after $300,000, after three weeks of Lisa being relentlessly right about everything, it was over. Claire stopped the payments that afternoon.
INT. Lisa’s Office – Two Weeks Later
Ruby
Any angry emails from RepGuard?
Lisa
Nope. No flood of negative reviews either.
Ruby
It’s almost like you were right about everything.
Lisa
Being right is exhausting. Thanks for backing me up.
Ruby
Always.
Narrator:
No threatening letters. No consequences. RepGuard just moved on to their next victim. Robert never admitted Lisa was right. He didn’t thank her. He just quietly stopped talking about it.
Andrea still mentions that “everything was fine before people started asking questions.”
And somewhere in the Cayman Islands, there’s a scammer with a boat bought entirely with Robert T. Attwood’s money.
Lisa learned that being right doesn’t always matter. Sometimes you just have to be more annoying than the problem. And have at least one person who believes you.
Also, always audit the recurring charges.
No threatening letters. No consequences. RepGuard just moved on to their next victim. Robert never admitted Lisa was right. He didn’t thank her. He just quietly stopped talking about it.
Andrea still mentions that “everything was fine before people started asking questions.”
And somewhere in the Cayman Islands, there’s a scammer with a boat bought entirely with Robert T. Attwood’s money.
Lisa learned that being right doesn’t always matter. Sometimes you just have to be more annoying than the problem. And have at least one person who believes you.
Also, always audit the recurring charges.