Blog of an ESL teacher

The mother of my student from Africa asked me to look at a letter she received last week.  It was from Canada and it said "You have won $250,000 USD.  Enclosed is a check for $4000 to pay to Ms X (another name) who is the tax agent."

Inside was a check that was from a bank in Florida.  It had a gold hologram security stamp.

"Oh, Ms. N," my student's mom said, "If this is real, it is a miracle!"  This family came to the USA as refugees and they are really struggling to get by.  Sometimes I bring them rice and other things.  I do this because I know what it is like to be a stranger in another country...it's very difficult!

 Well, as convincing as the letter and the check seemed I told her I wanted my friend, who is a professional FRAUD EXAMINER, to look at it.  He said that it was fake.  He said, "If she deposited the check, the check would be no good and then it would be sent back to the "company" BUT the bank would have printed her account number on the back of the check.  Then the criminals would have her bank account number."  Or he said that it could be a money laundering scheme and if she signed the check and the criminals were caught, she would be in legal trouble, too!  Then she might get deported!!!!

It is a very dangerous scam.  Why?  Because new immigrants who have money troubles might be tempted and believe that in America, one can get easy money.  Many new immigrants believe this about America because of movies.

I cautioned her to be very very careful in the future.

I hope she will be.

At another school in Cleveland last week there was a terrible tragedy:  a young student, age 14, brought guns to his school and shot his teachers and some students.  The news reported he was a troubled young man.  This is so awful because I wonder if someone might do that at MY school!  My students are nervous too.  I try to reassure them but really no place is 100% safe!  I am always afraid to make a student angry.  I don't try to make students angry but sometimes if I say, "Please turn off your cell phone" or something like that, they get angry!  Why won't American students listen to their teachers?  My international (ESL) students always pay attention and listen to their teachers but they are afraid of the American students.  They ask "Why do they speak so disrespectfully to you?"

That is a hard question to answer!

I don't know how to answer that for the students in my school!