07/25/2026
This one is for all the teachers out there who have an online presence — it’s a common scam that keeps resurfacing.
You get contacted via email or text by someone wanting private yoga lessons for their kids (or some variation on this theme). The person contacting you is going into the hospital for surgery (or going overseas for a time, or some such) but they assure you they have made arrangements for a driver for the kids and a nanny to accompany them. They will offer a very generous rate for the classes.
Here’s where the scam happens. For some reason, the person will find themselves unable to make multiple payments (“I only brought one check to the hospital”). They ask you to accept payment for your teaching fees, the drivers’ fees, and the nanny’s fees, plus maybe a little extra for your trouble. You make the payments out of that, and keep the rest. Problem is, the payments come from YOUR account, the payment from the scammer is denied or declined after a few days because it’s fraudulent, and you’re out all the money for the fictional driver and nanny.
Some things to look for — the person contacting you claims they can’t have a phone conversation because of a throat or hearing issue. (Deaf people can use phones, btw.) They will request services “in your area” but often can’t actually identify where that is. If you press them for a phone contact, for example the nanny, they will avoid giving you one.
In general, only accept pay for YOUR own services, and never trust to just words on a screen. These days AI can be used to make fake phone calls so that may change, too, so be wary.
Love all humans but know they aren’t all well intentioned.
