Reniah Atkins set her sights on college when she was in the second grade. The now 19-year-old St. Pete college freshman recently sought online help with homework in one of her classes.
Atkins found a virtual tutor who only communicated via text and wanted $350 to help with homework. She agreed and gave the stranger a login to her college portal.
Atkins told ABC Action News that she later ended up changing her mind about the tutor. “I ended up texting them and I'm like, 'I'll do all my work myself. I don't need you guys to help me work.'”
That’s when she says they threatened to blackmail her if she didn’t pay up, even though no work was done.
The stranger on the other end of the message said they planned to contact Atkin’s instructor and tell them she cheated, but she had not.
The threats worked. Atkins paid the fake tutor everything she had- $350 and then another $100 after they demanded a late fee.
But it didn’t stop there.
The blackmailer asked for another $1,500 that they said was required to delete her data.
Atkins went to her mother, who reported the extortion to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The BBB first issued an alert for the tutoring extortion rip-off last year after hearing from other victims.
BBB spokesperson Bryan Oglesby said, “This is very scary, especially for young students. They're out there looking for a tutoring service. They think they're engaging with a legitimate service and come to find out they're being extorted for more money for something that they didn't do wrong.”
Atkins says her mistake took an emotional and financial toll. She went public with what happened to warn other students.
Before hiring any tutor, check with your school to see what services they offer and always check references. Ask past students about the results they saw. And when you do hire someone, get the rates up front and in writing.
