MEMOIRS OF AN INNOCENT INTERN: Part III

PLEASE NOTE THE SUBJECT OF THIS SERIES IS NOT MY CURRENT BOSS, DAN COFALL. DAN COFALL IS THE ANTITHESIS OF THE BOSS I HAD IN “MEMOIRS OF AN INTERN.”

The real world can be dirty. It took 70 years for Bernie Madoff to teach us that those closest ones are the ones who’ll try to screw you over. No matter what those around you may be doing, you should always do the right thing.

“At some point, even the most methodical scammer will make a mistake,” president of the business intelligence firm Corporate Resolutions and former special agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ken Springer said. “My favorite expression is past history is indicative of future performance.”

I looked up to my boss like a father. Several red flags should have gone up before and during my internship. He begged me to remove content on a website that “inaccurately” portrayed his past negatively. I put him in touch with a computer whiz friend of mine who helped him eliminate the information and further optimize his search results. Finally, he said he would pay me off the books, meaning no formal records would be kept. He showed shady signs from the start, but I ignored them. All I knew about were his frequent media appearances and high net-worth clientele.

“When doing business with someone, you need to conduct your own independent research,” Springer said. “It’s not about going on the Internet to get instant answers. Do not make decisions just because it looks good on paper.”

If my boss was unhappy with my work at any point during my internship, he should have fired me. By keeping me around, he was legally bound to paying me the wages we agreed to. I took screenshots of every e-mail and Facebook exchange we had in addition to pictures of text messages. I did my due diligence a month too late.

In response to my letter, my boss left me profane and vulgar voicemails that prompted me to de-friend him on Facebook. I hunted down his hotshot attorney and told him how much I was claiming. He seemed apathetic to the amount. Minutes after the conversation, I received a text from my boss saying not to call his attorney and that he’d mail me my check.

Two days ago, more than two months after my internship, I finally received a check that was off the books. It was a quarter of the amount I am owed; it was filled out in different pens, and the “for/memo” line was blank. The date on the check was also two weeks behind the date the envelope was postmarked. My boss continues to leave voicemails, threatening my future employment and saying he has made calls to Syracuse about me. He continues to stress that I have no idea the reach he has in places where nobody would want him to be and that he will file a lawsuit against me for fraud for not delivering results he was looking for.

I’m sharing this story because in the current economy, the scammers are coming out. People will do anything to save a buck. You need to watch out for yourself, especially if you plan to work or intern at a smaller firm.

“Schools should implement guidelines before a company can solicit interns and should get feedback from the student during and afterwards to assess the benefit to the school for future internships,” Springer said.

It’s pathetic for a 50-year-old top executive to attack a 20-year-old intern. I got him on the FOX Business Channel and a nationally syndicated radio show. I wrote content for his new website. Now, I’m giving him print exposure and contemplating posting his voicemails on YouTube.

“Media lead time takes months,” said Bob Newman, president of Newman Communications, a leading talent management firm. “That’s why interns should be shadowing and doing research. I tell every client not to depend on us to get famous and that we don’t guarantee anything.”

The Joker in The Dark Knight said, “You can’t rely on anyone these days. You have to do everything yourself.”

My boss once told me to stop with the Obama stuff and become more of a capitalist.

Thanks for the advice, boss. I’ll see you in court.

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Naresh Vissa — Taking Syracuse University by storm, Naresh is a third-year Renée Crown University Honors Program student, majoring in Finance, Accounting and Broadcast Journalism at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Previously a writer for the ?Daily Orange? newspaper and Executive Board member of the South Asian Students Association, he is a Junior Analyst for the Orange Value Fund (OVF). Known as "the Ivy League within the Whitman School," OVF students take MBA-level finance classes, learn the ins and outs of value investing philosophies, and help research, report and manage more than 1.1 million dollars of investor money. As producer, Naresh books guests everyday and seeks media and business development opportunities to increase branding and overall listenership. With more than a year?s worth of experience producing more than five business shows at the BizRadio Network and CNN Radio, Naresh has booked more than 400 guests in the fields of finance, economics, business management & consulting, self-help, leadership, sales and marketing. He serves as a member of the Foundation for Economic Education.