My mother was a nurse before her body betrayed her due to neuropathy caused by alcoholism. A lot more women were nurses before the medical industry betrayed them. While a disease brought my mother's career to an end, the questions nurses had about 💉's brought their careers to the same.

The same nurses who were heroes trusted with so many lives when there wasn’t a treatment became villains when they questioned what the treatment would do to theirs long-term.

All scams anger me, but when I first heard about this one some weeks ago it was a different kind of anger. Being a nurse, doctor, mental health professional or other career where you care for people is one of the hardest things to do. In the mental health space, things are even harder for people who need help because of the changes happening now and from those in the future.

This case concerns what’s called a “Top Doc” scam. This scam involves a company falsely sending messages claiming your career achievements as a doctor/nurse earned you recognition as a "Top Doctor" or “Top Nurse” and then selling you a plaque, listing, or other marketing materials for an exorbitant fee. These scams often prey on physicians' or nurses’ desire to build their practice or be appreciated for their work.

It appeals to their professional vanity by sending them unsolicited, flattering letters or emails. While some organizations have legitimate "Top Doctor" or “Top Nurse” lists, many are marketing schemes lacking any actual vetting process and can cost doctors or nurses hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Women deal with enough as it is and to be scammed because of the work they do is particularly vile.

I went undercover as "Ericka Jones," a nurse who recently lost her voice and her "paw paw" but was overjoyed at hearing about this free nomination for a feature. I was on hold for 10 minutes then hung up.

After I hung up, they called in the big guns. The sweet as pie granny who never overcooks an apple pie or misses the chance to close an unsuspecting nurse. When you hear her speak you think of a warm grandmother who would do you no wrong and is trustworthy. The problem is she's far from trustworthy and a key player in this scam to get your money.

I made everything up to prove there's no vetting process at all nor is there a genuine interest in celebrating the targeted nurse. This sweet granny walks me through the process of being featured and is saddened by the recent loss of my "paw paw." Without missing a beat she continues selling me on the feature.

The grandma who mastered sales under Jordan Belfort mercilessly continues trying to close depsite my emotional instability after the loss of my "paw paw." She lays out the tiers of "celebrating my achievement" along with a BEAUTIFUL 11x14 "wall plaque of achievement."

• Diamond - $949.00 (MOST PRESTIGIOUS) - Of course it is. It's the most expensive.

• Platinum - $749.00 - They'll take the fee but prefer you in the Diamond package.

When I expressed confusion about why I'm being asked to pay for something that was positioned with no cost mentioned in the emails/letters sent to hundreds of thousands of women. Grandma backpedaled better than elite DB's in the NFL.

This is a real, active threat targeting nearly every woman on LinkedIn. Again, these scammers are paying to have this sponsored message reach as many women as possible.

Granny's got pies to make and benchmarks to hit. She doesn't care about my tears for my late "paw paw." It's time to strike because no one gets on the phone unless they want to buy and she's woman enough to take my money if I let her.

While I made this comical, this is a serious issue. As I said in my post about it a few weeks ago, women should be celebrated for the work they do and not have to pay for that celebration. It's recognition by deceit.

When I asked questions about why I was being charged for something that was never presented as being fee based, I was rushed off the phone. It's not about celebrating nurses or women at all. It's about getting women's money, "accidentally" overcharging them and not responding when they want to cancel.

Share this so this is put to an end.

Stay vigilant.

#TheProfiler 🕵🏾