L was having a tough time when Leena reached out.

It was summer 2023. L, who's in her 30s, had relocated to another state from the Bay Area for a job that didn't work out. (The Chronicle is referring to her by her first initial under its confidential sources policy, since people who have been victims of scammers are likely to be targeted again.) She was stuck in her apartment lease, making pricey payments on the car she'd just bought while trying to leverage her three degrees and a lengthy work history at top companies into a new job.