JOB SCAM ALERT (SCAMMER DETAILS BELOW)
Well, I fell for one, sort of. A "recruiter" for a company called SB Technologies (based in Athens, Greece) contacted me with a personal email address (RED FLAG 1) with all the right formal components; logo, title, signature and sent some basic pre-screen questions. Within 24 hours, I was then passed on to the "hiring manager."
I scheduled a Skype interview but not video (RED FLAG 2) with the hiring manager. All questions seemed solid and in line with what I would expect. However, after about an hour, he stated that he had the authority to make me an offer to contract with them right now. He made the offer and asked for direct deposit details (RED FLAG 3). I stated that I would like them to send me a formal Offer Letter outlining the details, and I will be happy to provide banking detail once signed by both parties. He agreed.
Within 24 hours, Offer Letter received with the company Logo, VP of HR, and COO's signature. However, it still seemed a little phishy. (Get it!?)
My gut told me something was off. I have done a lot of business in Athens and had some local contacts. I reached out to a few friends who verified the company was at least local and legitimate. Still, something was off. So, I tracked down the phone number and emails for the COO and VP of HR in Greece. I reached out, sending them the full details and kindly asking them to confirm if this was a valid offer. Within a few hours, they replied using an official company email address and confirmed it was indeed not valid. They apologized and offered to support any legal action, which I thought was very professional.
I did contact Gmail, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn fraud/spam departments. I have no idea if anything was addressed; however, I have to trust the process. I did not respond to them and never heard back.
Lessons:
1 – Watch out, there are people preying on those seeking work.
2 – Go with your gut.
3 – Watch for personal email addresses and informal use of tools like Gmail, Skype, etc..
4 - Do not share sensitive data until you are confident it is valid.
5 – Dig into LinkedIn and online to see if you can find any details about the people. They were both not found, which was another flag. Someone with the authority to hire is likely to be present on LinkedIn in most cases.
6 – Don't be afraid to ask questions.
?Scammer Details:
Recruiter/Pre-screener - Justin Glenn [email protected]
Hiring Manager - Dr. NIKESHI DEVAUGHN [email protected]
Hoping someone else does not get scammed. Educate your friends, and let's prevent scams like this!
Business Manager at RHB And Sons Builders
2 年So, I almost got scammed by this company.? I was offered a customer service position working from home. Right away the amount of pay was crazy so I was hesitant from the start. I did a Skype interview with James Wilson. He needed to have our conversation documented to send to the CEO for review. I did one 3 hour training where I had to write a paper. He told me it was very good and keep up the good work. The next day he Skyped me and said they were sending an email to let me know what I needed to purchase for the position. They would send me a check for the amount. I was to deduct my hours worked which I thought was concerning...we don't do business like this in the USA. I received the check and called the bank is was drawn from but the funds were not available. If I had deposited it I would have been out $3900... totally a scam!!!!
Business Executive with Entrepreneurial Experience in Publishing, Manufacturing, Project Management, and Consulting.
2 年This happened to me just last week. A representative from Haidemenos in Athens, Greece contacted me and said they saw my resume on Career Builder and it would be a perfect match with the needs of their printing company. Haidemeons is a valid business with a real website and all of the communication from "James Wilson" appeared legitimate: company logo, company email, etc. I did the interview on Skype. James said that it wasn't in video because they wanted everything in writing to pass along to the board. Understood. So we did the interview and I was given an offer the same day. The job offer was emailed to me the next day and it looked legitimate. I signed it and forwarded a copy back. I started "training" the next day and the tasks they assigned were what I would expect. I showed up online at 8 am for the next three days to do training. They then sent me a check to buy equipment from a local contractor. I deposited the check and James wanted me to give her a deposit and take my payment for the training hours I had completed out of the total. I did so through Zelle. I thought that was a little odd, but not out of the realm of possibility. James was always adamant about sending copies of receipts. Yesterday, he told me that there were updates to the system and that the cost would be more; he tried to email a check to me for $3500. I refused and he got angry and then I read the story above. It sounded all too familiar. Now I'm out $1900. This was one of the most elaborate schemes I have ever encountered.
Sap Basis, Security and GRC Administrator at Aut?nomo
2 年Useful post. Same thing happened to me, a company from Greece, and the same sequence of events. They used a Career Builder take email to schedule the interview and also did not start video during the interview. Company also had a fake website.
Sr. Talent Acquisition Partner
4 年Nice catch my friend. It is more common than not in this climate.