Job Interviews using Google Hangouts, Telegram, WhatsApp, Wire or Viber Apps, or using text in Skype are ADVANCE-CHECK SCAMS!

[UPDATED with more than 229 Scam Jobs below. Last UPDATE November 25, 2022]
On February 14, 2018 TDS was contacted by a woman from Colorado we’ll call “Wanda.”  Wanda used Indeed.com to post her job resume and was contacted on February 13 by a woman who called herself Mrs. Faith Benjamin, a hiring manager for the company AHRENS GROUP PTY LTD.   Faith had contacted Wanda about a job in data entry.   According to Bloomberg.com, Ahrens Group PTY LTD provides construction, engineering, and mining services in Australia.   Faith invited Wanda into Google Hangouts for an interview and conversation about this job. Over the course of her conversation, Wanda became very suspicious that “Faith” was a scammer and the job wasn’t real.  She contacted us the next day.  We’ll let her tell you her story and then afterwards explain how Wanda and TDS tricked the scammer!  As you read Wanda’s exchange with Faith, how many suspicious “red flags” can you spot? Also, just like a “poker tell” can you spot the “tell” that reveals what part of the world Faith is really from?  At the bottom of this long conversation we’ll reveal the “tell” and all the red flags.

However, one point is critically important for our readers to understand.  Other victims targeted by advance-check scams disguised as job offers have also reported having interviews via Google Hangouts.  LEGITIMATE BUSINESSES WILL NEVER USE GOOGLE HANGOUTS, TELEGRAM APP,  SKYPE TEXTING, or any texting tool AS THEIR METHOD TO INTERVIEW A JOB CANDIDATE!  It is a guarantee of a scam if the “hiring manager” tells you to use Google Hangouts, Telegram app or any texting too!  If you doubt us, insist to your “hiring manager” that you want to use Skype or Facetime (or even a phone call!) and you’ll be given an excuse why it isn’t possible, or be told that you are not the right person for the job! That’s a job you don’t want!  To see if a company that has contacted you is listed amongst the 165-plus companies below, hit Command-F on a Mac or Control-F on a PC and type the first few letters of the company name. 

IMPORTANT SCAM VARIATION REPORTED July 18, 2019:
A woman targeted by this scam informed us that in addition to all the details similar to what is described below, the scammer (pretending to be Mrs. Donna Watkins and claiming to represent Capgemini in this case using email “hrdesk.donnarecruiter46 “@” gmail.com”) also asked for access to the victim’s Smartphone account.  Mrs. Watkins claimed that the Company would pay the victim $100 to $150 for the company to use her phone and pay for the Verizon phone bills as part of the woman’s “employment” with Capgemini. Mrs. Watkins said “Your information is secured and will not be shared with any third party. I need you to provide me with your phone carrier login to enable the vendor issue out the phone to you. Do not worry about payment as the company accountant will be making the payment for all phones sent out.”  And so Mrs. Watkins asked the victim for her login credentials, including her security question and answer!  DO NOT EVER PROVIDE YOUR LOGIN INFORMATION TO THESE SCAMMERS!

NOTE 1: At the bottom of this article you will find a list of names, emails, phone numbers and companies being reported by victims to The Daily Scam in the course of this scam.  Also, legitimate hiring managers will NOT use Gmail addresses or email addresses from “@consultant.com” or “@usa.com.” WARNING: AVOID ALL JOB INTERVIEWS THAT COME FROM “recruitmenterdesk.com”. IT IS A SCAMMER’S DOMAIN!

NOTE 2: In the Spring of 2018 the scammers running this scam are changing their tactics!  Some are purchasing domain names that are SIMILAR TO the real businesses they claim to represent to make it appear that they are legitimate when they contact victims.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK!  Look up the domain names you find in the email addresses after the “@” symbol using a WHOIS tool!  It is was recently registered, it’s a fake!

NOTE 3: In July, 2018 we heard from a victim who told us that her interview was first through SKYPE!  It is no surprise though when the victim told us “It was just chatting because she said she was busy with others as well.”  Legitimate hiring managers will NOT conduct an interview using only text chat in Skype!  The interview would be a video chat!  Following the SKYPE interview, the victim was offered the job and asked to speak with the “Orientation Officer” via Google Hangouts.  The Orientation Officer (Bruce Brian Johnson) asked the victim to send him the victim’s bank account information so he could “pay her” for the orientation.  The bank form she was asked to fill out asked for her Online account password, her security question and answer to that question!  That’s when the victim knew it was a scam

NOTE 4:  In Summer 2018, victims have begun to tell us that after being hired, the scammers try to email a check to them immediately and ask them to deposit it.  Here’s what a woman named Nicole told us on July 18: “They sent me a check by email but could not deposit it through my mobile banking because the back part of the check was pixelated and could not be processed. So they opted to send me an actual check through Fedex but it also didn’t push through since they said that there was a problem which they couldn’t figure out. They sent me another check through email for an amount of $900.20 which was meant to buy the necessary office equipment, same as your post. So when the check was processed and funds were already available after i deposited it through mobile banking, the next step was for me to buy Amazon cards worth $900 and had me send the codes back to him. From there on, i thought it was already a red flag since i asked him why I had to buy those just to pay the said vendor for the equipment or why cant they just pay the vendor directly. His answer was that they had issues with other applicants that they sent money but applicants didn’t buy the necessary materials, used their own equipment and kept the money, in short, the reason was trust issues with applicants so they had to do this to prove they could trust the applicants. After seeing your post, I immediately called my bank to return the money that i deposited just to not link me with any fraudulent checks that were under my name.”

NOTE 5: In many of these interviews, victims inform us that the person interviewing them will start out the interview by giving a short bio of his or her background and credentials as a way to try to make this sound “official.”

NOTE 6: In January, 2019 a victim of this scam confronted the scammer and sending him a link to this very article showing the business name and the scammer’s fake name (William White).  The scammer told the victim that it was just a competitor trying to discredit him!  See job scam #35 below for Wanda Group!

NOTE 7: On May 22, 2019 a man contacted us to say that he received SEVEN texts in one day from scam job interviews.  All found his information on Zip Recruiter.  Below are the texts he shared with us, along with the companies, phone numbers and names they claimed to represent.  You can see in the first 2 texts that the candidate was asked to interview in Google Hangouts by “Scott Letier.”  That’s when the candidate said “no thank you” and sent the scammer a link to this article!  Scammers pretended to be:

Scott Letier from Conduent, Inc. 830-216-6826
Terri Arnold from Goldman Sachs Group, INC. 740-235-0710
Camille with Recruiter.com 713-804-4668
Hazel A. Hurley from Westell Technologies, Inc. 410-609-6330
Mary from Long & Foster Real Estate 860-406-3906

NOTE 8: By Spring, 2020 we are see that these African scammers are often using the Telegram Messenger App for texting with victims, rather than using Google Hangouts or chat.  Here is an example of a scam text sent to us in May, 2020:

NOTE 10: Between late October and early November, several people have contacted us to say they received emails or texts to apply for jobs by visiting Google Hangouts for an interview.  They were not told the company name and all contacts came from Gmail accounts, not any company addresses.  Here is an email received by a woman on November 7, 2019:

===================================

Wanda’s Story:
I’m sad to report that I just fell victim to this scam today. Fortunately, I only provided my name and address – no bank account information and no social security information. But, I want to send this because it is SO VERY SIMILAR to one I just read on your site. Here’s the body of the entire conversation but I am redacting my information for security. Me, I’ll call myself “Wanda” The “Hiring Manager” is calling herself Faith Benjamin, email: agpdf.msbenjaminfaith “@” gmail.com.

Wanda: Hello. I received an email message to contact you for the position of Data Entry.

Faith: Good Afternoon, You are welcome to AHRENS GROUP PTY LTD. I believe you are fully prepared and available for the job briefing/interview?

Wanda: Yes

Faith: Before we proceed with the job briefing and interview, I would like to apologize for our unseemly approach if this interview conducting method is unprofessional to you or if you are new to all this. I believe the world constantly changes, and you know it is important to stay on the top of any advancement that we come across. That’s why the board decided to use this method of conducting interviews. I believe you clearly understand why we used this method of conducting interviews. Are we good to go?

Wanda: Yes, good to go.

Faith: I’m Mrs. Faith Benjamin, one of the Hiring Managers of AHRENS GROUP PTY LTD. I will be the one to brief you on the positions and the company. Kindly Indicate your full names and location (City, State)

Faith: About Us: 
AHRENS GROUP PTY LTD is a full-service construction, engineering and mining services company, delivering a complete range of project services and cost-effective solutions. We achieve this through our complete range of in-house capabilities, our numerous strategic locations and our collaborative, personable approach to business.

Our broad capabilities and experience mean we are a one-stop shop that can deliver your complete project – from design, steel fabrication and procurement through to construction and project delivery – or any individual element you required. We work with all our clients to deliver customized value-for-money solutions to their specific project needs.

We recognize the need for effective workplace policies and procedures that comply with best practice principles and all relevant legislation, codes of conduct and other regulations. Our commitment to these helps us deliver high-quality results in all areas of our business.

[NOTE: Wanda informed us that this description of Ahrens Group was copied directly from the AHRENS GROUP website “About Us” page.

Faith: This is strictly an online job and from home, which means you will be working from home. Hours are flexible and you can also choose to work from anywhere of your choice, the pay is $27.00 per hour during full working hours and the training is $22.00 per hour and will be getting your payment weekly via check or direct deposit, if you are employed you are going to be working full time or part-time. Benefits: Health, Dental, Life and AD&D Insurance, Employee Wellness and 401k plans. Paid Time Off and Holidays with Generous Company Discounts. Understood

Wanda: Yes. I have a question.

Faith: Go ahead…?

Wanda: The pay I would receive during training is $22/hr?

Faith: Affirmative.

Wanda: How long is training, typically?

Faith: If hired, 3 days…

Wanda: Got it

Faith: Our Corporate Head-Office is located Wilhelm Road, Kingsford SA 5118 PO Box 2, Sheaoak Log SA 5371. We are currently working in some locations (OFFICE SETTING) in Colorado Springs CO, Houston TX, Atlanta GA. That’s why you are been employed online. Once the office is up and running on the 5th of March, you will start by working from home till the branch is available or setup, immediately the branch is opened you will be assigned to work over there that’s if hired. Understood

Wanda: Yes

Faith: The idea of online work from home was initiated due to this reason so we can reach all our customers all over the world, the company made this job available based on the fact that we are currently re-strategizing and upgrading our database and are presently developing locations in the United States. The location in your area is currently still under construction and undisclosed for security reasons, you will be surely be notified of the location once its ready to be opened Okay?

Wanda: Yes.

Faith: Position Hiring: Data Entry
RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES: Updating client information in computer system Running and processing multiple documents utilizing Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access Inputting purchase orders Other various administrative tasks, Inputs information from a variety of sources into a computer database. May take customer orders and enter them into a pre-established tracking system Assignments will be sent to you via e-mail or IM and you will report directly to your immediate supervisor

KEY REQUIREMENT: Applicants for this role will need to be familiar with relevant software packages and have a good typing speed. They will need to have strong analytical skills and excellent organizational skills. They will also need to be able to operate other forms of equipment such as printers and a tape machine. They should also to be able to work to deadlines and use their own initiative

I assume you can handle all of these duties effectively if you get hired?

Wanda: No problem.
[NOTE: Wanda began to feel suspicious about this job, especially after hearing that she would have to be able to operate a “tape machine.”  She’s a smart woman with good search skills.  She copied some phrases from this job description and searched for them in Google.  It didn’t take her long to discover this exact job description posted word-for-word on Internships.com:

Faith: This section of the interview is called question and answer section. I would be asking you some question’s concerning your background and qualification and you are required to use your own words structure in answering all questions, also you’re to end every answer with (DONE) Letting me know I can proceed with my next question. Understood?

Wanda: Yes

Faith: 
(FIRST SECTION)
(1) What type of jobs have you had?
(2) How did you get your previous jobs?
(3) What were your main responsibilities? Achievements?
(4) Why did you leave your last job? Are you currently employed?
(5) How would you rate your typing speed? Are you a team player?
(6) Tell us three of your major attributes;
(7) Are you willing to work flexible or long hours?
(8) Do you have a laser jet printer, copier, and scanner?
(9) How would you be an asset to our organization?
(10)Tell Us why you feel you are the right person for this Job?

Wanda: [RESPONSES REDACTED FOR PRIVACY] (DONE)

Faith: (SECOND SECTION)
PAYROLL & WORKING SCHEDULE:
1. How many hours are you willing to Work per day? (4hr Minimum per day or 40hrs Maximum per week) What time range?
2. When would you be available to start if HIRED?
3. Payroll Interval (Weekly or Bi-weekly)
4. Payroll Method (Direct deposit/Check)
5. What is the name of the Bank which you currently operate with so as to see if it tallies financially with the company’s official salary payment account?

Wanda: 1. I am in the [REDACTED] so my working/waking hours would be between 6am and 10pm. I am willing to work full time – 40 hours.
2. I am available immediately.
3. Bi-weekly.
4. Direct deposit.
5. [REDACTED FOR PRIVACY]
(DONE)

Faith: No. 5 question was asked because I wanted to know if you have a checking account because to receive future payments from the company an employee needs to have a checking account. Do you have a checking account at the moment?

Wanda: Yes

Faith: You’ve been impressive so far. For me, you’ll be a perfect fit I just hope the company gives you a chance to show what you are made of.

Wanda: Thank you.

Faith: I need you to hold on online because I need to forward our conversation to the Head Dept to enable them take decision on your performance. I need you to hold back online for 20-45mins.

Wanda: That’s not a problem.

Faith: I’m back now, the result for the interview just conducted is on my screen. Are you ready to know your stand?

Wanda: Of course!

Faith: After careful consideration, I have good news for you. The good news is you’ve just been confirmed qualified for the position of a CALL CENTER REPRESENTATIVE. You are welcome to AHRENS GROUP PTY LTD. You are now given a chance to show your commitment, assertiveness, and diligence and be a productive employee. Welcome to the online team

[NOTE: Wanda informed us that this essentially confirmed for her that it was a scam.  Can you see why?  She was interviewing for a job in Data Entry!]

Wanda: I’m hired?!

Faith: Correct. The hard-copy of employee manual guide and W4 will be sent to your email and you will be required to sign and fill-out required data then email back to us for documentation OK?

Wanda: Yes.

Faith: We encourage the development of knowledge, interpersonal skills, and business competencies. Your salary will be $27.00/Hr. How would you like to be Paid? Weekly Or Bi-Weekly?

Wanda: Bi-Weekly

Faith: Our employee training programs provide in-house/external instructor-led and online training opportunities. During your training and orientation, one of the organization’s supervisors will reach you via e-mail or phone. Also, they will put you through our company’s guidelines under US Human Resources Laws and Regulations OK

Wanda: Ok

Faith: You will be receiving your duties online every day and I will always be online to assist you with any difficulties. Your Primary duties include: Preparation of Balance sheets (Mini), account balancing, invoicing recording, proper data analysis of sales records and recording pay slips into accounting database

Secondary duties: Now, your secondary daily duties would be to report to your Supervisor, who would be attached to you online, He/She would assign logs of duty daily and you would be required to work according to instructions, using the Microsoft Office tools and the Accounting software. Now the function of the Accounting software is to arrange, formalize and manage the data you have processed, sent to your supervisor via E-mail

I believe you would be able to handle job duties effectively if you are being trained towards it?

Wanda: Absolutely.

Faith: Our benefit programs are designed for the unique needs of each employee. You would be eligible for Benefits after 2 months of working with the company. Benefits offered are Health, Dental and Vision Plans, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Critical Illness and Accident Policies, 401k Retirement Plan (with Employer Contributions), Health Club Membership (up to $50 per Month), Tuition Assistance (for employees still in college), Employee Assistance, Program Personal and Vacation Time Holiday Pay.

Wanda: That’s amazing.

Wanda: Does the company have a website? Is it http://www.ahrens.com.au?
**Faith never answered my question about the website.**
[TDS NOTE: Many other people who report job scams to us have reported that the person they communicate with will simply ignore questions that might compromise the scam.]

Faith: NOTE: You will need some Accounting software and a Time Tracker to commence your training and orientation and most importantly, you need the software to get started with work as soon as possible.

The work of the time tracker is to evaluate your working hours from the company’s server for your payment purpose since this will be online and work from home job until the branch is commissioned okay?

Wanda: Is the software provided?

Faith: Yes

Faith: You will be undergoing a 3-day(s) of training and orientation which will commence as soon as you have all the working materials and you rest assured that you will be paid for it. Okay?

Wanda: Yes

Faith: Here are the names of the software programs you will need to start working with: Peachtree Complete Accounting Software, CYMA IV for Windows Accounting Software, MYOB Business Essentials Accounting Software, QuickBooks Pro Accounting Software and a Time Tracker.

Faith: Are you familiar with the above software programs?

Wanda: No but software is second nature to me. It’s not a problem.

Faith: The funds for the software will be provided for you by the company via CHECK, make sure you use the funds as instructed for the software/working equipment, Understood?

Wanda: Yes

Faith: The check will be mailed and delivered to your home via FedEx or USPS courier service and once you receive the check you are needed to have it deposited to your bank account via the ATM or Bank Teller for immediate clearance. The funds will be credited and available in your account for cash out within 24 hours or less. You are to deduct the $150.00 as your sign on bonus and the rest of the funds in your account will be for the purchase of your working software.
[Wanda notes:*****BIG RED FLAG****]

Once funds are available for use, I will refer you to one of the company’s certified vendors you are to purchase them from at a discount rate due to the company’s long-lasting relationship and agreement with them.  The vendor’s responsibility would be the installations of the software into a (Brand new 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro 2016 with Touch Bar and Touch ID) with the required updates and patches before shipping them to you okay?

Faith: I believe that with the expertise of the company’s supervisors, your training and orientation will go on smoothly without any issues or hindrances if you are willing to learn.

Wanda: I am!

Faith: In the meantime, I need you to provide me with the following requested info for verification purpose
Name:
Address:
Apt#:
City:
State:
Zip code:
Cell:
email address:

[PERSONAL INFORMATION REDACTED]

Faith: All we inquire from you is good work and trust, you will enjoy every moment working with the company, I have been working for the company for years now and it has been a great opportunity for me and my family.

Wanda: I will do my best.

Faith: This job offers flexible hours but you are to report online by 9: AM daily for duties, task, and assignment but you can as well work 30-40 hours weekly you can also work 6 hours per day understood?

Wanda: Yes

Faith: Alright, that will be all for now, you are to report to me tomorrow morning by 9:am your time for update on the check and how to get started with work, you are to report to me via Google Hangouts, that is you are to log on to your Google Hangouts and message me for update on how to get started. Understood?

Wanda: Yes ma’am!

Wanda: Umm, 9 am my time, correct?

Faith: Make sure you are here tomorrow morning 9:am for Check Update. Enjoy the rest of your day and stay blessed!

Wanda: 9am for my time zone, correct?

Faith: Yes

Wanda: I will see you here tomorrow morning.

[At this point, Wanda is so suspicious, she Googles employment scams, finds our website, and contacts The Daily Scam.]

February 14, 2018: 

Faith: Good morning

Wanda: Good morning You were early!

Faith: Yes, sorry about that. How are you doing today? Happy Val!

Wanda: I’m doing well. I forgot it was Valentine’s day.

Faith: Oh, okay How was your evening?

Wanda: It was good. I was looking for the packet from HR and I didn’t get it. And, do you send official offer letters?

Faith: Yes, you will get that before the end of today as yesterday was a busy day for us. Ready for today’s update?

Wanda: Yes

Faith: I would like you to verify the details you provided me the last time, the check will be issued to the details we have in Our database, so i want you to tell me if it correct.
[DETAILS REDACTED]  Correct?

Wanda: Correct

Faith: The check to use in purchasing your working materials would be mailed out to you today and i believe you will receive it by tomorrow morning Via FedEx or USPS and I will be here to provide you with the tracking number so you can keep track and know when it will get to you. Understood?

Wanda: Yes.

Faith: You are to deposit the check in your bank account when you receive it, Once deposited, funds would be made available for withdrawal The next day (within 24 hours or less)

Wanda: That’s really fast for my bank.

Faith: When funds are made available, you will be entitled to an upfront payment of $150 (Signupbonus), you are to withdrawal the rest of the funds and send to the vendor that you are to purchase the materials from, and working materials will be sent to you the next morning Via FedEx or USPS okay.

Faith: Yes, Credit union has 2 days policies. I understand that.

Wanda: Okay, just wanted you to know.

Faith: I understand that fact.

Wanda: Do you have a mailing address for Ahrens?

Faith: I believe you understood all I have stated today?

Wanda: I’m sure since I’m officially an employee, you can tell me what part of town the office is being built in. I need to plan for the commute.

Wanda: Oh, for sure.

Faith: Yes, I perfectly understand where you’re driving at. As soon as you have your working materials in your possession you will be given access into the company’s employee online database to enable you commence training with. Also, your online immediate supervisor will keep you posted upon completion of the office location.

Wanda: No not, not training. I need to make arrangements for a car so I can get to work after the office opens. I was thinking about that last night and since I don’t own a car, I’ll need to make arrangements.

Wanda: I thought you said you were my supervisor and I was to report to you? I’m confused.

Faith: Yes, all should be after the purchasing of your working materials which should be by this week.

Wanda: Just curious: why doesn’t Ahrens populate the laptop and then send that to me? It’s really hard for me to get around town without a car.

Faith: No, I am hiring Manager, your only to report to me until you have your working materials purchased…… from there you will be contacted by your immediate supervisor via phone or email. He/she will guide you through your training and orientation programme.

Wanda: Oh, ok. So now I just wait for my check? And then get the software and after that training will start?

Wanda: I like this Hangouts. I never used it before yesterday. Pretty cool environment for connecting, learning. Is this where training will be conducted?

Wanda: Did we get disconnected? Hello?

Wanda: Ms. Faith?

Faith: Sorry..  I’m experiencing a bit of slow network. Yes, you wait for the check and purchase your working materials.

Wanda: Oh, you are still there!

Wanda: So, there’s no training here today?

Faith: Not today, training won’t hold until you have your working materials in your possession.

Wanda: Alrighty then! I have to catch a cab to the store. I’ll look for my check and come back here when it gets here. Once again, thank you for your time. Bye for now!

Faith: It won’t get to you until tomorrow. Your welcome.

Faith: That’s all for today, get back to me Tomorrow morning 8:am for the tracking # to your package. Enjoy your day ahead of you and stay blessed!

Wanda: I sure will. Have a good afternoon!

Faith: Thank you.

Later that morning…

Wanda: Ms. Faith? I’m going to need an official offer letter, as is customary, before I can move forward. Please provide as soon as possible. Thank you.

Faith: Sure, you don’t have to worry about. You will get the offer letter in your email today.

Wanda: It needs to be on official company letterhead so I can cancel my unemployment.

Faith: You’ll get the offer letter in your email.

Wanda: Perfect! Thank you!

Faith: Your welcome.

February 15, 2018:

Faith: Good morning.

Wanda: Good morning

Faith: How are you doing today?

Wanda: I’m doing well. I received my offer letter and forwarded it to my unemployment contact for review.

Faith: Oh okay, Ready for today’s update?

Wanda: Sure!

Faith: This is the tracking number to your package:  771482143112   you are required to track it on  www.FedEx.com to know the delivery status. Once that has been done, get back to me.

NOTE: The FedEx was sent from Chicago, IL but you’ll see that the envelope lists the sender’s address in California.

Wanda: That’s it?

Faith: Please track package and let me know the status of the package OK.

Wanda: Says it was delivered but I haven’t received anything.

Faith: Check your front door!

Wanda: They didn’t even ring the doorbell!

Faith: Other employees did received theirs, Kindly check your front door to confirm the delivery from FedEx… They don’t have to ring the door bell.
[TDS NOTE: We believe “Faith” is actually revealing that a similar fake check has also been sent to other potential victims at the same time.  See red flag #8 below.]

Wanda: It’s here

Faith: I need you to open your package now and verify the amount on the check now and let me know the actual amount sent to you now.

Wanda: It’s for $4,890.00.  That’s expensive software.

Faith: Amount is Correct…The software are very expensive which is why we decided to send you a check to cover all the cost of your working equipment. Understood?

Wanda: No

Faith: What do you mean No!?

Wanda: I mean, I don’t have anywhere near that kind of money in my account. I’m going to call my bank real quick.

Faith: Are you purchasing with your own Money?

Wanda: No but I can’t cover that amount with the balance in my account My bank policy is such that if I don’t have the balance, they will hold the check for a period of 7 working days for it to clear.

Faith: Okay, It seems your not really interested in this Job, I’ll reach out to accounting dept and cancel the check.  Do have a great and don’t bother signing the offer letter.

Wanda: What? It’s not my policy

Wanda: Hello? Are you serious?

Faith: Yes, I am. You seem not to be serious about this.

Wanda: I am interested!

Faith: You think this is some Joke Ma’m?

Wanda: No, I don’t. I am only citing my bank policy. I have no way to change how they do business.  If I knew it was so large, I could have told you that yesterday. Maybe it could be divided in smaller pieces so my bank won’t put a hold on it.

Wanda: How about we do a voice call? I can call you at the number on the website. Ms. Faith Benjamin, correct? I should be able to get through, I think. Not sure I can place an international call on my phone. What time is it in your location?

Faith: My location is New York, NY.

Wanda: New York?

Faith: Yes.

Wanda: Ok, even better, then. Let’s chat voice. What’s your number?

Faith: I don’t use my phone during working hours, sorry.

Wanda: You don’t have a corporate phone? Office phone? VOIP?

Faith: We do, only for work use.

Wanda: This is work-related, no?

Faith: I am already talking to you here right?

Wanda: Yes, but I have questions and it’s too much to type…

Wanda: I’ll hail a cab and head over to the bank. I’ll let you know when I get back. Maybe we can talk about the offer letter then?

Faith: What about it?

Wanda: Oh, you said not to bother signing it. I thought if I went to the bank and got back to you, we could talk about that.

Wanda: Hello?

Faith: Noted.

Wanda: Noted? Okay, I’ll be back in about 45 minutes.

Faith: Okay.

Wanda says: So… 45 minutes goes by as I sit at my computer doing research around the web, watching a program on Investigation Discovery, and doing laundry.

 Wanda: Whew! I made it. Sorry for delay, my Uber driver was late getting here.

Faith: Oh, okay

Wanda: Good news! I had to do some pleading but the bank said they can release the funds on Tuesday.

Faith: That’s a 2 days hold.

Wanda: The 20^th.  It’s a five day hold. Versus the 7 day they would normally do. Good, right?

Wanda: A little delay but I can order the software as soon as Tuesday morning and then maybe get started shortly after that? How long does it take for them to ship the MacBook?

Faith: 24hours.

Wanda: Oh, that’s fast. Cool.

Faith: Normally for Credit unions, Funds are either suppose to be available within a 24hours period or 48hours. I am only trying to make sure you are on same track alongside other employees.

Wanda: Because it’s issued from out of state and such a large amount, they normally hold for 7 days. I got that bumped up to just 5 days because I’ve been there so many years.

Faith: Okay and again, my reason for being concerned is this I am only trying to make sure you are on same track alongside other employees.

Wanda: I don’t know what to say…

Faith: Okay.

Wanda: What happens now?

Wanda: Faith? What happens now?

Wanda: Hello? Are you still there? Network problems?

Faith: I guess we have no choice order than to do it your Bank’s way….

Faith: Ok. Then should I meet back up with you?

Wanda: Yes. That has my information on it so I won’t be submitting that over the web. Do you have a mailing address? I can send FedEx.

Faith: Like I stated earlier, Note for personal security purpose, you can erase your account information if there are any written on the receipt okay

Wanda: Okay. I will do that. Where should I send it?

Wanda: Are you okay? I mean, your network status? Seems real slow.

Faith: Yes, I am okay. I’m very busy that’s why.

Wanda: Should I meet back up with you when the funds clear? I need to know who to contact to purchase software. I want to get started as soon as possible.

Faith: Of course. I’ll be providing you with that information once it’s time.

Faith: Also, You should send updates to the email received on the letter alongside the check.

Wanda: What letter?

Faith: Didn’t you receive a letter along with the check?

Wanda: There was one sheet of paper, the check at the top with blank underneath. I removed the check and took that to the bank. Was there supposed to be something on the blank area?

Faith: Oh okay. There was an instruction that came alongside the check. Notify me once the deposit has been completed.

HERE ARE THE INSTRUCTIONS SENT INSIDE THE ENVELOPE AND ENVELOPE:

Wanda: Well, since you’re in the U.S., Happy President’s Day Weekend! See you Tuesday! Bye for now!

Faith: The receipt? It’s required for record purpose.

Wanda: Oh, I’ll send that Fedex if you give me an address.

Faith: I don’t understand? You can’t have it sent via email?

Wanda: I’m not putting my information on the web. Too many boogers on the web. You know? You can’t be safe enough. Since I deposited the check, I’ll sign the offer letter and send that back to Ahrens Group.

Faith: The receipt or the offer letter?

Wanda: I can’t thank you enough! Well, I’ll send you the receipt. Address? I can have it there tomorrow morning, via Fedex.

Faith: It seems your not understanding me….. If you have the receipt sent to my email address, It will be recorded ASAP. If not, fair enough.

Wanda: No, I understand and I’m not willing to send that kind of information over the web. I’ve been in this business too long to compromise that information.

Faith: Have a great day ahead of you.

Wanda: See you Tuesday!

Wanda: So you don’t want me to send it fedex?

Faith: If you feel you don’t trust me, I understand. Tuesday!

Wanda: Alright then!

ADDENDUM:

The Daily Scam provided Wanda with a special link to send to Faith to show her that Wanda had deposited the check.  But Wanda hadn’t deposited the check! She knew this was a scam and had already contacted the bank whose name was on the check she had received.  The bank informed Wanda that other fraudulent checks had been submitted against this account just recently and they were aware of the problem!  TDS has previously learned that scammers will typically run a batch of scams at the same time using nearly identical fraudulent checks against the same account all at once.  Typically, six to fifteen.  That means six to fifteen people being victimized, in addition to the business whose name appears on the check.

Wanda sent her special link to Faith, saying it was proof that she had deposited the check.  When “Faith” clicked it, TDS was informed exactly where in the world “Faith” was located.  It was Lagos, Nigeria!  “Faith” was very likely a professional 419-scammer!  We have since tricked other “Google Hangout” interviewers to click a link and confirm that they are also located in Lagos, Nigeria.   Additional confirmation of this comes from a man named Cody on July 21, 2018.  Cody didn’t fall for this job interview scam and engaged in an honest conversation with the scammer.  In their “bro” moment (all captured on screenshot), Cody got the scammer (using the name “Josh White”) to admit he was trying to trick him into sending money to him in Nigeria!  “Josh” said to Cody “the reason we do this in Nigeria is to survive. [The] government is not helping at all. My mother has been sick. Buying drugs have been a problem [for my mother]. No disability money, no benefits from the government. I just need little cash to make sure my mom survives.”  And then tells Cody that his real name is Paul.  We don’t know if his MOM-story is total bull or not, but we now have confirmation from several sources that these scams are perpetrated out of Nigeria!

RED FLAGS:

1. Hiring manager asks to interview the candidate through Google Hangouts or through the Telegram texting App (or sometimes “IM” – Instant Messaging or Skype text)
2. Candidate is hired without a face-to-face, video chat or even a phone call and in just a matter of hours.
3. Faith informs Wanda that Ahrens Group is opening a new office in her area on March 5 but says “The location in your area is currently still under construction and undisclosed for security reasons.” That’s total BS.
4. A “Key Requirement” for the job is to “be able to operate other forms of equipment such as printers and a tape machine.” Seriously??
5. It is extremely unusual and highly suspicious that an employer would ask an employee to use their personal checking account for business transactions.
6. Wanda is hired after only answering a bunch of questions on Google Hangouts. And hired for CALL CENTER REPRESENTATIVE, not data entry as she was first informed.
7. Faith ignores some of Wanda’s questions.
8. Faith tells Wanda a check will be mailed to her to deposit and the funds will be available within 24 hours or less. TDS has spoken to banks about this.  They tell us that some fraudulent checks are so well crafted that the bank doesn’t discover the fraud for 7 business days.  This is because criminals are sometimes able to create a fake check using a real business bank account holder, with a real routing and account number.  It is therefore the business that sometimes calls the bank to say they never issued the check.  Guess who is responsible for the lost funds?  The victim!
9. When Wanda and Faith say goodbye to each other, Faith says “Stay blessed!” This is Faith’s “poker tell” revealing her background.  Though we generalize, Africans frequently say things like “Dearest One,” “Remain Blessed” and “Stay Blessed.”  These expressions are part of their religious colloquialisms.  We wrote about this “tell” in our August 16, 2017 newsletter.
10. Look how quickly Faith says she will cancel the check for nearly $5000 and informs Wanda “don’t bother signing the offer letter” when Wanda pushes back against depositing such a large check!
11. Faith pushes back when Wanda insists on calling her to chat over the phone. The exchange is ridiculous as Faith says “I don’t use my phone during working hours, sorry” as she refers to her work phone!
12. Ahrens Group is in Australia, yet the check came from a Georgia Bank with RE: Barbara Peavy from a California address, a letter was enclosed with the check from Mr. Michael Lee with an email address of Michael.Lee “@” accountant.com or creditmanager “@” usa.com and also the offer letter.  No physical or email address pointed back to Ahrens Group.
13. Besides Wanda, MANY people have contacted us about these scams.  All received an “employment agreement” letter or contract as a simple Word document.  A real business contract would not be presented as a Word document.  These documents contained grammatical errors as well.
    ==================================================================

UPDATE February 22, 2018:
On Feb. 21st we heard from a woman who was also contacted about a job interview in Google Hangouts for a job at AHRENS Group.  The person contacting her was “Allen Jones” who found this woman’s contact information on MySmartRecruiter.com. She was asked to visit Google Hangouts for an interview with a woman named Mrs. Vivian Butland. She tells us that she was quickly and easily hired, then immediately sent a check with the bank name Max Credit Union.  Now, she says, she’s being pressured to deposit the check and use it to pay for something for the “company.”  Here are her contact emails:

The very next day, February 22, we heard from another woman about this same job application!  She was contacted through Freelancer.com  and asked to go into “Google Hangout” to do an interview with the head hiring manager at Ahrens group, a Mr. Jefferey Wilson.  It didn’t take long before she was told that she got the job and that she would receive a check from them for “equipment fees.”  Here is a sample “Ahrens-group-employment-contract” sent by a scammer from “Ahrens Group” and another one used for Teva Pharmaceuticals: TEVA-Pharm-Employment-Agreement

UPDATE February 25, 2018:  This scam is clearly very active!  Since posting this article 2 weeks ago, we’ve heard from 8 people about this scam.  Several of them have been interviewed for a job at Ahrens Group but others, as you’ll see here, are interviewed for other jobs.  This particular interview on Google Hangouts was for a job at Teva Pharmaceuticals.  A woman, we’ll call Maggie, was contacted via her account on Fiverr.com by someone identified as Russell129:

Maggie was asked to contact Mrs. Ellen Smith, HR officer for Teva Pharmaceuticals.  But “Ellen Smith” was using a Gmail address!  That is a dead giveaway that this is a scam!  If you want to follow the conversation between Maggie and 3 “employees of Teva Pharmaceutical” open these screenshots.  As you can guess, it didn’t take long before Maggie was offered the position of “Virtual Administrative Assistant” by a “Donald James.”  Maggie ends up putting Mr. Donald James in his place at the very end and we applaud her voice and strength to do so!

Finally, a user of Peopleperhour.com posted this scam interview that she had on Google Hangouts.  It’s just like all the others, just different names and names of companies.

We will continue to add names, contact information and companies represented to this list as we hear from victims about this scam:

1. 1. 1. Job interviews with Ahrens Group PTY Ltd:
         • Faith Benjamin, Hiring Manager (agpdf.msbenjaminfaith “@” gmail.com)
         • Michael Lee (Michael.lee “@” accountant.com / creditmanager “@” usa.com)
         • Allen Jones
         • Vivian Butland (mrsvivianbutland “@” gmail.com)
         • Jeffrey Wilson, Hiring Manager
           –one reader sent us a link to “Mr. Jeffrey Wilson’s” Google+ page.  Notice how LITTLE content is there and he has no connections to anyone.  The photo is probably stolen and the textbook he posted was not written or published by him “Jeffrey Wilson” and has nothing to do with Ahrens Group:
           
         • Abbie Mills (415-691-7146)
         • Ruth White (Her account in Freelancer.com was mstwhite7; Email: mstwhite7 “@” gmail.com; phone: 669-237-2914)
         • Mrs.Evelyn D. Young; 650-517-3203
         • Andy Wallace, Hiring Manager from Ahrens group; mangerwallace “@” yahoo.com (Notice that he misspelled “manager” in his email address!); used Yahoo Messenger to contact person
      2. Job interview with A.I.G. Group (First identified to TDS on 11/16/17)
         • Ronald A. Rittenmeyer; 973-910-8376
         • Ford Woods (Fordwoods32 “@” gmail.com)
      3. Job interview with Teva Pharmaceuticals Products Ltd.
         • Russell129 on fiverr.com
         • Ellen Smith (rec.express “@” consultant.com)
         • Donald James (650-487-1437, donaldjames014711 “@” gmail.com)
      4. Job interviews to work with an art gallery selling art work from California:
         • David Wilk (goldenartworkshome “@” gmail.com)
         • Unidentified person using email uniqueartplaza “@” gmail.com
      5. Job interview to work at Marvel Animation, Inc as an animator
         • Jake Layfield (marvelanimationjobz2018 “@” gmail.com) –used Indeed.com
         • Marta Downs (marvelworkstudio2018 “@” gmail. com)
         • Jake Layfield, HR Personnel (marvelanimationjobz2018 “@” gmail .com)
      6. Job interview to work for PA Consulting Group, “a global management consulting company offering services to the Healthcare, Higher Education, Life Sciences, and Commercial industries”
         • Mr Austin Su via text message from phone number 415-506-8793
         • Mrs Colleen Bosworth, Personnel Manager (info.pa “@” consultant.com)
      7. Job interview with Align Technology in California
         • Justin Singh, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist (justin “@” aligntechcareers.com),  NOTE: Justin’s email came from the domain aligntechcareers.com.  This domain was created 8 days ago on February 23, 2018.  It has no association with the real business, Align Technology, he claims to represent.
      8. Job interview as a “Order Entry Rep.” The Positions Available are: “Data Entry , Accounting Clerk ,Office Assist, Registration Rep Candidate, Secretaria , Manager , Front , Supervisor , Desk,Customer Service , Administrative Assist , Bell Person, File Clerk, Security ,Payroll Clerk , Typist Clerk and IT jobs.” (The company was not listed.)
         • Mr Daniel Lucas, Personnel hiring manager (daniellucas100001 “@” gmail.com)
         • Mr Anthony Lucas (anthonylucas1009 “@” gmail.com)
      9. Job interview as a “Virtual Administrative Assistant” for Recruit Express.  On October 10, a victim informed us that he interviewed for the position of “Remote Virtual Assistant” and “Data Entry Clerk.”  He says… “For payment, they requested I put a balance on my card via cash and they requested that I purchase gift cards with the cash I withdrew. I’d be able to keep the difference between the cash withdrawn and the requested gift card amounts sent back via pictures of the gift card codes.”  (Active again in October, 2018)
         • Anderson Jack, Orientation Officer (865-500-4728; rec.express.anderson “@” gmail.com )
         • Dawson Lame
         • Audrey Smith (Jaud_rey is Skype Username)
         • Andrew Love ( andrewlove212 “@” gmail.com )
         • rec_expressacctdept “@” accountant.com
      10. Job interview with The Goldman Sachs Group Inc, as a Office Assistant/ Customer Service – Full Time/ Part Time (April, 2018)
          • Text came from 415-649-1082
          • They said they viewed your resume published on www.azjobconnection.gov
          • Ms. “KAREN P. SEYMOUR” (karenp.seymour03 “@” gmail.com), Hiring Manager  –IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a real Karen P. Seymour who works for the REAL Goldman Sachs but this one with a Gmail address is an imposter! (Read this pdf file of a Goldman-Sachs-Job-Interview  between “Karen” and one of our TDS readers!)
            
          • Given a verification code for the interview of “0909”
          • Email contact came from Joy Cianci <joycianci03 “@” gmail.com>
      11. Job interview as Data Entry Clerk, Administrative Assistant, and Customer Service Rep with The Energizer Company (April, 2018; UPDATED: February 14, 2019)
          • Delma Javinal, “Hiring Manager” for Energizer Holdings, Inc.
          • Priscilla M Lupo, Interviewer (prismarlup064 “@” gmail.com)
          • Richard Mattocks, “Hiring Manager” using cell phone 707-412-8373 to text job candidate
          • Robin Vaught, the Supervisor, told the job candidate to buy three $100 amazon gift cards for the candidate to use to buy office supplies
      12. Job interview as Executive Assistant with SGS Group (SGS is a multinational company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland which provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services. ) (April 24, 2018)
          • Dr. Thorston Jahnke “Hiring Manager” –There is a REAL person by this name at the REAL SGS Group but this imposter gives out an email address at Gmail, not SGS.com:  hr.torstenjahnke “@” gmail.com
          • The imposter sent a fake cashier’s check for $4,900.00.  The bank informed the victim that the check was not valid.  Check out the offer letter sent to the victim from the scammer:
          • We had the victim send a fake deposit slip to the scammer and he fell for the fake.  By clicking the link, the scammer showed us that his location was Shinjuku, Japan OR that he was coming through a computer in this location but was located elsewhere.
      13. Job interview as a Graphic Designer for Alpha Graphics Design, located in Boston, Massachusetts.
          • Ann Yoset, senior manager in HR using the email: recruitment.alphagraphicsinc “@” gmail.com.
          • Someone also claimed to be the very real Regina Crowell who works at the real business but it was not the real Ms. Crowell.  The scammer was VERY clever because he purchased a domain that appears legitimate but it is not!  On May 7 he purchased AlphaGraphicsDesign[.]com and used it send an offer letter to this candidate.  The REAL Alpha Graphics company uses AlphaGraphics.com.
          • Here are a few screenshots taken of a portion of the conversation in Google Hangout including the offer for the job:
            
            And here is a copy of the offer letter sent to the candidate.
      14. Job interview as an Executive Administrative Assistant, Customer Service Representative, Bookkeeper, Virtual Data entry clerk, Dispatcher, Recruiter, Human resources manager, Human resources assistant, or Team Manager with Capital Group Companies Inc.  You are given a “verification code” such as CGC6025.
          • Mr. Barret ( louisbarret4 “@” gmail.com )
          • Sarah Nadji  (info “@” capitalgrouphr.us ) –NOTICE: The REAL Capital Group Company uses the website CapitalGroup.com.  These clever scammers registered the domain CapitalGroupHR[.]us on May 26, just 10 days before we heard about this scam! Here is a screenshot of the text that reveals the scam.  Mr. Barret says he will send a check to the “new hire” which will be used to provide initial salary AND be used to by the hired person to pay for things for the company. The check will bounce!  After the hired person uses their own real personal money to send to the scammer!
            UPDATE: On November 25, 2020, a man received a text from 601-779-7681 saying “Greetings…., I’m Frank Mardel from “Capital Group INC“. Our recruitment team has received your application sent to us and We are extremely pleased with your listed qualifications and would like to conduct an online interview for the position of Customer Service Rep,Data Entry,Administrative Assistance,Front Desk/Receptionist,Account Manager, Clerical Admin, IT Jobs, Executive Manage $35.75 Per Hour, Let me know if you are interested. Thank You !!!!” The interview was to be conducted through text only via Telegram or Skype apps. Another man contacted us to say that he received a text from 408-837-3953. A man identified as Anthoy Vigliotti (not a misspelling!) claimed to represent the company “RemoteGroupBenefits.com.” “Anthoy” invited the man to interview for a vareity of open positions. All interviews were via Telegram texting app or Skype texting. This included hearing from Frank Mardel who said he was from CAPITAL GROUP INC.
      15. Job interview as a Graphic Designer for Synacor, Inc. to “work from home.”  A check is sent for the purchase of an Apple computer, office furniture, printer, and office supplies.
          • Lisa Donohue, Senior Recruiter (The criminals have used 2 email addresses for “Lisa”…  Lisadonohue.synacorgraphics “@” gmail.com AND lisadonohue.synacor “@” gmail.com. Notice that both are with Gmail, not synacor.com) NOTE: The real Lisa Donohue was appointed to the Synacor Board of Directors in May, 2017 and these scammers stole the use of her name and made her a “Senior Recruiter”
          • Candidate was hired at the end of the Google Hangout interview and sent a check for $6898.37 to purchase “equipment” via moneygram.
          • Original email came from someone in HR at the domain synacorcareers[.]com registered on June 4, 2018.  This domain was just 2 days before the candidate was contacted.  It is not the real domain for Synacor, Inc.
          • Synacor-Offer-Letter sent by the scammers came from the fake email address hr “@” synacorcareers.com
          • Steve Davi, Graphics Design Team Leader (stevedavi042 “@” gmail.com) NOTE: There is a real Mr. Davi who works at Synacor.  His photo and name were stolen from his Linkedin account by the scammers and used to create a fake Google Hangouts profile.
          • Frank Levi, Human Resources (sent the candidate this SYNACOR-EMPLOYMENT-OFFER)
      16. Job interview as a Data Entry/Administrative Assistant Position with Verizon Communications Inc.
          • Initial contact from mrobinson “@” sbhconstruction.com
          • Ms. Sherry Hunter, Hiring manager (hiringdesk30 “@” gmail.com)
      17. Job interview for a job at Weber Shandwick as a Graphic Designer
          • Contact email came from webershandwickjobs “@” gmail.com
          • Alex Potnick from HR.  Alex’s email address is hr “@” webershandwick-career.com.  The domain webershandwick-career[.]com was registered on June 20, 2018, just 3 days before Mr. Potnick used it to hire the man who contacted us.
          • Interviewed by Ms. Jill Murphy  (jillmurphy.webershandwick “@” gmail.com)
          • Like other fake jobs, the person hired was told that “the following equipment will be delivered to your doorstep to set up your home office next week” and included:
            *Apple Mac Book Pro Laptop
            *Set of furniture *Copiers
            *Card Filing Systems
            *File Cabinets
            *File Folders
            *Graphics generator and software
            *Digital Storage
            *Inks and Ribbons
            *Surge Protectors and Automated Time Tracker
      18. Job interview with YHI International Limited for a job in Data Entry, Customer Service Representative, and Administrative Assistant (June, 2018)
          • Tom Payne (hiring1954 “@” zoho.com) from YHI International Limited
          • Andrew Gomez, the hiring manager using the email 19870hr “@” gmail.com
      19. Job interview with ManTech International Corporation.  NOTE: After “hiring” the candidate, the scammer sent a “check” via email, asked the candidate to print it and then use e-deposit to deposit it into her bank account immediately!  Don’t EVER do this! (June, 2018)
      20. Another job interview for Ahrens Construction in Australia again for a “virtual assistant” (July, 2018)
          • Sonia_recruit01 contacted the victim on Fiverr
          • Interview with Sandra Nelson, HR Officer, on Skype Chat (not video): live:jbruce4111
          • ORIENTATION OFFICER Bruce Brian Johnson; +17753720153  brucejohnson2314 “@” gmail.com
      21. Many job openings offered with Bestway Group. They claim to have openings for a Call Center Agent, Data Entry, Sales, Clerical Admin, Front Desk, Administrative Clerk/Assistance, Customer Service Receptionist, Financial Analyst, Medical Billing and Coding, Accounting, Payroll Clerk, Book keeping, Typist Clerk, Management, and IT jobs team.  You are given a “verification code” for your interview, like: Way-339. (July, 2018; Feb., 2019; UPDATED: March 24, 2019)
          • Mr Daniel Kipling, The HR Coordinator at Bestway Group
          • Mr Dawood Pervez, Trading Director for Bestway Group (hireforspring2018 “@” gmail.com) . “Hire for Spring 2018” at Gmail??  Don’t fall for email names like this!
          • Chris Errington using email bestjobsforfall “@” gmail.com(Added Feb. 2019)
          • Mr Rizwan Pervez, the Director of Bestway (Holdings) Ltd using email workforus2019 “@” gmail.com (Added Feb. 2019)
          • A TDS reader contacted us to say “I was emailed by someone from Bestway asking be to do an online interview via hangouts. I gave them a verification code, they had me answer 10 questions, and hired me saying I scored 8.5. They offered me abut 42 dollars an hour starting and informed me they were going to mail me a check for materials.”  The interviewer used the email workforus2019 “@” gmail.com
          • Interview was with Rizwan Pervez, Director of Bestway Holdings Ltd. Candidate was asked for the Interview verification code, BW905, and hired within minutes after just a few questions. Candidate was told they are opening new Best Way Group branches and he would be paid $44.30/hr for “tracking data and sorting documents” (record keeping) and must know Microsoft Office and accounting software. This is a “work at home” job. Mr. Pervez told the candidate that he would have to “fax and email confidently and have a positive attitude online from home.”
          • BEWARE this scam is still alive as of May 22, 2019.  A candidate was contacted for a military Administrative Assistant job position.  She was told to invite Mrs. April H. Smith, the Director of Best Way Group on Google Hangout or Google talk messenger with the email bestwayhumanresources “@” gmail.com.  She was told to use verification code: BWGINS556. (May 22, 2019)
      22. METKA GROUP  – A candidate looking for work contacted us on May 28, 2019 to say she was contacted by someone named Johnson Moore ( johnsonmoore652 “@” gmail.com )_about a job as an Administrative Assistant.  She was asked to contact Mr. “Collins Mills” for a Google Hangout interview. His email address was given as cllnsmills “@” gmail.com
          • Mr. Patrick Moore (Hiring Manager at Metka Group) +15612958476 (July, 2018)
          • Candidate was contacted via text message from Mr. Justice Peterman (254-253-5499)
            claiming to represent METKA GROUP and wanted her to interview with Mr. Collins Mills, using her email address cllnsmills “@” gmail.com. (June 27, 2019)
          • Candidate was contacted and hired by Kennedy Hode (hr.kennedyhodge “@” gmail.com) and Angela Banks (angelabanks081 “@” gmail.com) for an “executive administrative” postion.  Then she was sent a check for $3250 for office supplies which she deposited.  She sent $2400 immediately through a cash app as instructed.  Next day she learned the check bounced and was responsible for the money she sent. (August 20, 2019)
          • On October 22, 2019 a woman contacted us to say that she was contacted by Mrs. Elizabeth Stonebridge from METKA GROUP COMPANY and invited to apply for the one of these positions… Accounting Clerk/Data Entry/Customer service/Administrative Assistant/Human Resources… and the pay was $33 per hour.  The interview was to take place in Google Hangouts.
          • On January 27, 2020 a woman told us that she was asked to use Wire App ( https://app.wire.com/ ) and send a message via Wire Messenger to Chief Human Resources Manager, Mr. Antonio Dante (@antoniodante) for a Job Interview with METKA GROUP.  The email came from a Micheal Reveron (michealreveron33@gmail.com)
          • On February 11, 2020 a man told us he had a text-based interview using Wire App with Mr. Anotnio Dante from Metka Group.  Antonio used the email address antoniodante078@gmail.com.
      23. Xerox Corporation – Mr. Larry Wills +14696081552 (July, 2018)
      24. Job as a Data Analyst for Manufacturer’s News Inc. (July, 2018)
          • John Fick texting candidates from 912-584-2659
          • Josh White conducted the intervew (He became angry with the many questions asked by the candidate to verify that this was a real job interview.  Finally, “Mr. White” made some intimidating remarks.)
      25. A  “recruiter” named “Jessica Adams” contacts from a company called “Sonova Company” and asks to interview the candidate using “IM” (Instant Messaging) instead of Google Hangouts!  The phone number that accompanied the text was “+1707-219-6402”. (August, 2018)
      26. This  job description was posted on the real site OhioMeansJobs.  Candidates were asked to send an email to “Barbara Hilton” at coordinator “@” amerirootbergen[.]org.  Turns out this domain, amerirootbergen[.]org was registered on August 8, just a few days before the job appeared.  The position was with a legitimate company called Buckeye Power, Inc.  These scammers seem to be spoofing the real website called AmerisourceBergen.com. (August, 2018)
          Other names used by these scammers include:
          • April Fitcher
          • Mr. Ivan Alfredo (hirirngmanager “@” amerirootbergen[.]org)
      27. Job interview with the company VeriFone, Inc. for a Data Entry/ Administrative Assistant position ($25.00 per hour). Candidate was contacted by “Tasha ” from Human Resources using the email tasha “@” trinityworldwide[.]com but asked to reply to “Tasha ” <tasha-trimityworldwide “@” mail. com> (including the error of a space after period and misspelled “triMity”) (August, 2018)
          • Asked to contact Hiring Manager “Jon Richardson” ( hiringdesk456 “@” gmail.com ) using a “verification ID code” for the interview process: VRI_88
          • UPDATE 7/10/2019: A candidate was asked to contact Barnes Hickman, the Hiring Manager of Verifone Inc. for an interview in Google Hangouts for a position as Customer Service Representative Position ($25 per hour once hired and training $11 per hour).   The Gmail address “Barnes” used was barneshickman215 “@” gmail.com.  Candidate was given a bogus “interview code” of VFI-0334.  The candidate knew it was a scam and told us that her Grammarly extention showed her that “Barnes Hickman” made 48 grammar/spelling mistakes during the interview!  Candidate was hired, of course when “Barnes” soon said “Due to your level of experience and communication skills, Verifone Inc. has decided to give you a chance for you to work for the company and will like to see your diligence,Charisma,Commitment to this job. congratulations !!!”
      28. Job interview for the position of Administrative Assistant on ZipRecruiter. (August, 2018)
          • Email contact came from Alexander Cooper < alexandercooper009 “@” gmail.com > who claims to represent the company called Moreton Resources Ltd.
          • Candidate is asked to contact department manager, Luke Colgan (  lukecolgan10 “@” gmail.com )
      29. Job interview for a national law firm called Ballard Spahr LLP.  The scammers said that the positions available are Executive Assistant, Payroll Clerk, Administrative Assistant, Customer Service, Data Entry, Call Center/ Medical Biller/Coding, and Bookkeeper.  Offered to pay $23/hour. (September, 2018)
          • Scammers pretended to be Denise Keyser, a long-time lawyer for the real firm.  They used the email address: hiringballardspahr “@” gmail.com and phone number 205-533-7195.
          • Scammer sent the “hired” person a fake check that looked as though it came from Barracks Construction company.
      30. Job interview with the company Real Ispat & Power Ltd., a manufacturing firm based in India, for positions as Customer Service Representative, Receptionist/Data Entry/Admin. Assistant. Salary offered was $25/hour. (Sept. 2018; Feb. 2019 ;UPDATED March 29,2019)
          • Human resources department representative Michael Bachelder using an AOL email address: mikebachelder “@” aol.com
          • Interviews were conducted via the company’s head of operation using the Google Hangout email “realispatdesk991 “@” gmail.com”
          • Contacted the victim using the email address mrbryanondesk “@” gmail.com
          • Candidate was contacted by someone named Jane Russell from phone # 512-829-8873 stating they had pulled his resume from Handshake to interview for Customer Service Rep, Data Entry Specialist, or Administrative Assistant for Real Ispat & Power LTD.  He was asked to interview HR Manager named Bryan Xiong, who used email mrbryanondesk “@” gmail.com. (March 29, 2019)
      31. Job interview with the organization Beat Sarcoma, Inc. for the position “Administrative Assistant/Data Entry.” The real domain is beatsarcoma.org.   However, the criminals registered the fake look-alike domain beatssarcoma.org on August 28. using a proxy service. (Notice the extra “s”).  (September, 2018) Fake contacts include:
          • HR Beatsarcoma: Aldon Hoover:hooveraldon109 “@” gmail.com
          • Head of Operation: Cindy Rody: cindyrody04 “@” gmail.com
          • HR Department: hr “@” beatssarcoma.org  (NOTICE: extra “s” in domain name)
      32. Harold Commons from Hendrick Automotive Group (by collecting resumes listed on Ohiomeansjobs.com) and using phone number 413-728-0329 (September, 2018 and again in December, 2018 through Jobisite.com) (UPDATED: July 23, 2019)
          • Interview with someone identified as Daisy Reed, Career Human Sources Representative, with email “drexec4040 “@” gmail.com”
          • Offer is for remote job and will send an Apple Laptop Computer containing “necessary software’s programs pre-installed” and an advance bonus check
          • Contacted by “Mr Andrea Bills” using phone number 615-763-5593; says you’ll be working with the program “Check Soft Home and Business, Quickbook, Microsoft Publisher, Sage and other programs.” (Dec, 2018)
          • Interview with Patty Luison, who supposedly works for HR Department and will conduct the interview via Hangouts. (Uses email address drlpatty681 “@” gmail.com) “Patty” starts out the interview by giving a short bio of her background and credentials, like most of these scams! (Dec, 2018) Candidate told she will need equipment like an Apple laptop and printer, and to complete one week’s training. She would be sent a check to pay for it, plus her first week’s salary. Candidate said no thank you to the job but gets a FedEx overnight envelope from ‘Stanley Mark’ of ‘Computer Label Inc’ including a cashier’s check for just under $1,500! It was a Citibank check with the name from “Stanley Mark” from Memphis, TN on it. The candidate discovered that the name and address on the check were identical to a sample posted online by Fedex for making a label!
          • Candidate was found through the National Careers Fair website and contacted on Tuesday, Jul 23, 2019.  She was sent interview questions from the email address:  Question-desk@hendrick.com <Questions-desk@representative.com> NOTICE that this email looks like it came from “hendrick.com” but actually comes from a free email account at “representative.com.”  The interviewer claimed to be “Steve Davis” of HendrickCars.com and was interviewing the candidate for the position of a “Marketing Analyst.”  Pay was offered at $60/hr after 5 days online training period during which candidate was to be paid $25/hr during the 2-4 training each day.  The candidate asked “Steve Davis” to prove who he was and a minute later was sent this photo of a man wearing a shirt with a Hendrick Auto logo.  But this is not a picture of the real Steve Davis, based on Steve’s LinkedIn account!The candidate was asked a series of interview questions and we found some of these questions from an online article titled “Top Marketing Interview Questions.” (The website was hacked and is not safe to provide a link to our readers.)  Candidate was hired for the job and sent his contract from the email address hendrickauto@resourcedpt.com –a bogus email address and signed by someone named “Geremy Oliver.”
      33. NOT SURE IF THIS IS A GOOGLE HANGOUT SCAM BUT IT IS A SCAM JOB INTERVIEW OFFER:  Automated call comes from “Sarah” calling from a “non-profit recruitment firm” representing kids.org, amazonkids.org or webstorejobs.org. (September, 2018)
          • Called from both 423-250-2992 and 850-842-6460
          • Other websites reporting this as an employment scam include BBB.org and Komando.com.
      34. Job as a “3D & 2D” Animator of Ads for the fashion business called ASOS USA.  Scammers found the candidate’s resume on Indeed.com.  Asked the candidate to send a copy of her driver’s license, as well as other personal info. (October, 2018)
          • Interview in Google Hangouts with someone named “Vivica Ron” using the email address “asosjobvillage2018 “@” gmail.com”
          • Represented themselves as Denise Walter & Theresa May
          • asosanimationcareers “@” gmail.com
      35. Job as “Administrative Assistant/Data Entry Clerk” for Wanda Group Company at the rate of $35/hour and “you will be able to participate in a number of company sponsored benefits.” (October, 2018 AND January, 2019)
          • “HR Manager” named William White using email wandagrouphrmanager “@” gmail.com
          • Name on fake contract was “Mr. Robert Williams,” Title: “Superior”
          • In January, 2019 a victim told us he found this job posted for “Data Entry clerk” on PeoplePerHour.com, by someone named “Garry.” Garry then asked the victim to chat with William White.  “Mr. White” hired him after a 10 minute chat!  Two days later he received the following check via Fedex from a Florida residential address for $15,000:The check came with the following letter from a Mr. Colton Green of the “Payment Department” using the email address Accountingdesk “@” usa.com. (So many scams have used the free email service at usa.com that they have posted this warning on their website.)Good Day,
            How are you doing ? We hope the package got to you in good health. This is Colton Green from the payment department and you are required to manage these funds as instructed by your employer/hiring manager online. You are to get back to us via email with the information on the following:
            1. How the funds were used.
            2. Exact amount used.
            3. Whom you ordered or got the materials from.
            4. The Deposit Slip/ Receipt is also required.Here is the email to reply: Accountingdesk “@” usa.com
            NOTE: If you are being told to discard the letter, do not do such. You must keep us informed on the check and its funds from your email (by yourself) and not from your employer’s email. Failure to do this is against the company’s protocol.Also,don’t forget to email us at Accountingdesk “@” usa.com
            once you receive the check to confirm delivery.Kind Regards,
            Mr. Colton Green
            Payment DepartmentThe victim had found this article detailing this scam and even identifying the fake HR Manager “William White.”  He shared the link to this web page with the scammer and the scammer told him that it was just a competitor’s business trying to discredit them!  Read the text exchange…
            
      36. Job as “Data Entry Clerk” for an Indian Company called Essar Group at the rate of $20-$25 per hour. (October, 2018)
          • Interview in Google Hangouts with someone named “Jon Richardson” using the email address hiringgdesk456 “@” gmail.com
      37. Job interview for Abbot Risk Consulting for positions of Data Entry Administrative Clerk, and Management says an email from someone claiming to be Mr Timothy Cole, The HR Coordinator at Abbott Risk Consulting Ltd.  They offer $27.95 Per hour plus incentives.  There were many contacts offered to those invited to apply for the jobs.  Notice that ALL of them use Gmail addresses, rather than the email accounts for the REAL Abbot Risk Consulting company! (November, 2018)
          • Mr Weather, The HR Coordinator at Abbott Risk Cosulting.
          • Mr Victor Davis, the Research & Recruitment for Abbott Risk Consulting Ltd. on Gmail Hangout or Google talk messenger (victordavis.hiringoffice “@” gmail.com)
          • Mrs Tasha, the Research & Recruitment for Abbott Risk Cosulting on Gmail Hangout or Google talk messenger (hireforabbott “@” gmail.com)
          • Mr Mathias Gavin, The HR Coordinator at Abbott Risk Consulting Ltd.
          • Mr Berlin Allen, the Research & Recruitment for Abbott Risk Consulting Ltd on Gmail Hangout or Google talk messenger (berlinallen1313 “@” gmail.com)
      38. Job interview for Kestrel Investment Partners for positions as Data Entry, Management, Clerical Admin, Front Desk, Administrative Clerk/Assistance, Customer Service Receptionist, and several other positions. They say they are “soon setting up a branch near your location.”  The candidate was hired quickly to work from home and told they would send her a check to buy equipment. (November, 2018)
          • Chris Errington, Head of Research (conducts the interview)
          • Mr. George Douglas, HR Manager using the email hireforspring “@” gmail.com (Note: This email address was used for fake job #21 above!)
      39. Job interview for “National Health Care Associates Centers.” Candidates are given a bogus verification code to provide to their interviewers such as “TPQBL-101” for position as Administrative Assistant and Data Entry.  Candidates told they can work from home; $21/hr during training and then $30/hr. (November, 2018)
          • Mrs. Julissa Dizon, Personnel Manager (julissadizon “@” gmail.com)
          • Lorts Yeaton, Human Resources Dept. (lortsyeaton “@” gmail.com)
      40. Job interview for Terex Company.  These scammers have posted a fake job web page at Angel.co.  However, the REAL Terex Company posts their jobs on their own website at jobs.terex.com.  In fact, the REAL Terex Company has posted a warning about these very scams!  Visit their jobs page and look in the upper right corner for the warning information. (November, 2018)
          • A supervisor named “Nathan” claimed to be the hiring manager (nathan.supervisor02 “@” gmail.com)
          • Contact person used the emails terexrecruitmentteam “@” gmail.com and Terexcareers “@” execs.com
      41. The Scammers claim to be from The Essar Group Ltd., an Indian company but operating out of Houston Texas and hiring for a data entry position. They offer $20 an hour for a two week training period and then $25 an hour once training is complete.  After a short and simple interview, they “hired” the candidate and are sending her a check! DON’T CASH IT! (November & December, 2018) And again for a job as a “Customer Service Representative Position” at the rate of $25 and $28/hr. (January/February, 2019)
          • Melissa Drew using email address hiringdesk30 “@” gmail.com
          • Audrey Loranger, Hiring Manager who conducted the interview (email: interview.hrdesk01 “@”gmail.com)
          • Susan Hayes (Dec. ’18), using email address officedeskiolcp200 “@” gmail.com, interviewed the victim by asking her 15 questions.  Tells victim to download and install her banking app because it will allow her to deposit the check immediately and have it clear. (NOT TRUE!) Victim said she could not do that so the scammer asked the victim how long it will take for her to drive to her bank and deposit the check!  The victim suspected fraud and actually told Susan Hayes that this sounded like fraud. “Susan’s” response? “Everything done here is 100% legit We don’t run scam here”
          • Contact by someone named “William Richie” using email williamrichie40 “@” gmail.com (Jan, 2019)
          • Interview with the “Interview Manager” named “Mrs. Elizabeth” using the email address elizabethderick40 “@” gmail.com. Asked to use the “Job Verification code W2-568486” (Jan, 2019)
          • Interview with “Mrs. Susan Hayes” using email address officedeskiolcp200 “@” gmail.com.  And told “Your verification code during the interview process is EHT99.” (Jan, 2019)
          • Email came from “Human Resources” using the email “alberto “@” glcon.com” for a position at Essar described as “Full time /Part Time Administrative Assistant/ Data Entry/ Customer Service Position.”  The recipient was asked to meet “Mr. Tommie Lynch” the Hiring Manager in Google Hangouts through his email “officedesk920 “@” gmail.com.” (February, 2019)
      42. Job interview with Sonova Group, a manufacturer of hearing care solutions.
          • Ms. Jessica Adams contacts the candidate saying she has reviewed your resume
          • HR Manager, Grace Danielle who first says in Google Hangout “I received my BA in the UK . I am a part of the recruiting team.”  She asks a bunch of lame questions like… “Do you have a printer?” “Why should we hire you?” “Do you consider yourself successful?” “Do you consider yourself a team player?” ….and more.
          • Once hired, the candidate was asked to email information to Mellownee Kelly  at hiringtalent111 “@” gmail.com
      43. Peterson and Control Union, as represented by onepeterson.com. The Google Hangout Interview and job offer happened in a matter of minutes, with the job offer going from $50/hr to $200/hour with very little negotiation, according to the victim.  The victim was then sent a check for $7,650 to be deposited in his account and used to purchase required office equipment etc. from the company’s “preferred supplier” for office equipment. (January, 2019)
          • Victim interviewed by someone pretending to be Sarah Moore, Director for Projects at the real Peterson and Control Union, but fake Sarah used the email sarahmoore4peterson “@” gmail.com    The Real Sarah Moore can be found on the real website for this company.
      44. COMPANY NOT IDENTIFIED: A victim informed us on 1/12/19 that someone named “Susan Banks” posted a job opportunity on a local Facebook page called “Mansfield Helping Mansfield.” The email addresses to contact are jessicaleesmith95 “@” gmail.com and jessmduncan95 “@” gmail.com. The victim asked for the name of the company but was never given that information. The HR person for this unknown company was named “Jessica Leesmith” and she provided background info on the job and the Interview code HRDR873. The victim was told to provide this Interview code in Google Hangouts when she interviewed with a “Jesse Duncan” using the email Jesseduncan95 “@” gmail.com. This company was hiring for an online, work from home job paying $35/hour after a $21/hour training week.
      45. Job interview with SYNNEX Corporation.  Victim was contacted through his Indeed.com account by someone named “Mrs. Susan Cooley” for a job working from home. (January, 2019)
          • Google Hangout Interview with “Peter Cross,” Chief Information Officer and Hiring Manager (he says he is age 57 –the person doing the interview often says how old they are!)
          • Told that the job pays $28/hr and $18/hr during training hours
          • The scam is set up when the victim is told “All Equipment’s and Software’s are to be purchased from the company’s accredited vendor.”  That means you’ll be sent a check to deposit and then send your money to the scammer!
          • In May, 2019 candidate was contacted by “Kimberly Porcaro” about a home data entry position with Synnex Corp. and asked to reach out to James Foltz, in HR.
          • On July 11, 2019 we were contacted by a woman who said she received a text from a man named “William Walter” (telephone: 515-519-2920) and was invited to interview for a job at Synnex Corp. in Google Hangouts.
      46. Job interview with Century West Partners.  (Details not provided by victim.) (January, 2019)
      47. COMPANY NOT IDENTIFIED: A victim sent us an email she received.  It was a job invitation from “Josh A Wingstrom” using email address “joshawingstrom125 “@” gmail.com.  Josh invited the recipient to a “job briefing and interview” in Google Hangout for a position as an “administrative assistant.”  No company was mentioned but the pay was listed at $25/hr.
          • Interview with Hiring Manager named “Meaghan Campbell” using email address “meaghancampbell123 “@” gmail.com” . An interview verification code was provided: TCI-028.
      48. Vacancy for Administrative Assistant with Alpha-Pharma Healthcare came from a woman identified as Rose Bickford, HR Assistant. Pay is listed at $30/hr and $18/hr during training. They say they plan to open an office in Austin, TX later in the year (where the victim lives) but are currently based in Mumbai, India. During the interview the HR Manager says assignments will be sent from your supervisor via email. (February, 2019)
          • Interview with Mr. Christopher Stillman, Hiring Manager, in Google Hangouts using email “mrchristopherstillman “@” gmail.com”
          • Victim was asked to email all her details to the “company HR Mrs. Emily Cohman” at the email address: info “@” alpha-pharmahealthcare[.]com.  This domain may look legitimate but IT IS NOT!  The legitimate business domain is alpha-pharma.com.  But “alpha-pharmahealthcare[.]com” was registered on January 17, less than 3 weeks before the “candidate” was targeted by this scam!
      49. Vacancy for Administrative Assistant with MetLife. Google Hangout job interview through the MetLife Recruiting Desk.  Victim is told that MetLife will be setting up an office in her area. “Candidate” is asked to set up a home office and told that she’ll be buying office equipment from a certified vendor. (February, 2019)
          
          • Victim is asked to contact the Human Resources staff named Christan Robison (or Robinson; the scammers spell it both ways!) in Google Hangouts through his MetLife email “metlifecareerteam “@” gmail.com”
          • A woman was interviewed on August 20, 2019 by someone claiming to be “Mrs Abby Flores, 51 years of age, the Chief Customer Officer/Hiring Manager of METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, A native of California and graduated with bachelor of arts degree from Saint Mary’s College of California. In addition, I am a member of METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY’s Executive Committee.”  Mrs. Flores says she was interviewing for people for positions as Customer Service Rep, IT, Data Entry, and Typist.  She told the candidate “You’ll earn $22 hourly; you will receive your pay via direct deposit or pay check weekly or Bi-weekly.”  She also convinces the candidate that her Facebook account has be “synchronized” and gets her to give up her account login credentials.
          • UPDATE July 6, 2021: a man received an invitation to interview for a job in Google Hangouts with MetLife Inc via a bogus email address: humanresource.hdrmetlifeinc@gmail.com. The interview with with someone named Damien Cadoch from MetLife who claimed to be in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada and interviewing him for the position of Data Entry Operator. 
      50.  A woman was contacted by several people on February 6-7, 2019 who claim to be from various companies. All of them invited her for a job interview in Google Hangouts. They included:
          •  Lisa from Manpower Group, and phone number 301-660-7581 for an Administrative Position. Lisa told the woman to invite “Mrs. Jammie” with email jammiestep303 “@” gmail.com
          • Clara from Apptio Software Company through phone number 717-742-4127, to apply for Receptionist/front Desk Position. Clara told the woman to invite Mrs. Rachel Bailey, the Interview Manager through Google Hangouts for the Job Interview using Rachel Bailey’s email address: rachelbailey031 “@” gmail.com
          • Darlene Hunter, using email hr.workforce101 “@” gmail.com and claiming to represent Du Pont (DuPont) Company contacted her about a job as a Customer Service Representative/Administrative Assistant.  Darlene told her to contact Mr. Allen Lopez, the Interview Manager, for a interview in Google Hangout via the email: hr.reviewdesk “@” gmail.com. She was given the verification code AGS 0811.
          • Victoria Phillip, using email victoriaphillip9 “@” gmail.com contacted the woman about a position as a Receptionist/Front Desk Position. Again, she is asked to contract Mrs. Rachel Baily, the Interview Manager using the email address rachelbailey031 “@” gmail.com. The invitation code this time is 3GQ

51.  Candidate was invited to interview with Mr. Thomas Banks (424-282-9910) from Quantum Pharmaceutical Company via Skype.  However, the Skype interview turned out NOT to be by video chat but by text chat. (February, 2019)
52. Candidate received an email from “David” from Allegis Group through the email Human Resources (hr “@” human-resources[.]org.  This email sounds official but “human-resources[.]org” was registered years ago in Sweden and Google finds no website or information about this domain name. Candidate was invited to apply for Customer Service Rep/ Administrative Assistant job. (February,2019)
    • Asked to contact Mrs Matt through email annematt231 “@” gmail.com for a Google Chat interview
53. Candidate was told there was a vacancy for Administrative Assistant/Virtual Assistant with Baptist Health. The location was listed as Reynoldsburg, Ohio. However, the position was advertised as being remote, from home. (February, 2019)
    • Contacted by Mindy Chanda, HR Assistant via email: info4 “@” recruitmenterdesk.com
    • The interview will be with Mr. Christopher Stillman the company Hiring Manager who uses email:  mrchristopherstillman “@” gmail.com
54. Candidate was contacted twice about work at home jobs through her Facebook account!(February, 2019)
    • Interview with Temmy Ayo for job with DXC.com . Victim is asked to pay for equipment for home including a computer and printer, for which she will be reimbursed.
    • Donating money to the poor and orphans, $5000, for the company Martini.com . Contact from someone named Uranaa Uchral.  The candidate was asked to contact rosalinepaola57 “@” gmail.com, WhatsAPP: +22969587395.  Job is payroll, receiving and posting checks for employees, for which you get paid 3 times per week!
55. Vacancy as Administrative Assistant with D&M Appraisal Inc, located in Murfreesboro, TN, USA.  Supposedly, the company specializes in the Design, Development and Production of Quality Plastic Injection Moldings for the Manufacturing Industry.
    • Candidate is told she would have to pass a “TEST OF DUTY/TRUST”
      “Test of duty/trust would involve you handling funds on behalf of the company to purchase the needed software and also to handle the shipment of your mini office equipment. The test of trust is your first call to duty, this will be your first assignment before you begin your training.You will receive a payment from my associate via mail which will also cover your wage for this week as well as all other purchases and payments needed to be made to facilitate the shipment of your home office gadget to you. I will update you further on this by giving you a comprehensive list on how to go about them.”
    • HR assistant named Josephine Laura used the email address estate2018 “@” lycos.com
    • Victim was sent a check for $2950 and asked to deposit it immediately. Then to use money from it to purchase Amazon gift cards and Apple iTunes gift cards, scratch them and send a photo of the numbers to the scammer!
56. Candidate was invited to interview for a job as an Office Admin Assistant /Customer Service Representative/Data Clerk Position with the financial firm IGM FINANCIAL INC.  However, the email came from the address Goldman Sachs <info “@” apploi.com> and the email began with the header “A Note From Goldman Sachs.”  IGM Financial has nothing to do with Goldman Sachs!(March,2019)
    • Reply to address was listed as jamesholson08 “@” gmail.com
    • Candidate was asked to schedule the interview in Google Hangouts with HR Manager Mr. Dennis Fields, who uses the email dennis.fields01 “@” gmail.com.
    • Candidate was asked to use the Verification/Hiring code: “IGM – 8M515”
57. Candidate was invited to interview for a Data Entry job for Intuit Company (Intuit Services.) Candidate given interview code REC0124 by someone named Jennifer E Smith.  For this data entry job the candidate was to receive training on “how to work with the programs.” Candidate was hired and asked for her bank account number, routing number, address, username and password! They claimed to need those details in order to process the first payment.(March 23, 2019)
    • Mrs. Makayla Randy, Hiring Manager for Intuit Company listed her email as intuitcompanyrecruit “@” gmail.com
58. A woman contacted us on March 23, 2019 to say that she found 3 scam jobs posted on Fiverr.com:
    • PSA Corporation LTD. Candidates were asked to contact Mrs. Kimberly Williams, Head of Operations via email recruitingdesk303 “@” gmail.com
    • Solar Trade Association. Candidates were asked to contact Mr. Todd Stegall, Hiring Manager via email hiringmanagerunitdept “@” gmail.com. Scammers asked candidate to use the verification code Solar0988887777
    • Job posting from “Lawrence” for the company Viacom. Candidates were asked to contact Mrs. Bronwyn Sowden, Human Resources Manager via email sowden “@” viacomscareers.com. Scammers asked candidate to use the verification code NN547.  NOTE: viacomscareers.com is NOT the same as viacom.com!
    • UPDATE September 11, 2019: A graphic designer contacted us to say that he received an email from Bob Gast, “Recruiter” using Gmail address reid4d7p “@” gmail.com, claiming to be with Viacom. Bob Gast conducted a chat interview on Google hangouts. The graphic designer said it was an easy and fast hiring process. Her hiring letter came from Evan Rappaport, “HR Director.” Email addresses used by these scammers were Gmail addresses and job@ourjobsnetwork.com.  The domain “ourjobsnetwork.com” was registered on September 7, just a few days before it was used to contact the graphic designer!  Here is a link to the contract sent to her:
      EMPLOYMENT OFFER LETTER viacom scam
59. Candidate was contacted privately through LinkedIn by “Sherill Thomas” in first week of April, 2019 to say that there was a job opening for a Graphic Designer at Game Stop Corporation.  Same Google Hangout basic interview questions.  Hired the next day.(April, 2019)
    • Interviewed by a Juna Jones Moore at a Gmail account.  She told the candidate after being hired they were going to set up accounts at approved vendors for him to pick up equipment.
60. On April 24, 2019 a TDS reader received a text about a job interview. She was texted by 512-829-8873 saying it was “Sarah Middendorf” of a company called Link Group. Sarah Middendorf said she “pulled my resume from handshake” and would like to give her an online interview. Our TDS reader knew immediately it was a scam and didn’t reply.
61. We first heard about these fake jobs on April 30, 2019 from a woman who was asked to interview in Google Hangouts with a woman representing herself as “Susan Hayes” from CapGemini Consulting Services but did not provide us with any additional information.  And then on May 19 a woman who identified herself as “Sherry Morgan” texted a TDS reader from cell phone 248-436-3453. Sherry Morgan  claimed to represent CapGemini and asked the candidate to contact the hiring manager. (April, May, June & July, October 2019)
    • Hiring Manager identified as Audrey Loranger, using email address interview.hrdesk01 “@” gmail.com. The candidate was told to use the interview code ‘ALCCB88’
    • One day after the Google Hangouts interview was over (It was minutes long.) the candidate was offered the job, and instructions as to what to do next. This included getting a check in advance to pay for the office equipment that would shipped.  Her bank told her the check was fraudulent!  Here’s what “Audrey Loranger” said to the candidate:Audrey Loranger writes: Mon, May 20, 7:54 AM
      “The check for your working materials will be mailed out to you
      today/tomorrow. You should be having the check in your mailbox between the next 24-48 hours. I will provide you the FedEx or USPS tracking number for the check once I have it on my deskWhen you receive the check, Head to your Bank Teller and have the check deposited into your account, funds will be made available instantly or next day. Send me a screenshot of the deposit confirmation receipt with your account number hidden for record purposes.When the funds are available for you to make the purchase of the working materials, you will be required to make the payment from the private vendor which is approved and recommended by the company. I will be here to instruct you on how to make the payment from the vendor when the fund is available. We have our reasons for this because the software and office equipment are specified by the company. The vendor will install the software programs into the Mac Book before mailing them out to you. This will help both you and the company to enable you to start your training as soon as possible when you receive the working materials”
    • Another candidate contacted us to say she received an invitation from email hr.officedesk001 “@” gmail.com to interview on Google Hangouts with someone identified as “Connor Robinson” using email officedesk001 “@” gmail.com. Mr. Robinson asked her a few interview questions and she got the job within 2-3 days. He told her that he was going to send a check for the home office equipment that she needed for the data entry/administrative assistant position since this was a work-from-home job earning $25 an hour.  The next day she received a check for $3,980.60. However, the address and company name on the check didn’t even match the company Capgemini. The check said it came from Pacific General Construction, which had nothing to do with the company she was hired for. Also, she told us that Mr. Robinson’s Google profile showed that he is a white American but when the candidate actually called the phone number listed, she claimed that Mr. Robinson had an accent and sounded like an African American. Also, she said he had someone whispering and speaking to him in the background so something felt way off.
      
    • A man contacted us on June 22nd, 2019 to say he was texted by someone named Melissa Cooke.  Ms. Cooke said that his resume had been approved and asked if he was still interested in a work-from-home job for $25/hour.  Melissa Cooke instructed him to download Google hangouts for a job interview, gave him an interview “code” and then instructed him to contact “Audrey Loranger” from Capgemini for the interview. NOTE: Another woman contacted us on June 28, 2019 with this exact same experience.  She was asked 16 “qualifying interview questions” including “What are you most proud of” and “Are you a better planner or implementer.”
    • On June 28, 2019 a woman contacted us to say that she received an email from a Rebecca Samek (rebeccasamek3 “@” gmail.com) who also texted her from 970-715-1132. Then “Rebecca” sent her an email address for her google hangouts interview: sarahfoster4311v “@” gmail.com.
    • A woman told us that someone named “Evelyn Andre” from Capgemini Global Consulting Services, sent her a text on Saturday, July 13, at 8:06 pm (Central Time) about a job opportunity in Data Entry/Administrative Assistant for $20-25/hour.  Evelyn said that she found the woman’s resume on CareerBuilder.com.  Evelyn said she should send a message to Mrs. Maureen in Google Hangout now using the email Hiring.campbell.desk001 “@” gmail.com and then give a verification code for the interview process: ATN_01.  UPDATE 8/22/19: Another woman was contacted by someone from Capgemini Global claiming to be “Evelyn Andrea” saying that the candidate should contact Mr. Marcus Hilbert through his email at officedesk583 “@”gmail.com
    • We were contacted on July 15, 2019 by a woman who said that she received a text from a “Bernita Thompson” (bernitathompson81 “@” gmail.com) via 614-4346615, stating that she should reach out on “Hangouts” for a data entry job interview with “Darlene Banks”  (Darlenebanks01 “@” gmail.com) from the company Capgemini.  After a brief interview in Google Hangouts, she “got the job.”
    • On July 18, 2019 a woman reported that she received texts from both “Alexandra Morgan” (361-371-0530) AND “Larry George” (915-243-0576) saying her resume had been approved and invited to interview with Capgemini for a Data Entry / Administrative Assistant position. Alexandra said it paid $25/hr and Larry said $28/hr.  The victim was told to download Google Hangouts from the App Store or Play store, and then contact Mrs. Donna Watkins through her Google Hangouts Gmail hrdesk.donnarecruiter46 “@” gmail.com.  Victim was given an interview code “CBCP_0201.”  Based on the language “Mrs. Watkins” used in the interview, TDS is reasonably certain she was from Africa, very likely Nigeria.
    • Apparently, the scammers like the name “Morgan” because they’ve used it several times claiming to represent Capgemini.  On July 24, 2019 a woman told us that she was contacted by an agent (from phone number 361-371-0530) who gave the name Alexandra Morgan.  The candidate was supposed to use Google Hangouts to contact the “manger” Jacqueline Henderson, via her email:  cageminihrdesk001 “@” gmail.com.
    • A woman contacted us on July 30 after her 7:30 AM interview with Capgemini HR staff.  She was contacted by Mr. Thomas Ferguson, texting from 209-264-2513 who asked if she wanted to apply for a “data entry/administrative assistance position with a pay of $25 hourly.”  The candidate was asked to contact Mrs. Maureen F. Campbell who uses email address Hiring.campbell.desk001 “@” gmail.com.
    • On October 10 a woman contacted us to say she was invited by someone identified as Konyia Holt from Capgemini and invited to apply for a Data Entry/Administrative Assistant position.  She was asked to interview with Jacobs Daniel via Google Hangouts.  Mr. Daniel used the email address hrmanagerjacobs707 “@” gmail.com.  She was asked to provide the interview code TIHJC-33.
    • On October 23 another woman contacted us to say she was invited to interview for an Administrative position at Capgemini paying $28/hr.  She said the person who interviewed her in Google Hangouts was named Kimberly Lawrence.
    • On November 4, 2019 a woman was contacted via text from 404-947-8508 by someone named “Valliere” about a job as Customer Center Representative/Receptionist for Capgemini.  She was told to contact Mrs. Myrissa Smith in Google Hangout using the email address myrissasmith11 “@” gmail.com.  Mrs. Smith claimed to be the personnel manager at Capgemini.  The woman was interviewed via text over a 90 minute period, given a score of “9 out of 10” and hired!  The woman found THIS ARTICLE and sent the link to the scammers after being hired!
    • On November 8, 2019 a man sent us screenshots of his invitation to interview with Capgemini for a job in Data Entry / Admin Assistant at $25/hr.  The invitation came from Jacqueline Lucas using phone number 347-309-6248.  The man was to contact Mr. Jacobs Daniel in Google Hangout through his email hrmanagerjacobs707 “@” gmail.com and provide the interview code TIHJC-33. This is the same contact information used in October. The man was hired and sent a check to “purchase equipment.”  Also, he was told he would fill out and sign his W-2 form AFTER receiving the check and purchasing the required office equipment.
    • On December 3, 2019 a woman contacted us to say that “Anita Johnson” contacted her from phone number 661-214-7150 to congratulate her for being chosen to interview in Google Hangouts for a position at Capgemini as an Office Assistance/Call Center Position.  Anita Johnson, the “Personnel Manager” was also using email address anitajohnson341@gmail.com, not a Capgemini email account.
62. Candidate was invited to interview with a “Mr Matt Rosenzweig” via Google Hangouts who claims to be a recruiter at Marcus & Millichap, Inc.  The candidate told us that a “nice touch” to the scam was that the person pretending to represent Marcus & Millichap included their logo in the text chat.  Mr. Rosenzweig used a Gmail address and set up his scam by telling the candidate he would receive a check in the mail and was required to use it to make purchases from their “approved vendor.” (May, 2019)
    • Mr. Rosenzweig texted “Enumerated are the list of the office supplies and tools to setup your mini Office and time tracker to calculate your daily hours to be purchased before you can start the job fully. Complete range of office supplies and equipment to set up your home office *Apple MacBook Pro Laptop *All-in one Printer *Card Filing *File Folders* generator and software*Digital Storage *Inks and Ribbons *Surge Protectors and Automated Time Tracker Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch Touch Bar Core i7 2.9GHz, 16GB, 512GB*Wacom Cintiq 22HD Pen Display*All in One Printer *Card Filing *Adobe Creative Cloud *Wacom EODIS3-DCWA Color Manager *Surge Protectors and Automated Time Tracker. Complete softwares programs time tracker to calculate your daily duties. You will receive a payment (check) this payment (check) will be used to set up your mini office by purchasing the office equipment and software so that you can start your training immediately.
      NOTE : All materials are to be purchased from the company accredited vendor, I will provide you with the vendor’s information when you receive the check.”
63. On May 13, 2019 a woman contacted us to report that she was contacted via email by someone claiming to be Kerry Jiang, Business Development Manager/Human Resource Manager at GMP Pharmaceuticals.
    • Interview was set up in Google Hangouts with “Mr. Craig Byrnes Hiring Manager” from GMP Pharmaceuticals via a text from the phone number 424-900-2962.  He used the email address: hr.craigbyrnes “@” gmail.com.  Notice it is a Gmail address!
    • Available Positions: Customer Service, Office Manager, Medical Transcriptionist, Certified Nurse Assistant, Virtual Administrative Assistant,Data Entry and Sales Manager for both full & part-time positions paying $23-$52/hr.
64. On May 14, 2019 a woman was reading this very article about Google Hangout Job scams when she received a text from 650-517-3203 from someone who identified himself as “Mrs. Garfield Holloway” about positions available for “Accounting Clerk,Front Desk,Bookeeper, and many more open positions.” We don’t know the company Garfield Holloway claimed to represent.
    • Candidate was asked to contact Mr. Peter Wendell, the HR Recruiter, to have an interview in Google Hangouts using his email address: peterwendell194 “@” gmail.com
65. Woman was contacted by a man  who claims to be “Vladimir Ilievski” (vladimirilievski8 “@” gmail.com) working for CDC pharmaceuticals. (May 25, 2019)
66. Candidate was contacted by “James White” from Diamond Green Diesel, using the phone number 346-333-1719.  Mr. White said that the candidate’s resume was sent to them by LinkedIn, an obvious lie.  The candidate was asked to contact “Lora Mike” vis Google Hangouts using his email address interviewdesk247 “@” gmail.com.  “Lora Mike” also sent the candidate interview questions via email to expect in the interview.  In that email, the scammer claimed:
    • “This is strictly an online and work from home position,were all duties are performed remotely online” (Notice the misspelling)
    • “You will be responsible for maintaining client/employee records, and distribute copies of compliance documentation to appropriate branch staff based on company approved standardized paper flow.”
67. Candidate spent 2 hours in a Google Hangout interview with someone named Romy Werke from CTF Solar.  “Romy Werke” used the email address romy.ctfsolar “@” gmail.com.  Candidate was told be receiving a check to purchase a required laptop and software. (June, 2019; Updated Aug. 9, 2019)
    • Candidate was contacted via email from “CTF Solar Recruiter” using email mark.esmart2 “@” gmail.com
    • Candidate was told “Our Talent Acquisition Specialist has received, reviewed and approved the resume you posted and you have been shortlisted for an online interview because we believe you meet the desired criteria. The open positions are Phone Representative, Data Entry Representative, Content Marketing Manager, Administrative Assistant, Sales Associate, IT Management and Customer Service/Call Center Representative” and given a reference code of (CTF-6090).
    • On August 9, 2019 a woman informed us that she received an email from a headhunter out-of-the-blue named Fatima, using email: fatimafrank.hr “@” gmail.com.  Fatima told the candidate that a “Paula Ramirez would contact her and she had to go through Google Hangout.  Paula’s email was paularamirez.ctfsolar “@” gmail.com
      She was offered the job at the end of her interview of course but never responded after finding our article.  Then she got a text from Mr. Nathan Ray, Head of HR and wanting to know if she was still interested. His phone number was 205-463-1843.
68. Candidate was contacted when the scammer said he had found the candidate via Ziprecruiter. Candidate was asked to schedule an electronic interview with the Hiring Manager Mr. Kelvin Hasson, representing “BOGDAN COOPERATION” (Misspelled!  It should have been “Corporation”) via Mr. Hasson’s email address: hiredesk011 “@” gmail.com. (June,2019; Aug 21, 2019)
    • Candidate given a sorting code for the interview as “11199003”
    • Candidate was contacted via email from “Mr. Richard Moore” who claimed to be a Human Resources Associate, part of the Ziprecreuiter HR Team.
    • On Aug. 21 a woman informed us that she was invited to interview in Google Hangouts with “Mrs. Patricia Wanders” who used email wandersp928 “@” gmail.com.  Mrs. Wanders explained the meaning of an “online interview” as if to justify that this method is a legitimate interview method.  TRUST US, IT IS NOT!  Mrs. Wanders tells the candidate that the job is a “work-at-home” job paying $30/hr and $19/hr while training. During the interview, one of the questions asked was “In terms of been a Workaholic, if you were an animal, which one would you want to be?” (We’ve recently heard from other victims that they have been asked a similar question.) The candidate was hired after a 30 min. text conversation and Mrs. Wanders stepped away for 3 min. to talk with her boss.  And the fake check’s in the mail!  The victim is told that she should deposit the check into her bank account and the funds will be available in less than 24 hours because “the check is a company’s certified check.” TOTAL BULL!  That check will bounce in 3-5 days!
69. Candidate received an email saying “Dear Potential Applicant, The Hiring Department of Ameriprise Financial Company Services and our recruitment team reviewed your resume Via ziprecruiter.com… Blah, blah, blah.  Email came from “Leo Williams” using a generic Gmail account managerwilliams4 “@” gmail.com. (June, 2019; August 13, 2019)
    • Candidate was asked to add Ms. Ellen Zentner on Google hangouts using her email address: ellenzentner1 “@” gmail.com and use the verification code is CR-5709BI.
    • Woman received a text from 575-404-1685 saying it was “Lauren Greene” from Ameriprise Financial Company on 6/17/19.  “Lauren” found woman’s resume on Ziprecruiter and invited the candidate to interview with Ms. Ellen Zentner on Google hangouts
    • Woman was contacted via text number 706-204-1443 and asked to interview with Mrs. Kelli H. Petruzillo from Ameriprise Financial Company. The interviewer in Google Hangouts asked her 17 questions including “How much training do you think you need to become a productive employee?” and “What’s your sim carrier?”
70. Candidate was contacted through Freelancer.com and asked to interview via SKYPE for the position of a Graphic Designer with Telfort Communications. (In Amsterdam) But the interview was a text-only interview! No video chat.(June, 2019; August 14, 2019)
    • Interview was with a Mrs. Callaghan Austin Dean in Skype chat window. She told the candidate “All we need from you is good work and trust and you will enjoy every moment working with us.”
    • Candidate was sent an email of a fake contract from Sam Anderson, Chief Human Resources Officer for Telfort Communications.
    • Candidate was contacted by Sara Ao Xiaomei (saraaoxiaomei “@” gmail.com) and told to interview in Google Hangout.  Offered the job from fake “Sam Anderson” Chief Human Resources Officer, Telfort Telecommunications Company again on August 14, 2019.  Here is page 1 of the 3 page contract he was sent to be in Accounting:
      
71. Candidate received an email from a man identified as Warren Finegold (warrenfinegold290 “@” gmail.com) who claimed to represent MAGONTEC LIMITED.  She was asked to apply for the position of Administrative Assistant by visiting Google Hangout for an interview.
    • Interview was scheduled with Mark Mcgrath, Department Manager. (markmcgrath273 “@” gmail.com) (June, 2019)
72. A gentleman contacted us to say that he had just finished an interview process in Google Hangout with someone pretending to be the real Vice President of legal and corporate affairs for the Cronos Group, someone named Xiuming Shum. Please note that the emails “from” address was the Cronos group but when the candidate clicked on the address he told us that it was XiumingShum.cronos “@” gmail.com instead.  Here’s the timeline described to us…
    • June 11: received the job description and was told to go on Google hangout. Also, he received the interview questionnaire.
    • June 13: received an email saying he was selected for the position.
    • June 14: received employment agreement letter along with a list of equipment that the candidate would need for his training. The training was for four hours per day for two weeks. The new office would be open in 5 to 10 weeks. During this conversation with the scammers they mentioned sending a check to the candidate so he could pay for the equipment and for his initial training time.
73. A gentleman contacted us on June 18, 2019 to say that he had been invited by CORNELIA RON <hrcornelia.ron “@” gmail.com> of Vifor Pharma Group, a global pharmaceutical company, to interview for the job of “Executive Administrative Assistant.” He was supposed to have this interview in Google Hangouts with someone named Mrs. Connie Tanner (Hrmrsconnietanner “@” gmail.com)
    • On August 22, 2019 a woman told us that she was also invited to interview on Google Hangouts for Vifor Pharma Group by “Mrs. Miranda Trenton” (an HR Member) for a Customer Service Job.   The woman was asked to contact Mrs. Karina Willard, the Hiring Supervisor.  She used the email ViforKarinaWillard “@” gmail.com rather than the real company domain.  The candidate was asked to use the verification code VFG –  213.
    • On July 28,2020 a woman was contacted via a text from 618-619-0829 by someone claiming to be Thomas Lemercier from Vifor Pharma. Mr. Lemercier was extending a job offer (without ever having met or spoken to the candidate) to join their team for one of 12 different positions. Mr. Lemercier asked “Which of the above positions do you think you can handle?” Of course, all were “work from home” jobs. The candidate was asked to install the Telegram app for a text interview. She responded by copying text from this very web page and sending it back to the scammers! She followed with “Unfortunately your scam isn’t going to fly here sweetheart.” She rocked it!
74. Another man contacted us on 6/27/19 to say that he was offered a job as “Customer Service Representative and sent the contract below to sign after going through the Google Hangout interview process with Mrs. Connie Tanner
    
75. On July 6, a woman contacted us about a job offer from Novartis Group, Headquartered in Basil, Switzerland.  About interviewing in Google Hangouts, the scammer says “I would like to apprise you of this approach if this interview conducting method is different to you. We believe the world is always advancing so it is important to stay on top of things since change is inevitable.” He also says “training is going to be done through Seminars online (Webinars) on your PC and phone.”
    • Text message came to candidate (victim) from someone claiming to be Alexander Emerson, a Recruiter at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, using 704-565-7479. Says he found the candidates resume on SnagAJob.com.
    • Interview in Google Hangouts was with someone identified as Roy Schonberg, <RoySchonbert37121 “@” gmail.com> .  He gave job code MER/MIT8.
    • On July 10, 2019 “Roy Schonberg” used the email address hr.jnj17 “@” gmail.com
76. On July 4, scammers claimed to represent IAC Group.
    
    • Candidate was contacted by a man claiming to be Jon Martin <iacgroup.jobs “@” gmail.com> about a possible interview for a Graphic Designer position. Mr. Martin said “After reviewing your Resume on LinkedIn, IAC Group online recruitment team has recommended you for the open position of Graphic Designer and you’re among the candidates shortlisted for an online/chat Interview with a Senior Recruiter at IAC Group.”
    • He was asked to contact Senior Recruiter Kelly Bysouth <kbysouth.iacgroup “@” gmail.com>
77. On July 7, 2019 a TDS reader contacted us to say she had been invited by “Mrs. Daniel Monica” to interview via Google Hangouts for a job with Rose Pharmacy Limited.
    • Interview in Google Hangouts with someone identified as “Travis Gibson.”
    • The candidate told us that she was “hired” and would be getting a check for a sign on bonus and for her to get the supplies she needed to start her work. She then received the check via Fedex, along with a letter stating exactly the same thing Wanda (described at the top of this article) received except for a few name changes. “The check was for $3,150! Who sends that kinda money with a crappy letter included!?!” said the woman who contacted us.  “Travis Gibson” then kept pressuring her to deposit the check quickly and pay for the supplies she needed.
    • UPDATE 4/3/21: a woman reported to us that she had received an offer to interview via Google Hangout or using Telegram app for a job with “ROSE PHARMACY Co., Ltd.” Of course she hadn’t applied to any such job. The interview was to be with Mr. Boris Paul, HR Manager (but he uses a generic email address at Gmail: borispaul2460@gmail.com.) (Telegram link: https://t.me/Borispaul)
78. A person with an email of dorcashinkson6 “@” gmail.com (Dorcas Hinkson) contacted another candidate on July 7, 2019 regarding a freelancing for AKKA Technologies. Candidate went through the interview and became suspicious when he was told that they are “building a facility in my area.” But they wanted him to start to work ASAP and be paid $37.09 per hour.  Like soooo many of these scams, the candidate was asked if he wanted to be paid “weekly or bi-weekly.”  “Dorcas Hinkson” also asked the candidate “Do you have Old parent’s or sick person would be included into your company health and other benefits?”
79. Another candidate contacted us to say that she received an email from rolyncompanies.careers “@” gmail.com.  The person claimed to represent Rolyn Companies, Inc and hiring for a Graphic Design position.
    • Candidate was told that “This interview process is chat based online through Google Hangout. You’re to contact the Senior Recruiter Mrs Valerie Fleming on Google Hangouts (interviewsession.valeriefleming “@” gmail.com) to confirm and acknowledge the receipt of this email and to schedule your interview and confirm your availability.”
80. On July 15, 2019, a candidate received an email after applying for a graphic designer position on Glassdoor.com with a company called Brainstorm Creative LLC. (see below) She thought it was a little strange since it was on a Saturday and a few words were misspelled in the email. (Very unprofessional.) She checked the company’s website and it seemed to be a legitimate marketing agency with a graphic designer position available. She was told she would start her interview with “Kayla Ivey” on Google Hangouts on Monday morning.
    • EMAIL CANDIDATE RECEIVED: “We at Brainstorm Creative LLC receive your Resume for the Position of Graphic Designer posted with “Glassdoor”. Brainstorm Creative LLC are
      in need of your skills. You’re among the Candidates shortlisted for an online chat Interview with Brainstorm Creative LLC Senior Recruiter/Human Resources. This interview will be coming up on Monday 15th by 09:00AM. This interview process is chat based online through Google Hangout. You’re to contact the Senior Recruiter/ HR / project Coordinator Mrs Kayla Ivey on Google Hangouts (recruiter.stormyourmarket “@” gmail.com) to confirm and acknowledge the receipt of this email and to schedule your interview and confirm your availability. The Google Hangout email again for the interview is recruiter.stormyourmarket@gmail.com” NOTICE: The email address contains the domain name for this business “stormyourmarket” but it a generic Gmail address that anyone can create!
81. On July 31, 2019 a graphic designer contacted us to say he received an invitation to apply for the position of “Graphic Designer / Image Designer” with Pendleton Woolen Mills Inc.
    The email came from an odd domain but also contained the VERY REAL domain for this company: interview-hr “@” pendleton-usa.com.  However the REPLY-To address was listed as arhnade “@” gmail.com.
    The candidate was asked to interview in Google Hangouts with an HR person named  “Almarina Bianchi” from the Human Resources Department, Pendleton Woolen Mills Inc.O
82. On August 6, 2019 a woman informs us that she received a text from 254-253-5515 by a woman giving her name as Selena Parker, saying they found her resume on Zillion jobs.  Ms. Parker directed her to either Google Hangouts or Skype text window to meet with the hiring manager, Mrs. Brenda Watkins.  The woman accepted Mrs. Watkins invitation on Skype and over the course of 24 hours answered 10 – 15 questions and then was offered a job as a Project Manager for Sequana Medical at $35/hr for training and $45/hr when she starts working.  The almost-victim told us she “was really worried if the job was real at this point because there was no voice interview. Also, the job description did not line up with a project manager. Then she asked me to email information to the email address of info@sequnamedical.com”  Notice that the company name is spelled wrong!  The victim continued to tell us that she was told she would get a check mailed to her to purchase a set of complete office equipment. The check arrived and was fraudulent.  With the check was this letter, supposedly from “Mr. Alex Morganson” of the “Payment Department.”  The woman was asked to contact Mr. Morganson via ACCOUNT.MANAGER “@” AOL.com.
    
    • On October 11, 2019 a woman contacted us to say that she was invited to apply for a job with Sequana Medical through Skype text window for a job as either an Administrative Assistant, Project Manager, Operation Specialist or Customer Service Rep.  These were “online work from home” jobs.  She was to interview with Hiring Manager Mrs. Brenda Watkins who used the email/Skype ID brendawatkins660 “@” gmail.com.
    • On October 14, 2019 a man told us that he was also invited to interview with Brenda Watkins.  He had been contacted via text by someone named Gloria Stevens using phone number: (661) 228-6235.  He asked if Ms. Watkins had a LinkedIn account and was told no.
    • A man contacted us on November 14, 2019 to report that he had been invited into a text interview by a woman named Bianca Larry.  Ms, Larry then said she would be transferring the man to their Hiring Manager, Mrs. Brenda Watkins, who then contacted him via Skype. However, rather than a video chat interview, Brenda Watkins had text only interview in Skype with the candidate.  After being told that he would be paid to purchase equipment needed for his job, he started asking for them to call him directly or to change to a visual Skype interview but Mrs. Watkins declined.
83. A graphic designer from the Caribbean contacted us on August 6, 2019 to say he found a job offered on Craigslist by a company that pretended to be Aramco Overseas Company. After submitting his portfolio and resume, he was contacted 5 days later by Sarah Paskiewicz info “@” aramcooverseas.biz. This domain, aramcooverseas.biz, was registered on July 27, 2019 and is not the real company domain of aramcooverseas.com!  Sarah Paskiewicz told the candidate to contact Alan Soffer on Google Hangouts through email alansoffer12 “@” gmail.com to schedule his interview and confirm availability. After getting “hired” he was told that they would send him a check to pay for the delivery of office equipment including:
    Apple Mac Book Pro Laptop .       File Cabinets
    Copiers                                               File Folders
    Card Filing Systems                        Graphics generator and software
    Inks and Ribbons                             Surge protectors and more….
84. On August 23, 2019 we hear from a woman who received the following invitation from someone identified as Peter George (interviewdeskbakermckenzie66 “@” gmail.com) to apply for a job at Baker McKenzie Law Firm.  The woman was asked to contact Michael Jaffe in Google Hangouts through the bogus email address bakermckenziemj “@” gmail.com.
    Dear Applicant,
    Congratulations!!! Your Application/Resume for the job position of Data Executive Assistant, Payroll Clerk, Administrative Assistant, Customer Service, Data Entry, Call Center,IT Specialist, Medical Biller/Coding, Bookkeeper. has been advertised online, received, reviewed and was forwarded to the Head of Human Resource ( Mr. Michael Jaffe ) at Baker McKenzie. He would be conducting an online interview with you to discuss the Job Details.This is strictly online and works from home job, the working hours are flexible and you can choose a perfect time schedule that will fit your daily routine. payment is $40.00 per hour and $20.00 per hour during training. You will receive payment either weekly or bi-weekly via direct deposit or paycheck.
85. September 5, 2019: A woman contacted us about an interview she had in Google Hangouts with someone claiming to represent the company Nord Stream.
    • Interviewer claimed to be Mr. Mark Heinrich, “Hiring Member” from Nord Stream. Mark Heinrich used the phone number 832-447-2125.
    • Mr. Mark Heinrich listed many job openings including “Typist Clerk” and “Front Desk”
    • Job was offered at $32/hr and $27.50/hr during training
    • “Mark Heinrich” says to the candidate…. “Well I have to say that I am very impressed with your answers and I am 90% confident that you will be confirmed qualified for this position” (TDS has heard this from other victims of this scam!)
86. On September 10, 2019 we heard from a man who received an email invitation to interview for a job with Sykes Enterprises, (a multinational company based in Florida) via Google Hangouts:
    • Candidate was invited to apply for any of these jobs: “Accounting /Customer Service Rep / Data Entry / Payroll / Clerical Admin / Administrative Clerk/ Medical Billing/ Grow/ Trimming/ Manufacturing/ BudTender&Dispensary, Delivery Driver/ Delivery Services and Management (Full Time/ Part Time)”
    • Candidate was asked to contact Mr. Donald Anny via google Hangout Talk through the following email address: sykesenterprisescompany “@” gmail.com
    • Candidate was “hired” quickly and then received an email from Kenneth Gary from Sykes Enterprises:GREETINGS
      We’ve planned your first days to help you settle in properly. You can find more details in the enclosed agenda. As you will see, you’ll have plenty of time to read and complete your employment paperwork (MR. Donald Anny) will be there to help you during this process!) You will also meet with your hiring manager to discuss your first steps. For your first week, we have also planned a few training sessions to give you a better understanding of our company and operations. Our team is excited to meet you and look forward to introducing themselves to you during [planned event/ lunchtime]. Welcome to the Sykes Enterprises Company.
      Best Regards,
      Kenneth Gary
      SYKES ENTERPRISES
    • The “hired” candidate soon after received a Fedex fake check for $3,950 to buy office equipment from “approved vendors.”
87. A woman had a text interview with someone named Mr. Lucas Malcom, claiming to be the HR Manager for Georgia-Pacific.  The candidate was asked to provide verification code “HRP90131” for her interview.  Mr. Malcom claimed that a check could not be Fedexed to the newly hired candidate but had to be deposited electronically.  This is dangerous to do with these criminals!
88. We were contacted by a woman who said she received a text from somone named “Kurl Jenkins.” Kurl invited the woman to download Google Hangouts and interview for the position of Front Desk Receptionist/ Administrative Assistant.  They claimed to have found her information through Indeed.com.   The interview was with a person who claimed to be Ms. Annie Fowler of Sound Physicians of Massachusetts. “Ms. Annie Fowler” asked her whether or not she had a credit card and what bank it was with.  The scammers used the following email addresses and phone number:
    recruitmentoffice@post.cz (an email address in Czech Republic)
    hireteamdesk@gmail.com
    773-349-2384
    The woman invited for the interview knew it was a scam and contacted the REAL Annie Fowler of Sound Physicians to inform her that her information was being misused!
89. On October 1, 2019 we were contacted by two people who had both been invited to interview in Google Hangouts to work at Rodan & Fields LLC as Graphic Designers.  One of the interviewers used the name Paige Gruemmer and the email address rodan-fields1-jobs “@” m.personio.de (which is through a server in Germany).  The other person was offered the job through the email address Rodan & Fields, LLC Employment <job@ourjobsnetwork.com> and received an “Employment Offer Letter” from HR Director, Bryan Wayda.  A check was now in the mail to him!
90. We heard from a graphic designer on October 3, 2019.  She was contacted via Indeed.com by someone who impersonated the real Vice President of Sachse Construction Company, Ron Henry, using the email address: sachseconstruction.company “@” gmail.com.  The criminal even copied a job that is listed on the real Sachse Construction Company website!  According to our source, the scammer took that real job information to post a fake advertisement at Indeed.com.  The criminal arranged an interview with the graphic designer on Google Hangout by pretending to be “Joe Miller” and the email: recruiter.office.company “@” gmail.com.
91. A woman contacted us on October 7, 2019 to say she was interviewed in Google Hangouts by Emily Burruano, Assistant Project Manager at P & C Construction Inc. for a job as a “Virtual Assistant.”  This project manager used the email address pcconstruction.interview “@” gmail.com rather than an email from the real company.  The victim had received an email from someone identified as Mike Davis <pcconstruction.job “@” gmail.com>.
92. P-I-C-W-E-L-L.com (without dashes) contacted us to say that several people have notified them of getting fake invitations for to interview via Google Hangouts for jobs with this company. Positions included Data Entry, Customer Service Rep and Administrative Specialist positions.  Contact names included “James Doyle” “Adam Doyle” “Shara Phares” and “Suprina Whitworth.”  Those interviewed were offered jobs and sent a “Letter of Employment” that they had to sign.
93. A woman was contacted by text and asked to interview for a company out of Washington called MD Metrics. She was asked to contact Lisa Brandenberg on her Gmail account (lisacarebranenburg “@” gmail.com) and add her to Google hangouts. Then she was told to contact Chad McAvoy, (chaduniquemcavoy “@” gmail.com)  who was supposed to be her trainer. The interview lasted 30 minutes, she was hired and two days later she received a check for $4950 from these scammers.
94. On October 21, 2019 a woman told us she was invited by a “recruiter” named Mr. William Walker to interview for the company called Wearable Technologies for positions as Administrative assistant / Data entry clerk / Payroll at Wearables-Technologies. Different than any other scam yet mentioned in this article, the candidate was invited to interview through the text chat software formerly called Glip.com with a man named Mr. Greg Varner, HR Manager at Wearable Technologies.
    • On February 4, 2020, a woman told us that she was invited to interview with someone named Christopher on Google Hangouts using the email hiringdesk.wearables@gmail.com. Christopher claimed to work at Wearable Technologies. The woman was quickly hired and told to expect a check through the USPS to pay for equipment she needed for her job.  UPDATE on May 20, 2021: A woman told us she saw a post on Facebook for a data entry job from home. The post was sent by a woman named CAROLYN FERGUSON. When the woman reached out to get information she was invited for an interview through Google hangouts. She told us the conversation with the hiring manager, named Mr. Peter Duking, was exactly the same as the ones posted in this article. The company he claimed to represent was Wearable Technologies (Wearable-Technologies), but he used a generic Gmail address: Wearabletechnology.inc@gmail.com
95. A gentleman informed us that he was invited to interview in Google Hangouts for the Canadian company known as CGI Inc.  The victim told us that “the company” was supposed to be sending him a check via mail and he was to keep $150 as a signing bonus and send the other money to a “vendor” who will provide the equipment and software that he needs for this online job.  This happened on October 23, 2019.
96. On October 30, 2019 a woman sent us the complete text chat in which she was offered the position of a graphic designer for Burley Foods by someone identifying himself as  Micheal Lasater using micheallasater “@” gmail.com and also careermgtcenter “@” gmail.com.  The scammer told the graphic designer “Before you resume work, you will be financially mobilized with a certain amount (in check), and this mobilization fee will solely be used to set up your mini office by purchasing all of the needed office equipment and accounting software, as soon as you receive this payment, then you start.  NOTE: All the necessary equipment are to be purchased from the company’s accredited vendor whose information will be provided to you as soon as the mobilization fee is allotted and check delivered to you.”
97. On Friday, November 8, 2019 we heard from a woman who was hired for a job as Administrative Assistant / Data Entry after an interview in Google Hangouts for the company Brambles Limited.  She had received a text on Wednesday 11/6/19 from the phone number: +1 410-618-3238 and a man using the name Mr. Arnald Barney. Mr. Barney directed her to Google hangout for an interview with Darren Chorey, the hiring manager at Brambles.  Mr. Chorey used the email: drnchorey@gmail.com. She was asked a series of questions via text and then hired on the spot. On November 7 she reported to this same person via google hangout, was asked more questions and then told a check will be sent out via FedEx to her the next day. It was a US Bank cashier’s check. She was told to immediately deposit it and then purchase equipment through their approved vendor.  The check will bounce in about 5 days!
    • On November 27, 2019 we heard from a woman who was “hired” by Brambles Limited after they found her resume on Freelancer.com.  She interviewed with someone named “Nick Smith” through the text app Telegram.  A day after being hired she received a fake check for $3850 to pay for office supplies through their “approved vendor.”
    • A candidate was asked to contact a Mr. Robinson, who used email address smithrob4199@gmail.com in Google Hangout for a job interview on February 4, 2010. She was provided with the interview code C350-2149. She had been contacted by someone claiming to be Peter Doyle from Brambles Limited. Asked to interview for a Customer Services Rep job.
    • UPDATE March 18, 2021: a gentleman contacted us to report that he had an interview in Google Hangouts with Mr. Donald P. Hart for a job with Brambles Limited, and realized it was a scam. Donald Hart’s email is mr.donaldphart60@gmail.com and he claimed to be the “Online Hiring Manager” for Brambles. Mr. Hart claimed to be looking to fill a postion for someone to update “client information in computer system Running and processing multiple documents utilizing Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access Inputting purchase orders.” The victim was given an “interview score” of 78% and hired at $25/hour! He was told he would receive a check to pay for office equipment from their vendor. SCAM! Mr. Hart told the victim “Once you receive the check you are needed to have it deposited to your bank account via the TELLER , ATM or your BANK MOBILE APP ,Then the funds will be will be credited and available in your account for cash out the next day morning..You are to deduct $150 as your sign up bonus and use the rest to purchase all your important software’s and working materials from the trusted Vendor whom we have been buying from for years now ..Understood ?”
98. A woman contacted us on November 8, 2019 to say she received an invitation via text to interview in Google Hangout for AGL Energy of Australia.  She was contacted by Mr. Dale Kryuff, Head of Operations at AGL Energy from a Florida area code phone number 904-385-0267.  He said he found her resume on Indeed.  She said she spent 3 hours in the text interview with someone named Shari Lona.  Then she was offered a contract to sign by a woman named Kirsten Mcguire using a generic email address kirstenmag205@gmail.com.
99. On November 18, 2019 a man sent us all the text messages he collected from his Google Hangout interview with someone identified as Douglas W. Stotlar, Recruiter at Rally House for a “work from home” job.  Mr. Stotlar said “Rally House are recruiting via online potential employees who would eventually have an office space at home
    Note that the company will be setting up a Mini office for you at home if you are hired at the end of this interview, for proper calculation of your hour.”  Of course, the man was offered the job and told that he would receive a check.  He was asked to email his information to Career dept : job@ourjobsnetwork.com.  Instead he sent the scammers a link to this article! NOTE: ourjobsnetwork.com is a domain used by Nigerian Scammers running this scam!  This domain was registered in September, 2019.
100. A man contacted us on November 21, 2019 to say he was sent an email from Susan Ruff of Human Resources, using email address Susan <susan.ruffwear1@gmail.com>, and invited to interview for a job with Temenos Group.  He was asked to meet hiring manager Mr. Mark Winterburn (temenosgroup.mark@gmail.com)for the job interview in Google Hangouts or Skype text and provide the verification code CAN-739.
     UDATED 12/17/19: Yesterday a man contacted us to say he had been interviewed in Google Hangouts by the Hiring Manager named “Paige Walker” from Temenos Group. He was hired of course and is being sent a check, that he won’t deposit.  Paige Walker used email address hr.paigewalker1994@gmail.com.  He was also contacted by someone named Emeralda Lopez.  Initial contacts came from these phone numbers: (646) 751-7921 and (605) 277-1383. UPDATED 6/17/20: A man told us of being invited to text interview using the Telegraph App for a job with Temenos Group as an Administrative Assistant. UPDATE JANUARTY 26, 2021: Today a woman received a random eamil from Orlando Drivas (orlandodrivasisr30@gmail.com) and invited to apply for a job at TEMENOS Limited by scheduling an interview with Mr. Barry West, using the TELEGRAM MESSAGING App. (https://t.me/Barywest ) She was given the verification code: TEM-1759BQ, to serve as her identification number throughout the online hiring process. That’s so bogus and these scammers give these stupid codes all the time!
101. On November 22, 2019 we were contacted by a man who received an invitation from email account americansonlinejobs@yahoo.com and claiming to be Human Resources for Rite Aid Corporation.  These criminals offered a phone number to call: 661-407-2085.  A Google search shows that phone number tied to a new website called OurWorldHealthCare[.]com.  It was registered just 44 days earlier, on October 9 and has already been “repossessed” by GoDaddy because it was fraudulent!  The email also contained the email address humanresources@riteaidcorp.us and referred to the website riteaidcorp[.]us.  This website was also registered very recently, 54 days ago on October 1, 2019.  The REAL Rite Aid website is riteaid.com.  The man was invited to a Google Hangout chat to meet with Mrs. Kelsey Robinson, the Executive Talent Acquisition Recruiter/Manager for Rite Aid Corp.  Mrs. Robinson used the email address employmentcontactonline2@gmail.com. On May 11, 2020 a woman told us of the same scam. She was asked to contact a Hiring Manager named Mrs. Andrea Coleman, who used email address employmentofficecontact1@gmail.com.
102. On November 25, 2019 a woman contacted us to say that she had an interview with “WorkWave LLC” via Google Hangouts for an Administrative Assistant position and they hired her almost immediately!  Then they mentioned a list of all the things she needed to buy for her “work from home office”: Macbook pro, HP printer, headset, etc. They said they would send her a check to purchase those items through their vendors.  She became suspicious when they asked her if her bank allows her to make a check deposit via ATM and who she banks with. The names and email addresses they used  were Jaime Garra (recruiter.workwave@gmail.com) and Kelly Gliatta (careers.workwave@gmail.com)  Jaime Garra conducted the interview.
103. A man contacted us on November 26, 2019 to say he received a message from Cameron Stewart from Valero Corporation, via phone number 707-244-6311.  Mr. Stewart was offering a remote job for their company and asked him to interview in Google Hangouts.  Mr. Steward ignored the man’s questions and refused his request for a phone call which, as he says, “is very rare coming from HR.” The Gmail address was juliarendonreinhartdesk@gmail.com.
104. On December 1, 2019 someone named “Marisca Breeuwer” sent an email to a woman about a job as interpreter for Pharma Match, a company based in the Netherlands.  The recipient of the email was suspicious because it was an invitation to interview in Google Hangouts.  The sender had used the following email: admin@pharmamatch.com <admin@pharmamatch.company.com>. NOTICE that the email appears to come from pharmamatch.com but that is a. trick often used by scammers!  The real email address is within the <> brackets.  This email came from “company.com” which is a free email service that anyone can use!  The recipient was invited to an interview with Mr. Alexander Conner, who was using a generic Gmail address alexanderconnor.hrcoordinator@gmail.com.
     • On February 7, 2020 a woman told us she was invited to interview for a position as an interpreter with Mr Alexander Connor (Hiring Coordinator) of PHARMA MATCH.  He told her he would be conducting an online interview.  The original invitation came via an employment letter signed by Marisca Breeuwer, Director Human Resources.  She was offered the job and then sent a check for $2,350 which she deposited.  She was then asked to buy ten EBay gift cards in the amount of $100 each. These were to be used with an “authorized vendor” under the name of Grace Phillips, in New York, USA.
105.  On December 4, 2019 a woman received an email from someone identified as “Anthony Scandroli” with an invitation to interview for a job as a Graphic Designer from home.  Though no company name was given, the woman was asked to contact “Mrs. Julie Neibarger” for an online interview in via Google Hangout through her email address: interview.office.interview@gmail.com 
106. A man contacted us on December 5, 2019 to say that he had found a really good job posting on SimplyHired.com on December 3 for a remote job with Dupont Corporation. Within hours he receive an email from a man named Erin, claiming to be the Talent Acquisition Recruiter at Dupont.  (There REALLY is such a person and he can be found via his LinkedIn account.) . Erin instructed the man to connect with Senior Recruiter Ms. Paula [name redacted] in Google Hangouts.  (There is a REAL Senior Recruiter named Paula at Dupont and her information is also on LinkedIn.) These scammers also stole Paula’s LinkedIn photo to use in their Google Hangout scam interview.  The fake Paula sent an email to the man from talentacquisition@dupontus.com.  NOTICE that DuPont’s URL is dupont.com but this domain is dupontus.com. A WHOIS look up of this look-alike domain shows that it was registered on December 1, just 4 days before the man received this scam invitation!  UPDATE February 1, 2021: A man told us that he received an email invitation to apply for a job with DuPont. But the email came from Steven Larrabee using a generic Gmail address: larrabeedupont0@gmail.com. Mr. Steven Larrabee was identified as the Head of Operations. His personal meeting ID number and email are 1-302-440-2590, larrabeedupont0@gmail.com. The interview was to be through texting using the Telegram app.
107. Krones Inc. is a German packaging and bottling manufacturer. A man contacted us on December 10, 2019 to say that he found a job on Upwork.com for a Data Entry position with Krones. He replied to the job post and was contacted by someone named Vincent Eric.  Mr. Eric invited him to an interview in Google Hangouts with the hiring manager of Upwork named David Hunter and using his email sirdavidhunter@gmail.com. For the interview, the man was told to provide the interview code: Krones AG-T4018.
     • On February 15, 2020, a man saw a job posted for Krones, Inc of Germany by a woman who called herself “Shelby Enokawa” through a Hawaiian Swap Meet Facebook page. The man was asked to contact someone identified as Alex Mclain in Google Hangouts, and give him the interview “code HR3482.” He claimed to be the hiring manager. “Alex” gave the man a link to the real Krones website and information from it. The candidate was told that this was a “work from home” job and he was asked where he did his banking and what credit card he used. He was hired after answering just three questions about himself! After describing the fake salary and benefits, “Alex Mclain” asked the candidate for his banking information, including the name on the bank account, the account number and routing number, the type of account and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, the username and password to the bank account! Sadly, the candidate provided all of that information. The scammer “Alex” and his buddies then attempted to immediately request a password change to the bank account and asked the candidate to give Alex the code that was texted by the bank to his phone! That’s when the candidate became suspicious and asked to speak to Alex by voice over the phone. Alex asked him to wait and that he would be getting a call from the Head of the Department. While the candidate waited, he searched Google about this type of interview and found this article! (THANKFULLY!). By the way, back in the Facebook chat group “Shelby Enokawa” reached out to the candidate again to ask if he got the job. She also said that it is OK to give the HR person his banking information, saying “You have nothing to worry about. I was also skeptical the first day I got the job.” THAT IS A LIE! “Shelby” is one of the scammers!
108. Also on December 10, 2019 another man contacted us to say that he had an interview with someone from State Farm in Google Hangouts.  He was quickly hired and sent a check which he knew to be fake because of the names used on the check.  The name was “Alex Morganson,” a name we have listed in this article in Job #82 above for Sequana Medical.  The man was told that the check would cover equipment and software and he was to deduct his sign-on bonus from it after depositing it. The check was from Frost bank.
109. We were contacted on December 17, 2019 by a woman who received a text from someone named Nicole Mitchell, phone number (612) 268-6074, asking her to download the Google Hangouts app and send an invitation to Susan Lambert through email address susanlam546878@gmail.com. She said they were from the company United Aqua Group, and provided the link to the legitimate company’s website.  They found her on Indeed.com.
110. A man contacted us on December 19, 2019 to say that he was invited to a Google Hangout interview for a job with Stem Cell Technologies (Stemcell Technologies).  He was to interview with Catherine Venot who used the email address centermgnt@gmail.com. The email supposedly came from Wayne Boissicat at Stemcell Technologies.
     
111. A woman contacted us on December 20, to say she was hired for a data entry postion with m-Power Solutions after an interview with Michael Bower in Google Hangouts.  She was sent a check for $2200.  Michael Bower’s email came from a newly registered domain m-powersolutions[.]net, not m-powersolutions.com. Michael Bower texted the woman on Christmas day to make sure she had deposited the check! He texted from both 909-488-0289 and 336-347-4350. She was also instructed to print the check, sent via email, and deposit it via her mobile app.
112. On December 24 a woman forwarded an email she received from Nicole Mitchell from ResMed Company, a medical equipment company.  She was invited to apply for a data entry job by interviewing with Mr.Haley Chastity (mrshaleychastity@gmail.com) in Google Hangouts. She was told to use Job ID TBA7652473JSXG.
113. On December 30, 2019 we heard from a woman who quickly realized her invitation to apply for a data entry job for Realize Health from someone identified as Michael Williams was a scam.  The woman was asked to invite “Mrs. Danielle Figueroa” on Gmail Hangouts and she was given a Job ID code.  Mrs. Figueroa, who used the email address mrsdaniellefigueroa@gmail.com, claimed to be the personal manage for Realize Healthcare, Inc.  Once the woman was certain this was a scam interview, she sent “Mrs. Figueroa” a link to THIS ARTICLE and asked what she thought of it.  Mrs. Figueroa hung up on the chat!
114. We were contacted on January 11, 2020 by the boyfriend of a woman who was hired after a 23 minute text interview in Google Hangouts. The woman received a text from Mr. Chris Dunn of Finsbury Growth & Incomce Trust, PLC – a UK Company.  (Telephone number 410-803-5525) Mr. Dunn asked her to interview with the Hiring Manager, named Mrs. Gracie Taylor who used email address graciedesk@gmail.com.  She was to interview for a Customer Service / Data Entry position. Of course, Gracie Taylor was putting a check in the mail to pay for office equipment she would need at home.
115. A Graphic Designer job was posted and claimed to represent Regions Hospital of St. Paul, Minnesota. Tyler Schmidtz emailed the candidate on January 13, 2020 from a gmail address instead of a Regions Hospital email address and told him he was to schedule a Google Hangout meeting ASAP with their Senior Corporate Recruiter– Christopher Maeng (who also used a gmail address: maengchristopher@gmail.com). The candidate was hired almost immediately! But this candidate was savvy enough to suspect a scam. He told Mr. Maeng to call him on the phone to talk to prove that this wasn’t a scam interview. No one called!
116. On January 15, 2020, a woman received an email from George Hayer (georgehayer770@gmail.com) and claiming to represent the company McPhy Energy to say “Our Talent Acquisition Consultant has received, reviewed and approved the resume you posted on breezy.hr (Indeed Partner), and you have been shortlisted for an online interview because we believe you meet the desired criteria. The open positions are Data Entry Representative, Content Marketing Manager, Administrative Assistant, Sales Associate, IT Manager, and Customer Service/Call Center Representative. Following the newest online screening introduced by The Bureau of Human Resources, you are required to set up a Gmail account via gmail.com to contact Pierre Lombard, one of the Hiring Managers, via Google Hangouts by adding up his profile. His personal Gmail account is pierre.mcphyenergy@gmail.com, which can be used to identify him ASAP for the online interview and comprehensive job details. Another Google Hangout job scam!
117. A woman contacted us on. January 26, 2020 to say she received an invitation to interview for a job with Johnson Controls.  The email came from Frederick Frost, billerfrost007@gmail.com.  The candidate was asked to set-up a Telegram Messenger account. (Download the app through telegram.org.) She was directed to IM (Instant Message) Mr. Gray Anderson the Hiring Manager on this ID (hiringdesk900) or (@hiringdesk900) for the briefing/interview and comprehensive job details.
118. On March 17, 2020 a job candiate received a text from 480-704-4057 from someone claiming to be Pam Guzzetta from BRYNE GROUP LIMITED. The candidate was invited to interview for an Administrative Assistant position through the texting app “Telegram Messenger App.”

119. A graphic designer was notified on January 30, 2020 via email that a job application he submitted via ZipRecruiter for a position at Dairy Queen/Orange Julius was accepted. The email came from HR DIRECTOR “James Dean” who used the bogus email address “orangejulius@ourjobsnetwork.com.” The man told us “the first red flag is that Orange Julius is a subsidiary of Dairy Queen, so why would I be notified by a human resource team from a subsidiary instead of the Dairy Queen corporate headquarters? Secondly, the position was listed as being for a local DQ, which would be owned by a franchisee, so again, why would corporate be contacting me? The gmail address and Google Hangouts all added to my suspicion. I went through with the entire interview process and was instantly hired. I received an ‘official” offer letter very quickly.” This man had his online interview via Google Hangouts with “Senior Corporate HR Manager Sean Douglas” who used the email address thadcqrl@gmail.com.
120. On January 31, 2020, a candidate received a random text that asked her to contact a Mrs. Harvey, via lesliehdesk@outlook.com about an interview in Google Hangout for a position as an office manager. When she contacted “Mrs. Harvey” she was asked to use the email harveydesk@gmail.com in Google Hangouts. The candidate was savvy enough to look up the phone number that had texted her and discovered that it was registered to an Attorney in Phoeniz, Arizona. It had been spoofed by these criminals. We don’t know what company this scam job interview pretended to represent.
121. A woman informed us that she was invited into a Google Hangout interview with a man named “Isaiah Robert” on February 3, 2020. He claimed to represent the company Georgia Pacific (though we don’t know which of the many companies called Georgia Pacific he claimed to represent.). He did say “GP operates on a global landscape with 40,000 employees in 66 worldwide locations delivering localized solutions.” The woman was told that GP was soon to open a branch “in your location” which explained why they were looking to hire 16 new employees “in her location.” After a 62 minute chat she was hired and offered a pay of $22.12 per hour. The scammer — Isaiah Robert — asked the woman if she will deposit a check directly into her bank account via a smartphone app. THIS IS A RED FLAG! It gives the victim the impression that the check will clear quickly and this is not true! The scammer told her “you are to deduct the $150.00 as your sign on bonus and the rest of the funds in your account will be for the purchase of your working softwares.” The woman was told to be back on Google Hangouts the next morning at 8 am to meet Mr. Robert again. However, the woman knew this was a scam during the ENTIRE INTERVIEW because she had found our article about these scams. Look what happened the next afternoon when “Isaiah Robert” contacted her…
     — Isaiah Robert – 2:06 PM “You were asked to message me back here Ms Deborah and you didn’t?? I tried to reach you but no replies from you either”
     — Job Candidate – 2:07 PM “Come on dude, it’s a scam. Our entire conversation can be found online from other people that have had this done.”
     — Isaiah Robert – 2:07 PM “That’s funny What made you think it’s a scam..??”
     — Job Candidate – 2:09 PM “Give me a minute, I’ll show you.
     — Isaiah Robert – 2:09 PM “Yeah I’d be glad”
     — Job Candidate – 2:13 PM [SHE PASTES AND SENDS 3 PARAGRAPHS OF THIS ARTICLE ABOUT WANDA AND SENDS IT TO THIS SCAMMER ALONG WITH A LINK TO THE ARTICLE!]
     — Isaiah Robert – 2:16 PM The scammer replied with…
     
     Isaiah Robert then blocked the candidate on Google Hangouts!
122. On April 8, 2020 a gentleman contacted us to say he had completed an interview in Google Hangouts with someone identifying himself as “David Curtis” of Residentail Healthcare Group for a work at home job in Data Entry.  Of course he was hired and immediately sent a check via Fedex. After they sent the check, they wanted him to deposit it right away and then transfer most of the funds via Zelle to their vendor. BIG RED FLAG!  Mr. Curtis didn’t use a business email, he used the Gmail address residentialboxofficial411 @ gmail.com
123. A gentleman contacted us on April 16, 2020 to say that he had been contacted via text message (410-803-5525 – this number has been used in 2 other fake jobs, #114 and #177) by a “Recruiter from BGL Group Limited” by someone identifying himself as Mr Partin Hector From (BGL Group Limited ).  He was invited to interview in Google Hangouts with someone the “Head of Operations Manager, Mrs Gracie Taylor for one of these jobs…. “Management,Data Entry Clerk, Customer Service Representatives Position.” Mrs. Gracie Taylor’s Email Address was a generic Gmail: secondaryoffice02@gmail.com, The man was also told that “the Interview is strictly done via Instant messaging (IM) only.”
124. We were informed by a woman on April 22, 2020 that she had been “hired” to work for WIPRO Limited  for a Data Entry/Admin Assistant position and Customer Service position, with a pay of $25 per hour after being interviewed in Google Hangouts on April 17.  She was first interviewed by a Kimberly Simpson (hrkimberlysimpson@gmail.com) until Kimberly’s internet access messed up.  She was then told to interview with Brianna J. Smith  (msbriannaj.smith@gmail.com).  The woman was hired and sent a check for $3200 to deposit and use HER REAL $$ to pay for work-related things from “their approved vendor.”  She was also getting texts from “Brianna” asking about the check deposit from the number 334-401-4660.
125. On April 23, 2020 a woman informed us that she was contacted about a job regarding a graphic design position for Oracle Corporation. They said they wanted to pay her for training and start her very soon. She interviewed via Google Hangouts texts with someone identified as TIM Fugger (email: rudoloh0d@gmail.com) “Recruiter at Oracle.” The scammers used a bogus domain for their email that they have used for these scams in the past. It was “ourjobsnetwork.com.” They asked the candidate to send her personal information to “Oracle@ourjobsnetwork.com” but they also gave the candidate an email address in Germany: oracle-corporation-jobs@m.personio.de. (“.de” = 2-letter country code for Deutschland = German). Neither email is THE SAME as an email to oracle.com! The candidate was asked to visit an “Oracle” website to answer her interview questions. But this website was on the free service called Wix: oraclecorp.wixsite.com/website. We immediately reported this fraudulent site to Wix and they took it down a few hours later. Below is a screenshot of the top part of it this fake website. Fortunately, the candidate saw through this fraud and asked the interviewer if she could visit him in Nigeria! The “oracle” interviewer “TIM Fugger” didn’t like hearing that!
     .    
126. On April 25, 2020 a man informed us he was contacted via text from someone who identified himself as Mr. James Daches from Manildra Group Agribusiness of Australia. The phone number was 702-848-3974. And then on April 28, 2020 another man was invited to interview with someone identified as John Fortner via texting on the Telegraph app. Mr. Fortner claimed to represent The Manildra Group out of Australia but used a Gmail address: hrmfortner014@gmail.com. The man was offered the job as an Administrative Assistant/Data Entry for the Manildra Group.
127. On April 14, 2020 a man informed us that he had interviewed for a job with WeAreFetch.com via text and was offered a job.  The scammer was impersonating Octavio Maron, and used the email address: deons0gf @ gmail.com
128. On May 15 a woman named Stefflon Morris posed as an employee of CGG Passion for Geoscience. She hired a freelance designer and sent her a bogus check for $ 1,000.  It bounced of course.  The check was supposedly to pay for materials to work with.  She was interviewed through the Telegram texting app.
129. On May 14 a woman submitted her resume for a job at SurvWest, posted on LinkedIn.  She got a response from someone claiming to be Vicky Hill from Smart Recruiters.  She was told to use the Telegram app to contact Karen-Smith-Pomeroy, because she had been selected to interview with Infigen Energy.  She then received an offer letter from Mrs. Margaret Robertson@gmail.com and sent a check.  With our help, this woman fooled the scammers into thinking there was an issue with the check.  She tricked the scammers into clicking a tracking link multiple times, showing that these criminals are located in Nigeria….
     Nigerian scammers are still using the legitimate company Infigen in their scams as of June 24, 2020.  The scammers pretended to be Mr. Mark Chellew, the “Independent Non-Executive Director” of Infigen Energy and attempted to hire a man who reported the scam to us. He was hired as an “Operations Manager” and sent an offer letter from Ross Rolfe AO <roosinfigen.energyhire@zohomail.com>. Notice that this is not an email address at Infigen.com!
130. In late May, 2020 a woman received a message from “Rebecca” regarding a Customer Service Rep/ Administrative Assistant/Data Entry Clerk position with Cintas Technologies. She then had a text interview with a Mr. Johnson Walker, the BOGUS Hiring Manager of Cintas-technologies. After going through the interview and getting hired, the woman was told she would be sent a check to pay for items the company said she needed. The woman surprised the scammers with this reply… “This is a scam. This is how you work. You want me to get a fake check, buy stuff from a fake website that will filter my money back to you and the check will never clear my bank because it is fake. No company would have me buy a desk, chair, and bookcase. Who even uses a typewriter in today’s world anyway?” UPDATE: On August 11 a woman contacted us about a scam job interview with someone identified as Alice Thompson about the job offer for Cintas. On August 13 we were contacted by two more people who was invited to a scam interview with Cintas.  Someone named Gray Anderson claimed to be the Personnel Manager for Cintas and he asked the candidate to use the Telgram App for a text interview. Another TDS reader received a text from 520-412-6943 inviting her to download and set up the Telegram texting app to have an interview with someone named Arielle Gilbert. https://t.me/ArielleGilbert
     Arielle Gilbert claimed to be the personnel manager for Cintas Company. On Aug. 13 another candidate told us she received a text to interview with Gray Anderson through the Telegram app: https://t.me/Andersongray01 for a job as a Customer Service Representative.  The text came from: 704-994-5109. Again, On August 27, a woman received a random text from 662-262-8249 saying it was from someone at Cintas Company. The woman was being invited to apply for a Customer Service Representative/Data Entry Clerk job Position with starting pay at $22.00 per hour. She was asked to download and setup the Telegram app and send a message to Arielle Gilbert (ID https://t.me/ArielleGilbert ) for the interview and job details. Then on October 5 we heard from a woman who was inited to interview using the Telegram app with a Hiring Manager named Khristy Allison. UPDATE: On November 5, a woman was contacted by two people who claimed to represent Cintas Company: Emile Taylor (Emiletaylor12@gmail.com) and Dana Rowland (Dana.Rowland12@gmail.com) Notice that BOTH are using generic Gmail addresses, not a real work address from Cintas.com.
     Each had invited the woman for a 2-hour interview using texting only via the Telegram App with someone who called himself “Mr. William Richie” the Personnel Manager from Cintas Company. The woman was told that the postion was for “general clerical duties” that would pay $28/hour. Of course, she was hired! And then realized it was a scam after Mr. Richie was unable to send her email from the real domain at cintas.com. UPDATE: On April 27, 2021 a woman contacted us about a bogus interview she had through the Telegram app with someone identified as Kathy Turner, the Personnel Manager from Cintas Company. The pay was to be $22/hour. However, the woman stopped the interview in its tracks after the scammer asked her to provide her social security number! The scammer told her that she had to provide it in order to proceed with the interview process. The woman contacted the real Cintas company employment office and they informed here there have been lots of people reporting these scams and they would never conduct an interview this way!
131. On May 29, 2020 a gentleman informed us that he was hired through a text exchange via the Telegram App by Mr. Mark Chellew, to work for Infigen Energy company of Australia to work as an “Operations Manager.”  The man was sent a large check for $4,621″ and asked to deposit it for “software needed for the job.”  The man was also sent an “Offer Letter” by someone simply identified as “Stanley” from the email address stanley.infigenenergy @ zohomail.com.
132. Also in late May, 2020 a woman said she was hired by David Curtis from Residential Healthcare Group, who used the generic email address residentialhealthofficial411 @ gmail.com.  Again, on July 9, 2020 a woman received an invitation via email to interview with Mr. David Curtis. Mr. Curtis claimed to be the Hiring Manager for Residential HealthCrare Group, but used the email address “residentialhiringoffice @ Gmail.com.” He hired the woman as a data entry clerk after just a short text interview in Google Hangouts and told her he was sending her a check for office equipment. UPDATE February 2, 2021:  A woman was invited for a job interview with Mr. Jeffrey Spencer, Chief Human Resource Officer with Residential Healthcare Group. The email invitation came from someone named Mirna Garcia. A variety of skills were listed as needed for the job, including “verbal communication.” That’s important! The woman was told to set up an account with the Telegram app for a text-based interview. The phone number given for Mr. Jeffrey Spencer was 919-937-2805.

133. On June 17, 2020 a woman contacted us to say that she received an invitation to interview for a position with TTEC Company, an outsourcing company based in California. The woman was asked to meet the “hiring specialist” named Gigi Jones in Google Hangouts. The email Gigi Jones used was a generic Gmail address: opportunitiesttecs@gmail.com. After being hired, she was asked to buy a $150 Steam gift card to cover software that needed to be installed on a MacBook they said they would send her. Of course, she didn’t do that and Ms. Jones wanted to transfer her to the supervisor, named Mr. Stanley. Instead, she contacted the real TTEC company directly and they said they don’t do interviews on hangouts! UPDATE: On May 11, a man told us he was hired after a quick text interview with Chief Information Security Officer Paul (Kip) James for a compan called TTEC Holdings, a technology company. But then the scammer later referred to himself as Mr. Patrick Paul, who held the position Chief Information Officer.
134. Also, on June 17, 2020 a man told us he was invited to interview in Google Hangout for an Administrative Assistant job with Deloitte Limited, a multinational professional services network. The man said the intervier used the same script that we provided at the top of this article. UPDATE: On August 13, 202 another candidate was contacted via email by Mrs. Oprah Elliot (of Human Resources) and told to contact and set up an interview in Google Hangouts with Harry Roberts, the Hiring Manager of Deloitte LLP, for the position of Data Entry/ Administrative Assistant position. Harry Roberts email was given as hrdeskharryroberts@gmail.com. The candidate was hired and told he would receive a check to purchase the following equipment from a vendor with the check he receives: Apple Laptop, Laser Printer, Laminating machine, Fellowes Micro-shred Confetti-cut paper shredder and a Jabra GN9120 Flex Boom Headset.
135. A woman informed us on June 25, 2020 that she received an email from Mary Padden <recruit1@recruitmenterdesk.com> inviting her to apply for a Work from Home Virtual Administrative Assistant position for the technology company called Intrinium. All she had to do was connect with Mr. Christopher Prescott, the company Hiring Manager though text via his Google hangouts user ID: mrchristopherprescott@gmail.com. The woman realized it was a scam and confirmed it by contacting the real HR Department at Intrinium. They told her there was no such position and neither Mary Padden, nor Christopher Prescott worked for their company. Notice that neither Mary nor Christopher used an email address at intrinium.com!  Also, the domain recruitmenterdesk.com was used in job scam #53 above for Baptist Health.  On July 9, 2020 two more women contacted us about this fake job interview. One woman received an email from someone named “Suzanne Reed” (info7@recruitmenterdesk.com) inviting her to interview for a “Work from home Virtual Administrative Assistant position” at $30/hour but didn’t mention the company or business. When the woman replied, she was invited to interview in Google Hangouts with Mr. Christopher Prescott, a hiring manager with LeoGenic Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., a growing pharmaceutical company but using the email address mrchristopherprescott@gmail.com.  The other woman was contacted by someone identified as Kari Fox and another woman named Mindy Chanda who used the email info4@recruitmenterdesk.com. Minday invited also invited this woman for an interview with Mr. Christopher Prescott, a hiring manager with LeoGenic Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. UPDATE: On July 30, 2020 a woman told us that she had been contacted by Mary Paddan (recruit1@recruitmenterdesk.com). Mary Paddan had invited the candidate to interview in Google Hangouts with Mr. Christopher Workman, but the company was not named. The job position was a Work From Home Data Entry Clerk position.
136. A TDS Reader contacted us on June 24. She had been contacted by someone pretending to be HR for APPEN LIMITED, a technology company located in Australia. The recipient was asked to download/install the Telegram app to use in a text interview for a Full time /Part Time Administrative Assistant/ Data Entry/ Customer Service Position at APPEN. The interview was supposed to be via text with HR Manager Mrs. Kate Maloney (Mobile number +1 631 315 9447) or through her Telegram User ID on the Telegram app: @APPENLIMITED.  UPDATE:  On November 17, a woman told us she was invited to interview with Nicholas Quintanilla, Human Resource Manager (HRM), for Appen Global using Google Hangout. The email address for Nicholas Quintanilla was given as HRManagerNicholas468@gmail.com. During the interview Mr. Quintanilla asked the woman for the following banking information so they could track that funds get deposited into her account: Account name, Account number, Routing Number and her Username and password! UPDATE March 21, 2022: On March 21, 2022 a woman contacted us to say that she was invited to apply for an online interview “briefing exercise” with Mr. Bruce Hovers, Hiring Manager for Appen Limited. (+1 681-208-5487) Mr. Hovers would be conducting his online interview the Telegram App to discuss the Job Details, Descriptions, Pay Scale and Benefits, etc. Of course, the woman was hired. However, when Bruce Hovers wanted the woman to use her banking app to deposit funds for office equipment she asked why Appen could not just purchase and ship the equipment to her. His answer was that he wanted her to establish a trust and show her dedication to her new job! Huge red flag! She told him her app wasn’t working and to send the funds another way, so he emailed her a photoshopped check. The bogus check was for $1950 and the woman’s first name and last initial on it! Not her full name. The check came from the email Accounting@appenltd.com and another email containing her job offer and contract came from appenltd@hr.com. However, the REAL domain for Appen Limited is appen.com! 
137. On June 30, 2020 a woman received an invitation email to interview with Mr. James Paul from Adecco Group for an Administrative Assistant/Customer Service position working from home for $35/hr. The scammers wanted her to conduct the interview online via Telegram Messenger app (text interview) with Mr. Rob James using the Telegram account ID: Robjamesdesk12. UPDATE: EXACTLY like Scam job #14 above, on December 12, 2020, a man received a text from 786-667-4223 saying “Greetings…., The name of the company is Adecco Group…..I’m Mr Harry George from “Adecco Group.” Our recruitment team has received your application sent to us and We are extremely pleased with your listed qualifications CUSTOMER SERVICE REP/ DATA ENTRY CLERK $28 hourly and would like to conduct an online interview, Let me know if you are interested.”
138. We were contacted on July 2, 2020 by someone who went through a Google Hangout interview with a Ms. Vanessa Thompson who claimed to be the HR Manager for Western Health Advantage, headquartered in Sacramento, CA.  The “victim” knew it was a scam all along and played with the scammer!  It was brilliantly executed!  “Vanessa Thompson” was stupid enough to use the same phone number, 661-407-2085, that was used in job scam #101 above!  Just a few days later, on July 5, 2020, a man had an online text interview for a job wtih the company Western Health Advantage. He interviewed with a Ms. Vanessa Thompson who used the email address hrjobscenter@gmail.com. “Vanessa” used the same scam phone number: 661-407-2085.
139. On July 6, 2020 a woman had an interview in Google Hangouts with a woman identified as Rebecca Gonzalez for a position at Marriott International Inc. UPDATE 12/9/2020: On December 9, 2020 a man informed us that he received an invitation to interview for a job with Marriott International Hotels. But the email didn’t come from the legitimate Marriott domain (marriott.com). The email came from a scammer’s look-alike domain… marriottinnc.com.  This scam domain was registered anonymously in May, 2019. The email came from a Mr. Joshua Anderson (using the email: MARRIOTT INT’L INC <hiring @ marriottinnc.com>). Mr. Anderson asked the man to interview in Google Hangouts by contacting Ms. Becky Talbott.
140. On July 9, 2020 a woman was contacted about a job with Business Accountability Coach and invited to interview with someone named Mrs. Kimberly Jonathan,  hiring manager. But Kimberly used the generic email address: kimberly.bacrecruit@gmail.com and said she would send a check to the candidate in advance.
141. A woman contacted us on July 10th to report a scam job interview through the Telegram app for a company identified as Aprio Accounting based in Atlanta, Georgia.  The original interview invitation came from “Patrick George” via email hrdepartment@privyonline.net. lt asked her to download the Telegram app, and use it to contact Hiring Manager Micheal Coleman for the text-based interview.
142. On July 17, a woman received an email invitation from “Doblin recruiting department <doblin@email.com>” to interview for a position as Accounting Assistant for Doblin Innovation. The interview was text-based using the Telegram app. Notice that the email address was not from Doblin.com! The candidate was informed in the email that she will be meeting with the Recruiting Manager Mr. Albert Gaines. And on August 10, 2020 a woman told us she was invited to interview for Doblin Inc. but the email came from: “Doblin Inc.” peter.kinchley@dublin.com for a Home Based Data Entry Clerk position. NOTICE THE EMAIL WAS SENT FROM Dublin.com, NOT Doblin.com! The candidate was told to meet with Peter Kinchley, Hiring Manager at Doblin Inc. on Telegram app, using ID: @DoblinHR.  She was also told to contact Mr. Matthew Redmond, Hiring Manager, for her job interview and job briefing.
143. On July 18, a young woman contacted us to say that she received a text from “Lakeisha Stallings” via +1 (306) 800-0170, to schedule a job interview, via text on Skype, with the New Jersey company named Conduent, Inc. The person conducting the interview was called “Martin Fick.” He had the “Conduent INC” logo as his picture. (Conduent INC was used for a fake job interview back in May, 2019.) UPDATE: On November 1, 2020 a woman received a message from someone named Caroline Colie, representing the company Conduent, Inc. Ms. Colie informed the woman that she was being invited to apply for one of many possible postions including Data Entry, Receptionist, Customer Service, Sales, Administrative Assistant and more. The woman was asked to download and install Skype for the interview but NOT for a video chat. The interview was only in the text field! After a brief interview she was hired and 3 days later she received a check for $4,950. But the check had the name of a different business on it! It was Novum Structures, LLC in Wisonsin, Not from Conduent, Inc. based in New Jersey. Along with the check was a letter from Mr. John Bartens of the company’s payment department. Mr. Bartens was asking the woman to email him immediately after depositing that check. His email address was through a free email service at “accountant.com.” This is not a legitimate business domain or a domain associated with Conduent. The email address used was: johnbartens922@accountant.com.
144. On July 19, a woman told us that she recieved an email from Jennifer Layman (info1@recruitmenterdesk.com) to inverview for a job as a “Remote Work From Home Virtual Assistant.” She was asked to contact Mr. Christopher Workman, the company Hiring Manager, through his Google hangouts user ID: mrchristopherworkman@gmail.com. No company name was given! Four days later, on July 23, another woman contacted us to say she also received an invitation, this time from “Mary Padden,” through scam email address recruit1@recruitmenterdesk.com, to inverview for the same fake job by contacting Mr. Christopher Workman.  WARNING: AVOID ALL JOB INTERVIEWS THAT COME FROM “recruitmenterdesk.com”. IT IS A SCAMMER’S DOMAIN!
145. On July 24, 2020 a man received a text message from “Natalya” from Komodo Health, Inc. She found the candidate’s resume on Indeed.com and invited him to apply for a “Data Entry Clark position” (Spelled exactly as you see it here!) by inviting “Mrs. Lamella Keller” into Google Hangouts for a text interview. Mrs. Keller’s email address was kellerrlimella@gmail.com. The candidate was to use the “Job ID” WOA7694JSXF.  And then again, on September 12, another woman told us that she was contacted by William from Komodo Health Inc. via a text from 276-579-1516, who said that resume has been reviewed and she “made it to the NEXT STEP for the job opening for Data Entry Position.” She was asked to invite Mrs. Hannah Mortimer on Gmail Hangout using the email: hannahmortimerr@gmail.com. The phone number 276-579-1516 is a Google number from Virginia.
146. On August 10, 2020 a man received an invitation to interview for Akili Interactive, located in Boston, MA. The job interview was through Google Hangouts with Mr. Charles Cornel and a woman named Renee (who used the email address: mrsamandarenee@gmail.com ). The job was for a n Administrative Assistant position.
147. On August 18, we heard from a TDS reader who received 2 emails moments apart from a German HR company email address: nbcuniversal-media-jobs@m.personio.de. The emails both said he had been selected for an interview in Google Hangout for a Graphic Designer postion with NBC Universal Media, LLC. The recipient was asked to contact the Senior Recruiter Nicole Wallace on Google Hangouts via her email: hossananarul69@gmail.com. Neither the sender’s email address in Germany or the generic Gmail address of the “Senior Recruiter” is legitimate!
148. On August 20, 2020, a young woman got a random text from 872-208-0702 and identifying her by name.  The person texting went on to say that she was Mrs. Christina Harbor from Walker’s Food Products.  Mrs. Harbor was inviting the young woman to interview with their Interview Manager (via text only in Google Hangouts) for a position as either an Executive Assistant, Data Analyst, or Office Assistant.  The young woman googled job interviews like that and found our article!
149. On August 18, 2020 a dad shared with us several job scams that targeted his daughter. In one she was hired as an Administrative Assistant for Trinity Pharmaceuticals after a brief Google hangout interview. She was sent a check in advance for $3,150 to pay for needed office equipment. The letter of instruction accompanying it came from Steve Jonas through his email address Steve.jonas@accountant.com. (Accountant[.]com is a FREE email service! You can read more about scam emails coming from that domain in this article at IATA.org.) The letter confirming her employment came from David Seaman, Talent Acquisition Specialist for Trinity Pharmaceuticals through his email account at GMAIL, NOT Trinity Pharmaceuticals! davidseamanqqo@gmail.com. Oh yeah, as a “new employee,” she was given a $100 signing bonus! Of course, the check was fraudulent and came from a business identified as the Zurich American Insurance Company from Schaunberg, Illinois. Other scam names and emails used in this scam include Christopher Jeffers (hrng.desk.jeffers@gmail.com) and Hiring Manager Mr. Phillip Horsefall (hr.desk.horsefall@gmail.com).
150. Another email to the daughter mentioned above in #149 came on August 17 from Richard Ferguson (fergusongoerage@gmail.com). Mr. Ferguson invited the young lady to interview via “instant messaging on hangout” by contacting Mrs. Elizabeth Keith (elizabethkeith321@gmail.com). the Research & Recruitment officer for GRAPHCORE, a semiconductor company. Notice that none of these email addresses are for the company they claim to represent!
151. On August 26, a woman received a text from 412-227-3319 by a man who identified himself as Mr. Paul Stones, from Lanxess Corporation. He had reviewed the woman’s resume and wanted her to interview for an Administrative/Data Entry position through a text interview.
152. And once again, on August 29, the woman mentioned above in job #151 received another text, this time from 901-646-7098. The person identified himself as Mr. Jace Morgan from Grifols Healthcare. Mr. Morgan invited the woman to interview with a personnel manager named Jaden Powell, telling her that the current pandemic is the reason why this would be a text-based interview using the Telegram app, Google Hangout or Skype. The woman didn’t fall for this BS!  UPDATE: On September 20, 2020 another woman sent us the complete text interview she had with Jaden Powell of Grifols Healthcare for a position as a Customer Service representative.  Mr. Powell claimed to be “a certified Public accountant and a certified management accountant” in addition to the “Hiring member of Grifols Healthcare.” He very commonly tells victims to indicate “DONE” after a question has been answered properly!  He told the victim that she will “receive a Payment for the purchase of your working materials, the company’s accounting dept will issue the check and will have it sent to the address you have just provided through Fed Ex or U.S.mail.”  He also said “You will be provided with the tracking information to monitor and report online as soon as you confirm receipt of the check for further instructions. Also, you will be deducting the sum of $200 from the check that you will be receiving, that will be for you as a sign-on bonus as required by the company’s policy, since period of establishment .. All we need from you is good work and trust, you will enjoy every moment working with us.”  THAT CHECK IS FRAUDULENT!
     UPDATE March 23, 2021: a woman informed us that she had a text-based interview with a man identified as Austin Collins who claimed he could only do a text interview, not video with the woman. Mr. Collins claimed to be a Hiring Manager for Grifols Healthcare.
153. On August 29, a woman told us that she also received a random text at 7 pm on a Saturday night from “Albert” (631-296-1639) inviting her to interview for an “Administrative Assistant working from home” position for Stelexis Therapeutics. The timing seemed very odd, as did the request to meet the interviewer in Google Hangouts. He was using the email address: ralthea.interviewdeskhr@gmail.com
154. On August 31, a different woman received an email from Mr. Lambert Chiang of “SMA TECHNOLOGY <smatechnology9@gmail.com>” inviting her to interview for a “home based” job with T-SYSTEM INC that paid $3,500 monthly. To interview, she was required to set up a Skype account, Google Hangout, WhatsAPP or Telegram account. She could connect with the interviewer through any of these options: Mr. James Richard on Skype, SKYPE ID is (company.tsystem@gmail.com) or Mr. James Richard on google hangouts at (company.tsystem@gmail.com) or Mr. James Richard on WhatsApp with this number (+15512223042) or Mr. James Richard on Telegram ID is (@James_TSystem01 or +19014418461). Notice that the email addresses are not for a real company. They are just Gmail addresses that anyone can create!
     UPDATE March 5, 2021: a woman informed us that she received an email from “Gray Anderson” (gray.hr.anderson@gmail.com) who invited her to interview for an “Employment Opportunity With T-Systems International Company.” She was told to download the telegram app for a text-only interview by contacting Mr.David Gilliam via Telegram Messenger on this number (+1 (732) 931-2747) or through his telegram username (@HRDESK011).
155. On September 3, a gentleman informed us that he was contacted by Dickson Johnson, the marketing director of Pfizer Inc, Germany branch, but using the email address dicksonjjohn1@gmail.com instead of Pfizer.com. The scammer, pretending to be Mr. Dickson Johnson, said he needed a representative who will receive payments for supplies from customers in “your country,” and to resend the money to them in Germany. Mr. Dickson asked to communicate via text through WhatsApp!
156. On September 7, a woman received an invitation from Zhelko Genev, HR Officer of Neilson Holding Plc, to interview for a Data Entry Clerk position at Nielsen Holdings plc. She was asked to download and use the Telegram App to connect with “Associate Director of Talent Kris Smitas” (https://t.me/neilsonholdings_hr). HOWEVER, the email didn’t come from the real company Nielson.com. It came from recruitment@nielsen.com. N-I-E-L-S-E-N.com
157. On September 8, a woman informed us that she had just completed a text interview using the Telegram App with someone named Marissa Wong and also Rose Hayes, both from Qualcomm Inc. Rose Hayes was supposedly the HR Manager and her contact was RoseHayes20 in Telegram. This woman had received the interview invitation via email from Jannifer Soto using a generic Gmail account: janetcoel900@gmail.com. The job was for a Data Entry position. Benefits included Health, Dental and Vision plans, a retirement fund, Health Club Membership up to $50/month and even tuition assistance, and more! How nice! It’s still a scam!
158. On September 20 a woman was contacted by someone named Chakira Archie and invited to apply for a job using the Telegram App. The interview was via text, with someone identified as Vivian Ramirez, Hiring Manager for Aramark. The real Aramark Corporation provides food service, facilities and uniform services to hospitals, universities, school districts, stadiums and other businesses around the world. This interview, however, was with a scammer.  UPDATE: On September 24 a woman told us she had an interview with someone identified as Jeff Sibson, Hiring Manager of Aramark. He conducted the interview via Telegram App and told the victim that this enabled him to assess her typing skills.  She was hired and was asked to provide the username AND password to her Paypal account so money could be sent to her. Of course, she said she would not provide her password! However, after “hiring” her, Jeff Sibson said he had transferred $2500 to her Paypal account and needed her to purchase equipment from their approved vendor with the money immediately.  Thankfully, she became suspicious and found this article! UPDATE: On January 6, 2020 a woman told us she received a text from 737-227-5458 informing her of a possible job opportunity with Aramark. A woman identified as Samantha Burns told her to get the Telegram app for a text interview. She was told to contact Marybrown19, the Human Resources manager, on the app. As with many of these jobs, the victim was told that Aramark offered great benefits: Health, Dental, Life and AD&D Insurance, Employee Wellness and 401k plans. Even Paid Time Off and Holidays with “Generous Company Discounts” including gas mileage for “company errands” and paying internet bills.
159. On October 12, 2020 a woman told us she received an invitation to interview in Google Hangouts for a job in “Customer Service/Sales Representative” with SITEL of Las Vegas. The invitation came via email from Lake Williams (lakewilliams.hrmanager@gmail.com). The was asked to interview with HR Manager named “Mr. Linda Richard” (linka.hrmanager@gmail.com). UPDATE December 10, 2020: On December 10, a man informed us that his wife received a job offer via text from SITEL Group. Two days later she received a check via Fedex for the amount of $3,400.00 to purchase “startup office equipment/supplies.” She was instructed to deposit the check in her bank account through her ATM. (NO DOUBT this was meant to prevent a sharp bank employee from seeing that the check is fraudulent!) After doing so, she got suspicious and contacted the bank that the check was drawn against. The very next morning, the person who “hired” the woman contacted her to request a payment via Zelle for the supplies! Here are links to the Sitel-scam-Job-Offer offered to the woman and Sitel Check Instructions for depositing the check. You’ll notice that the instructions include a generic Gmail address, not an email that points to SITEL Group!  UPDATE January 18, 2021: A woman told us she was invited to interview with SITEL GROUP for the postions: CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE, CALL CENTER REPRESENTATIVE, DATA ENTRY SPECIALIST, (Full Time/Part Time).  The interview was to be held in Google Hangouts with Mr. Harry Wesley (online1.harrywesleyhr@gmail.com). This invitation came from SITEL HR DEPT (online1.peterhoward@gmail.com) UPDATE May 3, 2021: A man received an email from the SITEL HR DEPT telling him his resume was approved for an interview with SITEL. But the email game from a generic Gmail account: online1.elizabethwellshrdept@gmail.com. The invitation was to interview with HR/interview manager, Mr.Anthony Donald, (+1 208-598-8946, t.me/anthonydonaldhr ) but using the Telegram App only!
160. On October 15, a man told us that he received a text from a Mrs. Kate Clark Wilson from 862-243-9720. She claimed to be from Pharm-Olam, LLC and invited the man to interview with HR Manager Donald J Holt in Google Hangouts.  The man was offered a job, sent a check, and asked to transfer a larger portion of it to a Zelle account.  He got suspicious and called the Corporate office of Pharm-Olam, LLC in Texas and was told it was a scam.
161. On October 15, a man told us he was invited to interview in Google Hangouts for a position with Comcast that he learned about by a woman on Facebook named Viola Rosales. Her account posted the job 3 times on her feed.  (We suspect her account was hacked and a scammer posted the job while pretending to be her.)  The Google Hangouts marketer identified himself in the interview as John Ennis representing Comcast. He even showed the man a manufactured Comcast ID!  The scam post on Facebook:
     
     UPDATE: On April 20, 2021 a woman reported having a text-based interview for a job at Comcast LLC with someone who claimed to be the Hiring Manager named Brian Rogers.  UPDATE: On August 12, 2021 a man informed us that he received a scam job interview for Comcast Cable TV via Facebook Instant Messenger. The bogus job was for a data entry position in a local facebook Buy/Sell/Trade group. The woman who posted it told people to use Google Hangouts to “speak to the hiring manager immediately” for a “text interview.” The email listed in the Facebook group is info.comcasthiring.llc @ gmail.com. The email clearly shows that this is a hiring scam due because a Comcast manager would use a Comcast email! The hiring manager’s name was “Jane Ferguson.”
162. On October 19, a man contacted us to say he found a job posted on Upwork for a position with Epson, Inc as a virtual assistant. He was selected for a chat interview using the Telegram app. The email contact used by the scammers was epson@workmail.com and not their own website domain, epson.com. The man had his job interview with someone who identified herself as Ms. Michele Hoff, the Hiring Manager for Epson, and using the Telegram ID “@michelehoff.”
163. On October 28, 2020 a woman told us that she had applied to a job posting on LinkedIn on about Oct. 21 that seemed legitimate. Six days later, on October 27 she received an email from someone who identified himself at Mr. James Griffith, the COO of El Camino Health. Mr. Giffith asked the woman to contact Vineeta Hiranandani to schedule an interview in Google Hangouts. Rather than use email addresses from El Camino Health, both of these fraudsters used generic gmail addresses: career.elcaminohealth@gmail.com, vineeta.elcaminohealthhiring@gmail.com. Vineeta Hiranandani also texted the woman from the phone number (716) 317-1866.
164. On October 30, 2020 a woman was contacted by someone identifying himself as Mr. Patrick James via text from (917) 737 3539 and asked to reply to his email patrickjames.hiringoffice@gmail.com. Patrick James was inviting her to interview with Mr. Julius Martin, the Hiring Manager, for a position with Golden Key Contracting Construction. It was for an online position and her interview was in Google Hangouts. She was invited to choose from an assortment of jobs that were open, like Data Entry Clerk, Administrative Assistant and Receptionist. Sound familiar?
165. On November 2, 2020 a woman told us she completed a text interview with Mr. John Harrison, Recruiting Manager with HOCHTIEF Company for one of a variety of jobs including Data Entry Clerk, Administrative Assistant and Receptionist. Mr. Harrison claimed that the job was “online and work from home” and paid $35/hour. Mr. Harrison had used the email address dxinterviewdesk@gmail.com and texted her from 424-274-5981.  He hired her after a 28 minute text interview! Fortunately, she didn’t fall for the scam.
166. A woman contacted us on November 4, 2020 to say she was invited by Dominiguez Edwardson at healthcareperfectionbbc@gmail.com to use Google hangout to chat with Mr. Anderson Ivanova at Mr.Anderson.Ivanova@gmail.com on Monday, November 2 regarding the position of Data Entry Clerk. Mr. Anderson Ivanova claimed to be the Hiring Manager with Hetero Healthcare, despite the fact that Mr. Dominguez Edwardson’s email was “Healthcare Perfection BBC” at Gmail.com. (There actually is a health care business called Health Care Perfection BCC, not BBC!). Mr. Anderson Ivanova was also using a generic Gmail account: mr.andersenivanova@gmail.com. The next day the woman received an email from Mrs. Stephanie Branton – info.heterohealthcare@gmail.com with a PDF of the employment agreement. The woman was asked to sign the agreement and fax it back to Stephanie Branton fax 855-844-9792 but she didn’t because she figured it out that this was a scam!

167. CapitaLand Limited is a real estate company in Singapore. On November 22, 2020 a gentleman informed us that he was contacted by a Thomas Campbell (302-583-3544) inviting him to interview for a job at CapitaLand Limited in Google Hangouts. He interviewed with Mr. David George (Hiring Manager) davidgeorge9970@gmail.com. The man didn’t fall for this scam and, in fact, emailed the company in Singapore to ask them if they had any employees by these names and they responded ‘No’. UPDATE 2/3/22: A woman received an email the personal Gmail address “Administrative department <onlinedesk6651@gmail.com>” claiming to represent CapitaLand Limited. She was invited to interview with Mr. Donald Colburn for one of many different openings, using ONLY text in Skype, Telegram app, or Wire Messenger app (@DonaldColburnCL).  The interview also included Mrs. Carmen Meadows. The woman was hired but then told that she had to purchase the software needed and would be reimbursed. That’s when she knew it was a scam interview!
168. On November 29, 2020 a man informed us that he was contacted by someone identified as Mr. Tim Adams (tim@flintstonetops.com) and invited to interview for a job with a Mrs. Cassandra Robinson, a Hiring Manager via Telegram Messenger. (Her profile is cassandrarobinson970 and her email was a generic Gmail: cassandrarobinson970@gmail.com). Cassandra Robinson claimed to represent a worldwide engineering company called ENDECO SPA and claimed to interview the man for a position as Administrative Assistant/Data Entry. Cassandra Robinson also apologized for conducting the interview via a texting app by saying “Before we commence with the job briefing and interview, i would like to apprise to you that we are sorry about our unseemly approach if this interview conducting method is unprofessional to you or if you are new to all this, but i believe the world is always advancing so it is important to stay on top of things as change is inevitable.” DON’T FALL FOR THIS EXCUSE! LEGITIMATE COMPANIES DO NOT CONDUCT INTERVIEWS VIA TEXT ONLY! It didn’t take long for the man to get “hired” but by then he knew it was a scam! UPDATE 12/8/20: A man forwarded an email to us from Stephanie Anderson <stephanie.endecospa @ gmail.com>.  Stephanie Anderson invited him to an Endeco Spa interview via Telegram app with a Mr. Morgan Washington II; one of the Hiring Managers ( @Morgan_Endecospa ). His “corporate” Telegram link was given as https://t.me/Morgan_Endecospa  Then, in mid-December a woman was invited to interview for a job opportunity (Administrative Assistant or Data Entry or Customer Service) with EndecoSPA, headquartered in Italy. The invitation came from Donnie Martin (martin.endecospa@zohomail.com) She was asked to speak to Mr. Morgan Washington II, via Telegraph App (@Morgan_Endecospa) ( https://t.me/Morgan_Endecospa ). Mr. Washington actually refused to FaceTime with her. Mr. Washington kept asking the woman to send a $50 iTunes Gift Card to the personal email Address (melvin.endecospa@zohomail.com) and that her “office equipment” would be arriving in 2 days. Pay for her bogus stay-at-home job was offered at $30/hr. Then, later that afternoon, she received a text from Mr. Jonathan Williams, Call Center Rep @ Endeco Spa via phone number (917) 268-2207. The woman told him she knew this was a scam and Mr. Williams “got mouthy” with her, calling her obscenities! YOU GO GIRL!
169. On November 25, 2020, a woman contacted us about a scam job interview using the Telegram app. A woman identified as Lillian Grey said she was with the company TalkDesk. Lillian first contacted the victim by phone number 720-800-0921 to schedule the interview. Lillian Grey then set up an interview, via the Telegram app, with Mr. Brian Douglas (the hiring manager). The victim told us she got more suspicious when she asked to speak to someone and schedule a phone call but Mr. Douglas told her there was no need. Mr. Douglas hired her and said he would send her a check via Fed Ex. Brian Douglas used the Gmail address: payroll.sykes @ gmail.com.
170. On December 14, a man informed us that he wasted scammers time and was proud of it! He was contacted via email by Dennis Wilson representing DisperSOL Technologies. The email thanked him for applying for the job of Administrative Assistant, but he told us he had never seen an ad for the company, much less applied for it. The man was instructed to download the Telegram App for a text interview with Nicholas Allen (@NicholasAllen) (https://t.me/NicholasAllen) . The man said the interview was “definitely off.” After apparently checking with their bosses they offered him the job with ZERO references. After questioning this as a legit offer, there was 2 hours of silence. Then they told him they would be sending a check so he could buy his “working materials.”
171. In mid-December, 2020 a man told us that he received an invitation via Facebook to apply for a Data Entry postion with Luxoft, a technology company. He was asked to schedule a text interview with Mr. Christopher Bowers through the WhatsApp app by contacting the phone number 323-843-0693. Mr. Christopher Bowers was described as the “company online hiring manager.”
172. On December 28, 2020 a man contacted us to say he received an email from CAMBREX Corporation. But the email came from the generic Gmail account hr.pharmavite101@gmail.com from someone named David Wierner (Administrative assistant). Mr. Wierner said he found the man’s resume on www.careerbuilder.com. The man was instructed to contact Ryanne Hardie (Hiring Manager) at hr.cambrex.ryanne2@gmail.com using Google Hangouts.  The man told us that after being asked “a whole mess of generic interview questions, and requesting 2 references, they got back to me in less than an hour and said I was hired. They then requested my email and home address to send a check for office equipment and a $100 sign-up bonus.”
173. On January 2, 2020 a woman informed us that she received an invitation through Freelancer.com chat feature to interview for a job. The contact came from Terry8174 via text phone number 832-639-5480. Terry Adams claimed to be with AA Recycling and Conservation Management LTD in Memphis TN. This person sent her several messages telling her that she was being considered for a job and to log in to Google Hangouts. But the person at the other end of the invite was named Norma Oliver. The woman was then hired for $300 week for 30 hours and that she could only communicate via Hangout, no phone calls or emails. The scammer also told her that she would be given access to his business checking account so she could pay herself! How nice! The scammer also wanted to know if she had a credit card and a personal checking account to make purchases for him.
174. We heard from a woman on January 4, 2021 that she had recieved an invitation from “Apple Inc.” through the email address apple@usaemploymentservice.com to interview for a job in Google Hangouts. It was such an obvious fraud! The domain “usaemploymentservice.com” was registered anonymously in Canada on September 1, 2020. The candidate was told she would interview with someone named Denise Young Smith.
175. On January 5, 2020, a woman received a Facebook Group invitation from someone named Brittany Tae to interview with ALORICA COMPANY. The Facebook group was called “Moms Helping Moms” and one she trusted. The interview was bogus and with Mr. Thomas Robert, one of the “Online hiring Managers” of ALORICA COMPANY. Mr. Thomas Robert used the google hangouts email: aloricacompany23@gmail.com.
176. On January 8, a man received an email from “David Orchid” of COX Automotive Inc, inviting him to interview for a job with the Interview Manager, Gilbert Coleman (gcoleman@coxautoinc.careers). David Orchid’s email address was hrdesk@coxautoinc.careers. Of course the man was offered a job which, he says, looked legit. Then he figured out that it was a scam. Like all scams listed here, these scammers claimed to represent a REAL company, in this case Cox Automotive at https://www.coxautoinc.com/ But the scammers had registered and were using a SCAM DOMAIN: coxautoinc.careers. The screening/interview was conducted via an encrypted text chat app called Wire chat. After setting up an account, the victim was asked to contact user ID: @gilbertcoleman. It was a work-from-home job and they told the victim they will send him equipment and money to pay for it! Their pdf files about his employment are pretty convincing. Check out: Letter of Agreement.
177. A man reported to us on January 18, 2021 that he received a text from a Mrs. Claudia Flores, using a phone number we’ve previously reported in this scam: 410-803-5525. (Look above at fake jobs #114 and #123.) However, this time the text invited the man to interview for a job with “John Lewis Partnerships.”  The interview was for a data entry position, as usual. UPDATE August 16, 2021 a woman was contacted via text by a woman calling herself “Mrs. Claudia Flores” from “John Lewis Partnership.” The victim’s resume was found on Indeed. She told us she was supicious because the pay rates seemed inflated and the punctuation was irregular. After the scammers asked her to interview via Google Hangouts, “because of COVID”, she googled the interviewers name which brought her to our site! The phone number they texted from was 660-264-0034. The interviewers name was “Mrs Margaret Dabbs” and her email was another generic Gmail account: johnlewispartnershipus @ gmail.com
178. A woman reported to us on January 22, 2021 that she had received an email from someone named Hector (hector@careerbrite.com) that her online resume “has been successfully reviewed and approved by the HR department” to interview with a job at Hydrix Group.  There is NO WEBSITE at CareerBrite.com.  This domain is available for sale!  The woman was asked to set up a Telegram App account to interview with the Hiring manager Mr. Jonathan Johnson on this ID (@Jonathanjohnson25). “Jonathan Johnson???” Seriously? And if she had any questions, she was told to email Mr. Andrew Wash, part of the HR dept for Hydrix Group using his email washdrew02@gmail.com !
179. On Monday, January 25th, a woman received a random email from Steven K. Waller (wallerksteven@gmail.com) saying that “we are very impressed by your background.” The woman was invited to contact the Hiring Manager of ACCORD HEALTH CARE for an interview using the Telegram App. The Hiring Manager’s name is Mr. Thomas L. Richard. She was asked to use the hiring code G-90H7. These scammers often give hiring codes, as if that makes it all feel official! The Telegram number provided was +17372108107 and the account was: https://t.me/thomaslrichard. Also, on January 21st the same woman was contacted by Mark Fuse (markfuse1112@gmail.com) who invited her to an online text interview with the HR manager Mr GRAY HITSON (https://t.me/Accordhealthcare) of ACCORD HEALTH CARE. Of course, Mr. Gray Hitson’s email was a generic Gmail address: grayhitson@gmail.com
180. A man was invited to interview as an Administrative Assistnt position working at home, via the Telegram app, by Mrs. Anne Yashar, Human Resource Manager for Cardinal Health! UPDATE October 26, 2021: A woman reported to us that she had a text-only interview with someone who identified herself as “Alex Grace, Communication Manager for Cardinal Health Inc.” But Alex Grace incorrectly spelled her company as “Cardinal Helath.” Of course the woman was hired after about 45 min of texting and is being sent a check to purchase company-required items like a computer and software.
181. On January 12, 2021, a man received a text from 479-239-3436, a man named Mcphee. Mcphee invited the man to use Telegram app to interview with hiring manager Mr. Thomas Jefferson (https://t.me/ThomasJeffson) “Jeffson” is not our typo! We have no idea what company Thomas Jefferson claimed to represent!
182. On January 26, 2021 a woman told us that she had an interview in Google Hangouts with Anthony Pace of Universal Corporation Company, owner of the websites Universal Leaf, Universal Ingrediants, and Universal Enterprises. The contact came from phone number 469-658-7349. Once again, the job, she was told, was a “work from home data entry” job. It came with lots of benefits and a training period. She was “hired” in less than an hour of text chatting and offered a check! She also told us that there were many red flags including being immediately hired without video chat or even a phone call, the repeated dialog in conversation, and the willingness to send her money (a check) without even speaking to her!
183. On January 30, 2021, we received an email from someone who identified herself as Sparkle Kanai, through her AOL email address: scilopenla1970@aol.com. “Sparkle” was telling us that she had “work from home” vacancies at her company, PMP Inc. The job required “calmness” and “along with pro message written and oral contact.” A MAJOR red flag was that this job also required that “you must be a UNITED STATES resident and have the ability to use online wallet.” Sparkle asked us to reply to her email address: Sparkle.Kanai.12@workusahub.com. NOTE: There is a REAL domain “workhubusa.com” that is many years old. But the look-alike domain that Sparkle gave us, workusahub.com, was registered 2 months ago and is hosted in the Ukraine.
184. On Jan 4, 2021 a woman received an email from Fred Davids (freddavids1960@gmail.com) who identified himself as a “Member staff of Morgan Stanley.” He invited the woman to interview for a position with Morgan Stanley but notice the Fred Davids is using a generic Gmail address! What makes this job scam more bizarre is that the woman was told that Fred Davids will send her debit cards of clients in the mail. She will then be asked to make withdrawals from those cards and send the money to a bitcoin account! Sounds like money laundering from stolen cards to us!
185. On February 11, 2021 a woman received an email from someone identified as Kathy Rhodes (kathy.rhodes233@gmail.com) and claiming to represent Cisco Systems, Inc. The woman was invited to interview using the Telegram app with the HR recruiter named Emily Anderson (her phone number was 737-227-5458) UPDATE June 10, 2022:  A woman told us her roommate was contacted by “Jacob Steve“ “jacobsteve240 “@” gmail.com” about a remote “Data entry” position at Cisco. She was asked to reach out viavia Telegram or email it to “ciscohrdesk” @ “gmail.com.”
186. On February 16, 2021 a woman received an email from Rowberg Dylan (hr.desk.rowbergdylan@gmail.com) who claimed to be from Human Resources at TRINITY Chemical Corporation. He invited the woman to an “on-line interview” with the Hiring Manager Mr Martin Kern. (https://t.me/martinkern1) She was invited to interview via the Telegram app for a postion as Check Printing Specialist / Administrative Assistant/ Receptionist / Customer Service.
187. On February 26, 2021 a man informed us that he receive a text from someone named Bryan Xiong, 323-552-9015 inviting him to apply for a job with Imperial Oil Ltd.  He was told it would be a text-based interview with Mrs. Miranda Huggs, Director Business Division of Imperial Oil Ltd. But her email address is a generic Gmail account: hubbsmiranda@gmail.com.
188. On March 18, 2021 a man reported that he had a text ONLY job interview in Wire.com with someone identified as Renald Sommers from GALENICA AG, a fully-integrated healthcare provider in Switzerland. Mr. Sommers claimed to be looking for a Project Manager, Administrative Assistant, Front Office Manager, Data Entry(PROOFREADING) person. After a SHORT interview, the man was told that a review of his responses would take less than 3 minutes. Then Mr. Sommers returned to say “I am back now and your interview percentage scored and consideration stand is available now on my desk. Are you ready to know your stand? CONGRATULATION You scored (95%) on the question’s answered and for your consideration stand. Congratulations the company has decided to give you a chance for you to work for the company and will like to see your diligence, charisma, commitment to this job and be a productive employee.” When the man asked why he was being sent such a large check to deposit, Renald Sommers said “The reason why the Company is sending the funds for your Mini office equipment is due to the fact that the company wants this to stand as a test of trust and also we want to know how good you can handle funds placed in your trust or care.”
189. On March 5, 2021 a woman told us she received an email from a Hiring manager at CareerBuilder using career.employmentdesk7@gmail.com. NOTICE THIS IS FROM A GMAIL ADDRESS! The sender claimed to be from the “CareerBuilder Team” and wanted her to interview via text on WHATSAPP CHAT OR HANGOUT. She was told to contact the hiring manager via What’s App text via +1 (701) 587-3174 or Hangout via workhiring77@gmail.com.
190. On February 26, 2021 a woman told us that someone pretending to be from Aristocrat Leisure Limited sent her an email using a Gmail account: aristocratleisurelimited@gmail.com The person claimed to want an interview with her using the Telegram app and account @aristocratleisurelimited. Text messages from them are grammatically incorrect, have issues with capitalization and are curt and unprofessional, she said.
191. On March 24, 2021 a woman told us that she was contacted via a text from George Drae from his phone number 408-458-7579. Mr. Drae her to download the Telegram app and interview with a man identified as Cody Turner (codyturner457@gmail.com). They both claimed to represent Universal Health Services, Inc. After the job interview she was immediately asked for a photo of her ID and her social security card. She asked Mr. Turner for a legitimate company form, contract , anything, and he answered that “unfortunately she was not ready to work with them” and terminated the interview! UPDATE May 6, 2021: A woman told us he received a random text from “George Drae” at 408-458-7579 inviting him to interview for a job with Universal Health Services, LLC after her resume was seen on Indeed. The interview was entirely text based using the Telegram App.  UPDATE on May 17th: A woman contacted us to say she had been hired by Universal Health Services (Hospital Management Company) after a text interview using the Wire App. Her interview was with a man who claimed to be Mr. James Silverman, part of the Management Team at Universal Health Service, Inc. The woman was asked to choose the job she was interested in (Customer Care Services) and told it was a Work-from-home position. She was immediately hired and soon after received a fake check which included “extra money” to pay for various software she would need for her job! Like all these scams, she was told the check could be drawn upon 1 day after deposit. That is not true!
192. On April 3, 2021 a man told us that he found a link on Facebook posted by someone named “Bobby Watson” inviting people to apply for a job at Bax Global. The email offered to this “business” was a generic Gmail address: baxglobals@gmail.com. The man was directed to Google Hangout for the interview. He told them during the interview that he wasn’t interested in any of the jobs listed. Instead, he said, he was interested in sales. They miraculously said there was a sales job available! They asked him his age and other illegal questions, he told us. They were very desperate to hire him! Also the Facebook contact kept asking him how it was going. He was also very desperate that he get “hired.” Finally, the man was told that his interview was “92% correct,” whatever that was supposed to mean. They wanted lots of personal information from him, including his bank account!
193. On April 20, 2021 a man informed us that he was contacted by someone named James Bricks, the “Lead Talent Recruiter,” who told him to contact a Mr. Daniel Pseusa, Hiring Manager, about a job opportunity with PSE Engineering GmbH. The interview was through the Telegram App and turned out to be with “Daniel Reimer.” After about 40 minutes, Mr. Daniel Reimer said “You’ve done well during the interview session and I think you will be a perfect fit for this position. Hold on online while I send your answers to my team for review and consideration. Kindly stay close to your device for 15 – 20 minutes.” Of course the man was hired! However, he figured out it was a scam and told them he wouldn’t take the job for any less than $75/hour!
194. On April 27, 2021 a young man informed us that he wasted scammers time during a job interview through Google Hangouts with someone claiming to be Ms. Mayra Sanchez, but using a Gmail address: wdan0631@gmail.com. Ms. Sanchez claimed to be the “Online Hiring Manager” for RHENUS Group and hiring for a “work from home” position that paid $78/hour. Like many of these fake interviews, Ms. Sanchez asked the young man to describe accomplishments he was most proud of. She also asked him how long he expected to work for RHENUS Group if hired, a stupid questiion that is impossible to answer! The young man ended the interview by saying he had some concerns and pasted in a link to this article!
195. On May 10, 2021, a woman told us she had a Skype text interview with someone who claimed to be with Expedia Group. Of course the woman was soon hired and they want to send her a check so she can “prepare for supplies and materials for the job.” It started off with receiving an email from an “Albert Gonzalez” who claimed to be the Talent Source Manager from Expedia Group. The email for the person used in the Skype Chat was a generic Gamail address: expediagroupdesk101@gmail.com. She was told her boss’ name was Mr. Rahjeet Adams.
196. On May 14, 2021 a man informed us that he was invited to an interview conducted using Google Hangouts. The random interview request was to be someone identified as Carla Daley (carladaley151@gmail.com) from Acadia Healthcare.
197. On May 25, 2021 a woman told us she received a random text message from 312-210-6622 about a job. The person texting said his name was Robert Sheridan and this job was about a customer service, Work From Home job, which struck her as odd. The company was called Carie Health. Mr. Sheridan told her the company wanted to conduct an interview with her through Telegram app. She was asked to contact a Mrs. Angela Thompson and was given a hiring code to use. During the interview, which she said was weird, Mrs. Thompson wanted to know what bank she used to “see if it was compatible with something on her end.” The woman was hired, of course, and told she would be mailed a check which she was to use to purchase equipment from their local vendor. By now, the woman knew this was a scam and sent these scammers a link to this article!
198. A woman was contacted via a text from 914-341-2874 on June 29, 2021 by someone named “Donald Lauren” claiming to be from Axial Healthcare. Mr. Lauren found the woman’s resume posted online and invited her to a text-only interview using Google Hangouts with Mr. Michael Fay, the “Interview Manager” for Axial Healthcare. Mr. Fay asked a bunch of interesting questions, including “are you clean from felony,” “are you clean from hard drugs” and “what’s your marital status.” Scam!
199. On July 3, 2021 a woman informed us that she had an interview in Google Hangouts with a woman named Lin Liriki. Lin Liriki claimed to represent Amway LLC but used the fake email address: hrdesk.231amway@gmail.com. The scammers told the woman they are going to send her a money transfer and she is to use that money to buy Bitcoin to send to the “vendor” to get her supplies. REAL COMPANIES DON’T DO THIS!
200. On July 6, 2021 a man reported to us that he received a text message from +1 (315) 210-6622. It was a man who identified himself as Gorneflo Richmond and he invited the man to interview for a data entry job with someone named Rachael Schuckert from Abacus Insights Inc. of Boston. Except it wasn’t. It was just another advance-check scam disguised as a job interview!

201. On August 5, a woman was contacted via email by Ti – Via Prumo (ti@viaprumo.com.br) and invited for a job interview in Google Hangouts for a company called Atea. The interviewer’s name was Lauren Miriam from the HR Dept. and she used the Gmail address: laurenmiriam625@gmail.com.
202. Also on August 5, 2021, another woman told us she had a text-based interview with someone claiing to be “Mrs. Joannie Lopez, hiring manager for the National Association of Investment Companies (NAIC)” Of course the woman was hired, and told she scored “above average” in the interivew. She was told she would have to purchase software, along with a 15″ Apple MacBook Pro and would be sent a “digital check” to make these purchases through the “approved vendors.” Mrs. Lopez said “The finance for the purchase of these working softwares materials as well as other hardware devices will be provided for you by the company Via an electronuc check, once you receive this check, make sure you use it as instructed for the software’s and I will refer you to the company’s vendor whom you are to purchase them from…”
203. On August 7, 2021, a woman reported that both she and her fiance had bogus interviews for a company identified as Aerotek. The interviews were conducted via WhatsApp. UPDATE: Again, on Aug 24, another woman told us she received a text from a Jame Harrigan from “Aerotek” and he wanted her to set up a SKYPE or WHATSAPP interview with a Camden Benson from “Aerotek“. The woman downloaded SKYPE thinking they wanted to do a face to face interview but they only wanted to text! Feeling this was a scam, the woman called the REAL Aerotek company and they verified it was not legitimate. As is nearly ALWAYS the case, the scammers are using Gmail addresses, this one was: hrdesk.camden.benson@gmail.com.
204. On August 9, 2021 a woman received a random text from 601-921-4213 and identifying himself as Justin Murphy from Coast Dental, Inc. Mr. Murphy said that he found the woman’s resume on Indeed and was inviting her to interivew for a Customer Service representative. Neither this phone number or the name Justin Murphy can be found on the real website for Coast Dental. The woman ignored the text.
205. On Monday, Aug 23, 2021, a woman contacted us to say that we was invited via an email from Maribel Garcia to interview with Eric McGrath, the Hiring Manger for Buckeye Broadband Cable And Telecommunications Company.
     Except that Mr. McGrath used the Gmail address eric.hr.recruiting.team.hrmanager@gmail.com INSTEAD OF an email at buckeyebroadband.com. The invitation also came from a generic Gmail address called From: Buckeye Broadband Team (relpybuckeyebroadband@gmail.com). Of course, the scam interview was in Google Hangouts via texting only and the “job” was a work-from-home online job only.
206. Again, on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, another woman was contacted by text saying they saw her resume on Indeed. The text came from: 909-245-3449. The caller identified herself as Ms. Joan Davis from the company Data Exchange Corporation (DEX). She was told her resume had been reviewed by the Recruiting Dept and she been scheduled for an interview. She was asked to Reply (YES I AM) if interested. She was then asked to use the Telegram app to connect to Human Resources manager Mr Nicholas Petrick using +19254121504 or @hrmanager_dex. The victim tried calling the numbers provided because the interview made her suspicious, and no one answered. That’s when she Googled job interviews using Telegram and found this article!
207. On Sept. 3, 2021, a woman was contacted via text and told that she had been “shortlisted” for a job in data entry and customer service. She thought it was a bit strange since she didn’t remember applying for the job. They used the company name Gecko and Co. The interviewer claimed to be Christian Lanz, and said that they had heard about the woman though a job site that she had actually posted a resume on. They put the woman through a two day long text interview, and then said she was hired! They said that they were going to send her a check in order to purchase a long list of expensive equipment from a very specific vendor. She knows now that it is fraudulent!
208. On Sept. 7, 2021, a woman received a random text from 610-415-0458 saying “Hello, My name is Chelsey Vallejo and I am contacting you in regards to your resume approved for the Data Entry Clerk/Customer service/Admin Assit position with a pay rate of $29.67/hr.” Ms. Vallejo asked the recipient to contact “Mrs. Ciera Hernadez, one of the Hiring managers of Perenti Global Ltd. The recipient was asked to use the Telegram app. She was given the interview code of BHG-873-KLES-873. Of course, the woman was hired and told to expect a check in the mail to pay for necessary equipment. She was also told that “the check may be issued out by any of our 13 companies that are affiliated with Perenti Global Ltd.” What that REALLY means is that the check will use STOLEN account information from any one of 13 companies!
209. On Sept. 14, a woman had a text-only interview with someone named Jason Fisher, the Hiring Manager with PIH Health, for a work-from-home position. Of course she was hired without even a voice phone call and sent a check for nearly $2000 to buy essential materials she would need! But the woman noticed that the emails she received from her new employer came from PIHHealthCo.com and the real website for PIH Health was PIHHealth.org. She asked her supervisor to explain this and the answers made her suspicious! She then asked for proof that she was talking to a real employee. That’s when their scam fell apart! PIHHealth.org was registered in 2012 in the U.S. whereas, PIHHealthCo.com was registered in Canada in June, 2021!
210. On Oct. 18 we were notified by a man who received an email from a man named “Stefan Sattler, the supervisory representative of (Hereaus Group).” Stefan’s invited the man to download the Telegram app for a text-only interview for. a “Remote vacancy” job.
211. On October 26, 2021 a woman told us she had been invited to a text-only interview with a company named ESA Engineering or E.S.A. Engineering S.R.L. based in Italy. She was told to contact Ms. Nicole Pomianek either on Zoom or Hangouts for the interview. The woman told us the interviews was just like those described above and totally text-based. She was hired and told she’ll receive a check!
212. On October 27, 2021 another woman contacted us to say she had a sam interview on Skype with someone named Matthew Johnson, Hiring Manager from True Hire. She was given a hiring code of RX-350. Most of these scammers give their victims a bogus “hiring code.” She was first contacted via text from 731-732-4411 and a man who identified himself as “Mr. David Mark.”
213. On November 3, 2021 a woman told us she had a bogus interview using WIRE with an HR manager name Melissa Pascoe who claimed to represent a company called Nuix. She was hired and received a check for $4,850 which included a $150 for sign on bonus for her. The balance was to purchase equipment from their “vendor.”
214. On November 4, 2021 a woman received an email from Annabelle Markbel (annabellemarkbel0820@gmail.com) offering her an opportunity to interview for a data entry position with Kraemer Construction Company. The woman was supposed to install Google Hangout and invite Mrs. Ashley McGee, the Research & Recruitment Manger for Kraemer Construction Company, for a text interview. She was told that Ashley McGee’s email was ashley@kraemercompanyllc.com. However, the domain kraemercompanyllc.com was registered 3 weeks earlier and is NOT the real domain for Kraemer Construction.
215. On November 18, 2021 a woman contacted us because she felt uneasy after having a text-only interview using Skype with HR Manager, Mr. Robert Maximilian from CAREBOOK TECHNOLOGIES INC. (of Canada) She thought the interview would be a video interview, but it wasn’t. She received the reference to this job on Facebook from someone she didn’t know named Hana Rezkova (who claimed to live in Texas City, Texas). The job is a “work from home” job and the woman was told it pays $35/hour. Of course she was hired and told to expect a check in the mail!
216. On February 8, 2022 we heard from a man contacted via text from 912-513-4497 by “Richard William” from Qube Holdings, LTD. about a job interview.  The interview was to be in in text format using the app Signal Private Messenger.
217. Later, the same man (#216 above) received a text from 571-335-0685 from a woman calling herself “Jessica Donald” who claimed to be part of the CareerBuilder Team.  She told the man he was selected to interview for a position with “HR Officer Mr. Chris McCall” from Cyberbit.  He was to use the text app called Telegram.  Both interviews were scams!
218. On March 2, 2022 a man told us he had a text job interview with “Lisa Bailey” from AsclepiX, a healthcare company using the Text Now app. The victim was told that as a “Data Management Specialist,” he would be responsible for “maintaining client/employee records and distributing copies of compliance documentation to appropriate branch staff…”
219. On March 21, 2022 a woman told us that she was contacted by Schurger Krisha, Hiring Manager from the firm Cameron Craig Group. She was invited to interview for virtual positions that paid $38/hour –only work from home jobs. She was given the choice for her interview to happen via text through Zoom, Skype or Telegram. But only via text! A HUGE red flag! After an hour and 10 minute text interview, she was hired! However, the woman asked to do a face-to-face video chat instead of text. Her hiring manager ignored her request because they had already completed the interview! The woman said that she needed to ask her brother to evaluate this offer and her interview process. The Hiring Manager, Schurger Krisha, said that if she didn’t sign the new employement contract by the next day, she would be “terminated.” A quick search by the woman led her to this aritcle about these scams. She informed the “Hiring Manager” that she knew this was a scam and told him to “make better life choices.”
220. A woman contacted us on May 11, 2022 to say she was invited to download the Telegram app in order to have a text-based interview with Kimi Lee, one of the Hiring Managers for Wintershall Dea AG, (Telegram profile @kimi_windea). The woman was told “following the modern online screening introduced by The Bureau of Human Resources, you are required to download the Telegram application.”  The email did NOT come from the Wintershall Dea Ag domain.  It came from Javan Royce, Lead Talent Recruiter, Wintershall Dea AG using a personal gmail account: javanroyce88@gmail.com.
221. On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, a woman reported that she was invited to interview by someone named Sandra Richard for an Administrative Assistant job for a company called GlobiTech. The interview was text only via the Telegram App with the HR Recruiter, named Vincent Jordan. Within one hour of the text interview, she said, she had a job offer. The next morning however, she requested to speak to someone face to face. Vincent Jordan called her on the Telegram app but said he couldn’t hear her. Again, the woman repeated that she wanted to video chat with someone before accepting the job and sending her personal information to them. Their response was to delete all of the messages from the “interview” and stopped answering her! Ironically, shortly thereafter, the woman received an “Instruction Letter” in the mail from these scammers. It contained a fake check for $3,850 and a message from “Steve Jonas” — a “senior accounting officer with GlobiTech.” The check was meant to pay for office supplies through a supplier provided by the company! Mr. Jonas gave his email address as Steve.jonas01@accountant.com. Advance-check scammers OFTEN use the free email service at accountant.com!
222. On July 25, 2022 a woman contacted us after having a text interview via Skype for a work-at-home “data entry clerk” job with a construction company called ContractorOneConstruction. They said their HEADQUARTERS was located on 66-2 Sumner Ave in Cranston, RI 02920, USA and provided a phone number as +1-(304) 370-4875. They also used an email that misspelled their business! contractoroneconstrction@outlook.com. The woman was hired after a short text-based interview with “Vincent Fred” (who used a Facebook profile saying he worked for ONE Construction Co, LTD and the HR Manager named “Harold Clayton” (haroldclayton.hr@outlook.com)
223. On September 8, 2022, a woman contacted us after having a text-based interview with Mr. Craig Maldoni, via chat window in the Microsoft Teams App. Though Mr. Maldoni used the personal Gmail address of Craigmaldoni35@gmail.com, he claimed to be part of a recruitment team from CRESCENT PHARMA LIMITED. The woman was told that they viewied her resume on the CareerBuilder website but the woman noted that no such review had happened. (She gets informed when an employer looks at her resume!) She was asked to interview for a REMOTE job as any of the following: Administrative Assistant and Data Entry Clerk, Customer Service, Accounting Clerk, Accounting Payroll, Front Desk, Receptionist, (Full Time / Part Time). The pay offer was $35 per hour but the interview was via chat only! She was originally contacted by someone named Mrs. Susan Barret, also from the Recruitment Team at CRESCENT PHARMA LIMITED.
224. On September 14, 2022, we heard from a woman who was contacted the day before by a woman named “Laura Jordan” who claimed to represent the HR Department for Accent Pharmaceuticals (not “Ascent Pharmaceuticals”). The woman who contacted us had submitted her resumé on a few job hunting websites and recieved a text back from Ms. Jordan at 480-704-4057. The position was for a Data Entry Clerk. Ms. Jordan asked the woman to add @HR_WandaTorres on Telegram to have a text-based briefing and interview. The Telegram conversation was with “Wanda Torres” who claimed to be another HR person at Accent Pharmaceuticals. As expected, the woman was hired after a short text conversation. They told her she would be provided with the equipment needed for the position (Apple Laptop, Apple Printer/Scanner/Fax, Laminator, Confetti Shredder, Headset) via Telegram, but then they said that a check (they spelled as “cheque”) was being sent and gave her a FedEx tracking number. They told her that she should deposit the check, keep $150 as “petty cash” and use the balance to purchase the equipment. They also told her that this was a test of trust to make sure she could be trusted with company money. When the check arrived on 9/14/22, the woman noted that the company name they gave her in the interview was Accent Pharmaceuticals (per Google, their home/main office in Solan, India) but the return address on the envelope was from “C. Tanner” and the company name on the envelope was East Coast Construction. The check was through Citizens bank but with no company name on it. The names and address on the check were for unrelated people in Ohio. She now knew this was an advance check fraud!
225. On September 17, 2022, a man sent us screenshots of an invitation he randomly received from 216-946-2002, sent by someone calling herself Alexandra Jones. He was invited to apply for a position “of Security Engineer” at Pro Dock and Door. Though this is a legitimate business in Canada, the phone number is not associated with this business. The man was invited to meet Senior Recruiter, Megan Smaldino, for a text interview using Skype. NOT a video interview! The Skype link to this bogus interview is: join.skype[.]com/invite/gYMTTPee6tw7
226. On September 21, 2022 we heard from a woman who received an email from Mr. Williams Cord, on the Recruitment Team of ORCHID PHARMA. (williamscord46@gmail.com) The woman was invited to interview for a position as Administrative Assistant, Data Entry Clerk, Customer Service, Accounting Clerk, Front Desk, and/or Receptionist with ORCHID PHARMA. She was told that the interview would happen over the “Wire secure messenger” app (WIRE). Using the Wire app, she was to have a text interview with Mr. Larry Lacey (@larrylacey11 / larrylacey731@gmail.com )
227. On October 20, 2022, a person contacted us after completing a text-only job interview using Zoom (No video!) and reported a scam job offer. The person received an email from Mrs Jasmine Barb, one of the HR Manager at Ocado Group.  The person was instructed to add Mr. Jayson Wyatt, the hiring manager using his email address: ( ocadogroupplchirenow@gmail.com ) Notice that this is a FREE Gmail address and NOT an email address with the company! Mrs. Jasmine Barb also said “The Interview is strictly done via Instant messaging (IM) only.” Less than 3 weeks later, on November 7, 2022, a woman told us she received an invitation for a job interview from Mrs.Theresa Barb, supposedly one of the HR Managers at Ocado Group. She was asked to contact Mr. Joe Watkins, the hiring manager, using his email address of ocadogrouphiring@gmail.com. This is not the legitimate email for this company! She was also told that the Interview is strictly done via Instant messaging (IM) only.
228. On November 22, 2022, a woman contacted us to say she was invited to interview for a job with Steel Forms Company. She was asked to contact the the Hiring Manager Mrs Brenda on google chat.  

229. On November 25, 2022, a woman received a text from a “Gabrielle” ((phone: 520-413-1761) regarding a data entry clerk position and asking her to download the Telegram app to interview with a Lisa Wilson at A2 Biotherapeutics (phone: +1 217-643-4654). “Lisa” offered her the position shortly after the start of the “interview”and asked “I believe the company can count on your devotion?”  By then, she knew this was a scam. She confirmed that when she could not find either a Lisa Wilson or Gabrielle on the companies LinkedIn list of employees.

Read about more Job Hiring Scams in our newest feature article here!