Scam Type
Employment Scam
Business Name Used
Systems Methods Inc. SMI
Date Reported
Oct 30, 2022
Victim Postal Code
91607
Total Dollars Lost
0
Scam Description
They initially contacted me through a phone text by saying that I was considered for a Data Entry Position (remote) with a $25-$30 pay which I do remember applying for but I don’t remember where. I could have stopped there but since I needed a job I continued with the job interview with this mindset. They proceeded to tell me to contact the Hiring Manager through Google Chat. During the interaction, the questions and job description did not have anything wrong with them. The interview also kind of made sense especially since they had all my information correct or at least my phone number, email, name and address. After the interview, they decided to offer me a position and accepted it. They then sent me an employment offer letter from the company and the person that signed it was a real person that works in the real company in my email and a check to deposit ($2950) so that I can purchase work equipment. I wasn’t that knowledgable of how depositing a check works and if I could be liable for if the check isn’t real so I deposited it. A day later they asked me if the check cleared and since it didn’t I told them no and they asked if I can cover some of the purchase $450. They filled me with a sense of urgency because my training was coming up. The feeling of me finally getting a decent job clouded my judgement and I tried sending the amount through a cash pay app with the registered name Wahab Olejede and an email isabellawood380@gmail.com. Right after sending it I stopped myself and asked what in the world did I just do. I immediately contacted my bank to cancel the transaction and cut all ties with everybody involved. I blocked the phone number and the “hiring manager” that I spoke through chat. I also put an alert just in case someone tries do any identity theft. This whole thing has made me so cautious. I was not aware how far the job scamming has gone. The employment letter looked legit and the check looked okay as welI. I wished I looked at the check more closely because they put their phone number on it instead of the actual company’s phone number. I have recieved at least 4 job scams/phising in the past week and aside from this instance the 2 others were obvious, the other one seems like on the same level of scam as this report. They use Google chat to obtain your email. As for Skype, Skype displays information that you have on your profile whenever you connect with someone. (Name, Phone number, City, State, Country, and Birthday if you have all of them there). It is scary that it is so easy to obtain someone’s information, all of these scams, except the job mentioned in this email, were from a “trustworthy” job board LinkedIn. I can’t be sure if the reported job was from LinkedIn. I thought I would be safe using LinkedIn but these scammers can just obtain my resume with my information and history just by posting a fake job in LinkedIn.
