I Got Scammed by a “Job”
My worst nightmare
Have you ever been scammed by a job posting?
I have.
A little background: I’ve been unemployed for over seventy days, I’ve had three interviews, recruiters have ghosted me, and I’ve gotten more rejection emails than I can count. Being unemployed has impacted my mental health; it feels like I’m in the Twilight Zone, and I haven’t snapped out of it yet.
Scammers exist, and I do my due diligence to vet companies and people and ensure my identity is always protected. I’ve written about two instances of stolen identity; you can read those below. Desperation breeds getting out of character and not thinking before doing and speaking. When earning a decent living is on the line to avoid homelessness, you’re willing to do anything to get out of the situation.
I don’t apply for jobs during the weekend because I need a break. I use those two days to hype myself up for the next week as my downtime. On November 25, 2023, I decided to rebel against my rules and apply for jobs. I was up until 10 pm on a applying rampage.
I applied for a Data Entry Clerk position on Indeed, a few days later, I received an email from “Dr. Jim” stating he reviewed my application online and that I should email the manager “Brandon Scott.” Before responding, I went back on Indeed, located my applied history, and verified that this was a job I applied for. The doctor and manager’s email addresses had the company within the email.
Author’s Note: I believe these people are real, but someone is pretending to be them on the internet, pretending to work for the company. I’m putting quotations around the name because I don’t know who’s speaking on their behalf.
No matter what company you work for, we are all assigned a work email address which has our name, the company name followed by a .com, for example, [email protected] that checks out, I then Googled the company and the “manager.” I was supposed to correspond with a company populated a LinkedIn profile. The company even has a Facebook business page that checks out.
I performed three to four ways to verify this company, and they all passed. That same day, I emailed “Brandon” stating that Dr. Jim instructed me to speak with you about a Data Entry Position. “Brandon,” he responded, giving me some information about himself and the company’s history.
I’m assuming that “Brandon” wasn’t forwarded my resume, so he asked me a few questions about my work history in the email. Again, I answered and responded immediately. Friday, 12/01/2023, I received another email from “Brandon” congratulating me and stating that I was selected. My mom read it to ensure my eyes weren’t playing with me, and she read it how I read it. Finally, I have some relief after a lot of rejections and applications. I finally have some stability.
I called my father and brother to inform them of the good news. I also let my sisters know, and they all congratulated me. It was a happy moment for me to share my success with them. My family had seen me struggle during the holiday season, which began with my birthday back in September. Unfortunately, just two days after my birthday, I lost my job.
After accepting the “offer” via email, I didn’t hear anything back from “Brandon” on Saturday, 12/02/2023; an hour before I headed out to see Beyonce on the big screen, I decided to do more research on the company. Companies usually have a significant social media presence online. I returned to the website and called the number to see where it would lead me; the company was genuine. I couldn’t talk to anyone because it was Saturday, but it provided options for speaking with someone.
Out of curiosity, I copied “Brandon’s” email address, put it on Google, and typed in scam following the email; low and behold, I came across a Reddit post with the same email I received along with the same scenario I had applied through indeed, got an email, followed up with the initial email to then email Brandon.
The post on Reddit encourages people not to apply and that the job posting is a scam. After reading pages and pages of this “company” page, I didn’t know if I should cry or throw my laptop. I’ve run out of tears and don’t have the energy to be frustrated. In the words of Cady from Mean Girls, “My stomach felt like it was going to fall out my butt.” I felt embarrassed, frustrated, and infuriated. I wanted to scream.
I remember sitting at my desk and asking, “Why.”
Why would someone prey on the vulnerable and desperate?
It makes no sense, but I look at the positives.
- I got the dose of dopamine I needed.
- I didn’t give out any personal information.
- I have an interview in the works. (this upcoming Thursday 12/7)
- I reported the job posting.
- I reported the LinkedIn page of “Brandon.”
If you are on the unemployment boat like me and still looking for work, I strongly advise you to read this article below to avoid being scammed.
