Work at Home Job Scams: The 'Bait and Switch" - Don't get caught!
posted September 30, 2009 - 8:12pm
Bait and Switch
Don’t be the Fish that Gets Caught in the Scammer’s Net!
In this time of recession, it is more important than ever to highlight, again, the Bait and Switch tactics being
used against ordinary people looking for telecommute work.
What is “Bait and Switch”? We’ll look at it specifically in relation to submission of resumes in the hope of getting a job..
The Scenario
It’s Monday morning. You’re checking Craigslist (or some such other site) over your morning coffee, worried because you have just lost your job. You see a listing and think you have come across something special: a job in your local area, working from home, which pays much more than your previous salary.
You email your resume and the poster responds immediately ‘Wow. You’re just the person the employer is looking for”. After a few days the poster contacts you again to tell you that “your resume is creating a negative effect according to some of the employers. We do not want to see your resume being rejected yet again for these top level jobs ... These jobs are not public so you have no competition, but we must act quickly or someone else will surely take the jobs that were meant for you. We can help you by offering you our expert resume service for $100 which will ensure that your resume will get you that job.” You send your money and…oops – no revamped resume, no job and someone in cyberspace has all your personal details!
The Result
They’ve used the bait of a non-existent job to pull you in, then switch and persuade to part with your money…. for the never-materializing re-worked resume that has got you ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE. You’ve sent your personal info to someone you don’t know and whose motives are entirely fraudulent.
This is a common tactic used by firms such as this one – www.careerexperts.org. One woman, recently, in Florida – researched the company online and found many reports evidencing it as a scam. Having sent her resume already, she contacted www.careerexperts.org with her concerns and received the following sinister reply: “My dear, I have all your personal info. we will see how you like it when employers read about you!”
Careerexperts.org is based in Vancouver. It is owned by a man named Harris Black (aka Harry Williams, Harry Black, Harry Simon, John Ashton, Steven Shaw, David Gogo, Mark Canterbury, Allan Namer, Mark Linton, Tom Lang, Kenneth Greenberg, Harry Kennedy, Lisa Flaherty, Greg Thompson, Martin Feldman, Jennifer Mason, Sister Mary Joseph).
There is a very useful site giving more information about this particular scammer – www.harrisblackwatch.com. This scammer’s particular ‘specialty’ is CV harvesting. He has a number of warrants out against him and his operation is a prime example of the sort of pitfall a telecommute job seeker can face.
Whilst Craigslist, and other sites, do their best to prevent the scammers posting – far too many do get through. In February, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission published its complaints report for 2008 regarding fraudulent telework opportunities, agencies and more.
The reason for the success of scammers such as Harris Black is twofold: a) The increasing numbers of people out of work, due to the economy, who let their guard down in their desperation to find a job through which to support their families and, b) the increased sophistication and intelligence being used by the scammers in how they bait these jobseekers.
There are a number of key rules that any jobseeker should follow when looking for telework opportunities on a site such as Craigslist:
Treat any advertisement with suspicion if it does NOT give the company and contact name. The majority will be scams. Do NOT apply for a role which asks you to submit a resume and full contact information to a Craigslist (or other type) response address. If it is a scam – they will have then found out more than enough to steal your identity. IF you believe that the job is real – despite the above advice – simply reply to the listing only to request more information. Ask the lister for a full job description and more information about the role, company information and contact person. If the poster then responds without this information – or with only a link to an online application form – you know it is a scam. Wait until midday before checking Craigslist or similar sites. Very often scammers will list their ads first thing in the morning and, by lunchtime, most will have been flagged. However, they will still have entrapped many people during that first few hours of the day. Check Craigslist job adverts from other metro areas. Scammers will hire people to post the same listing in many Craigslist areas with slightly different wording each time. This is how they get past the Craigslist ‘overposting’ prevention system and it happens daily. If the job you are interested in appears, for example, in Detroit, Seattle and Albany – it’s most likely a scam! NEVER apply for a job and then agree to pay money to improve your chances through a reworked resume or fast-tracked application – the only person winning is the scammer! NEVER lose your head and your common sense when you see a job ad that looks unbelievably great. That’s exactly what it is…UNBELIEVABLE. Times are desperate for many jobseekers but try not to let that desperation cloud your normally sound judgment. If your gut instinct is telling you walk away – do exactly that.The internet can be your worst enemy but also your best friend during your job search. Don’t hesitate to dig deep and research any potential employer or service. If someone else has been scammed by a particular operation – they are quite likely to have broadcast it on the net so do your homework.
Safe hunting!
UPDATE on this scammer: After posing as the fictitious Sister Mary Joseph at www.CareerExperts.org since around mid 2007, Black founded a new fake web company around December 2008 called www.TheJobNow.com. He has created a number of new ‘characters’ including Father Michael Constantino, Sister Mary Delfino, and Sister Katherine Polaski. (The photo Black uses for Sister Mary Delfino actually belongs to French nun Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre. The other photos he used are fake too).
Michigan television news station reports on his scam
An NBC affiliated station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, reported on Harris Black on December 19, 2008 because a Michigan man found his international postings on Craigslist and reported the scam to the media.
An NBC affiliated station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, reported on Harris Black on December 19, 2008 because a Michigan man found his international postings on Craigslist and reported the scam to the media.
(information courtesy of www.harrisblackwatch.com)
© Maria Daly 2008-2009 (formerly Telework International LLC)
To read all of my articles at Xomba just click on: http://www.xomba.com/user/mdaly
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Comments
Scam Work At Home Sites
Thanks for posting this valuable information on work at home scams. There are so many scams out there. I have fell victim to a few, including the "Paid Surveys" scam. See "Honest Online Income" at the bottom of this post for some ways that have worked for me.
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Additional articles about scams
Thank you for reading the piece. I hope you find another couple of them interesting as they follow up on what happens if you actually do respond to a scam advert like this. I also have posted a piece about the good, bad and ugly job scams and what to avoid.
I hope they help! Don't forget - it's not all negative and I've posted some articles on tips for actually improving your prospects in the job hunt, where to find free resources and education. All of the articles can be reached at: http://www.xomba.com/user/mdaly
Thanks
Maria
What a article
Nice article. I wish I had read it before. Hope to read some more of yours
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