In difficult times, scam artists are taking advantage of people who have recently been laid-off by offering bogus employment schemes. These schemes typically require you to provide money up front before services are rendered.
Today I’d like to share a few scenarios with you.
Scenario #1: I have a job for you… overseas!
As the manufacturing sector continues to fail in Ontario, more and more people are exploring job opportunities overseas.
An agency advertises that it has well-paid jobs overseas, such as in Dubai or Shanghai, and holds interviews at a local hotel.
The interview goes surprisingly well, and you’re hired on the spot. However, because there’s visa requirement for Canadians to work in Dubai or China, you’re asked to pay several hundred dollars in advance for the “administration and visa-application” fees.
Of course, there is no job overseas. Once you part with your money, the agency disappears.
Scenario #2: Top modelling agency… for a fee!
This type of employment scam is more common in big cities such as Toronto, New York, and L.A., where many aspiring models, singers, and actors congregate.
An agency advertises in the local paper to recruit “talent” for a multi-national talent firm, often based overseas in the U.K. or France. The agency poses as the firm’s exclusive agent in North America or Canada or the U.S. The agency often claims that the project is under a non-disclosure agreement. Hence you are unable to get independent confirmation.
The agency holds recruiting sessions at fancy hotels or high-end office buildings. You’re told that you’re the next big thing, and you’re hired on the spot. However, to make your portfolio more attractive, you’re asked to pay several hundred dollars for a professional photoshoot. Payment in advance, of course.
After you make the advance payments, you discover that the agency is bogus and it has nothing to do with the multi-national firm in question. There’s no photoshoot, either.
Scenario #3: Job training with job guaranteed
This scenario targets unskilled workers who want to get into semi-skilled positions, such as security officers and executive assistants.
Typically, the agency advertises itself as the leader in the industry and provides guaranteed high-paying jobs after the training is completed. The applicants are required to pay an administrative fee and tuition in advance, often in the amount of several hundred dollars.
The agency disappears after you part with your money.
In another scenario, the agency provides shoddy training of little or no value. The “training” doesn’t lead to a job and is not recognized by other firms.
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As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, to recover the funds from a scam artist is often difficult if not impossible. The best remedy against scams is prevention. By recognizing the warning signs of a potential scam, you may be spared from being the next victim.
