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Unfortunately, when the economy is on the downswing, many folks lose their jobs or have trouble finding new ones. Worse, being in this position can make you vulnerable to a scammer. Here’s the story of a husband and wife who found this out the hard way.
Unveiling the Deceptive Tactics
The original poster (OP), who we’ll refer to as Claire, mentioned that her husband, Roman, had recently been laid off.
Since then, Roman has been vigorously applying for jobs with little success.
Scammers Target Job Seekers
One day, Roman saw a listing with no salary range but applied anyway.
Many would’ve seen this as a red flag, but because Roman was vulnerable, he applied regardless. It was for a data-entry position allowing Roman to work from home.
Commission-Based Data Entry?
The following morning, Roman received a call while Claire was sleeping.
To his surprise, it was a follow-up call for the data entry position he’d applied to the day before. Roman spent close to two hours on the phone interviewing for the position.
Unraveling the Suspicious Offer
After a bit of back and forth, Roman asked the interviewer about the position’s salary. She told him that the position would be commission-based.
The interview proceeded, and now the interviewer told Roman he’d need to purchase a high-end Macbook for this job.
The Danger of Phishing
This is where things started to feel off for Roman.
The interviewer offered links to her vendors, promising Roman would be reimbursed for the equipment only if he purchased it through these vendors.
Unmasking the Tricks Used by Scammers
After hearing this, Roman immediately hung up with rage.
Two hours of his day had been wasted. Roman quickly reported the scam on the job board where he’d found the position.
Fighting Back
After the incident, Roman noticed some of the red flags he’d missed.
The company didn’t have a proper email (“copany.com”). Furthermore, it didn’t make sense for a data entry job to be commission-based.
Job Seeker Exposes Scam
Roman was left with a bitter feeling after experiencing a scam while in a vulnerable position.
The reality is that things could’ve been worse. Claire pointed out that at least Roman wasted two hours of the scammer’s time that could have been spent scamming someone who fell for it.
“I told him that at least he wasted HER time in return. It was less time she could’ve spent scamming someone who wouldn’t have recognized it was BS and thus been out several thousand dollars,” Claire explained.
What People Think About Scammers
“Scammers are the lowest form of s*** there is,” one commenter responded. “They design their scams around not just taking advantage of people, but taking advantage of them when they are at their weakest and most vulnerable.”
Raising Awareness to Protect Others
“As a Fraud Analyst who hears these stories on a daily basis, please tell your spouse I urge him not to think any less of himself, even if he hadn’t realized in time what was happening,” another user said.
“He dealt with ONE scammer, but said scammer has been honing her craft with HUNDREDS of victims, so that when his number came up she knew how to go about it.”
Empowering Job Seekers to Recognize Scam
“People don’t understand the mind of a predator,” said a third user. “Imagine you’re a lion and looking for something to eat. Do you go after the healthiest wildabeast [sic]?”
Staying Vigilant During the Job Hunt
After a messy experience like the one Roman dealt with, it’s easy to blame yourself.
You may wonder, “How could I have fallen for this?”
We’re all vulnerable at some point, and scammers attack their victims when they’re at their most vulnerable.
It’s not all bad news for Roman. He avoided being scammed in the nick of time and reported the fake company.
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