A few days ago I stupidly answered this ad, the kind of ad I usually avoid like the plague. I don't know why but it somehow sounded good: a home-based job tracking down people owed refunds by HUD, promising $250 to $500 a week for only 2 to 4 hours of work.
Just as others have reported here, I was put on hold for a moment while the girl supposedly checked to see if there were jobs still available in my area, and then was told there was just one left. She described the job, and it sounded like something I could do easily enough, then told me they wanted $98 for training materials, by check numbers given over the phone if possible.
I did wonder at that point if this was a scam and even said so, and the girl answered by giving me a business license number to reassure me and said they'd been in business for six years. Then I all too readily complied and gave her my checking account and bank numbers. The girl, who called herself Bobbie, said the package would arrive in ten to twelve days, and assured me I could call back if I had any questions.
After I hung up, I looked them up on the internet and found this and other sites where others have reported being ripped off by them, describing exactly the same routine I had encountered.
JMW was not answering the phone that late so I called back early in the morning. When I asked for Bobbie I was told she wouldn't be in until the afternoon, by a girl who sounded exactly like Bobbie, and what did I want to talk to her about?
I said I wanted to cancel the job. The girl told me that to do that I would have to call a different number, which she gave me, a NON toll free number. I objected to its not being toll-free and then mentioned that I'd seen a number of scam reports on them. She said that's wrong, they are legitimate, I should call the other number, and hung up on me.
By then I knew I'd been manipulated, and being hung up on was a good sign they weren't on the up and up too.
Fortunately I was able to get to the bank and put a stop-payment on the check, and change my account as well, before they had time to put the check through. So I was lucky, but I wanted to report this to add my voice to the other complaints here.
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