Like many jobseekers, I frequent craigslist, as a source of employment opportunities to browse. Just this past week, I received an email reply apparently from a "potential employer" who received my employment inquiry in April for a Collections Agent position.
It was a pretty lengthy email, from an individual who called himself "Erik Karle" and spoke about an work-at-home employment offer for a software technology company. I've come across several "scammy"-sounding emails that I usually ignore, with poorly written emails that want ask for your personal information.
This one was actually pretty decently written, with an attachment that asked for some personal contact details, as well as some pre-employment questions. It even had a link to the company website, which I did check out.
The website looked pretty legit, and even had a Better Business Bureau logo on the side. When I clicked the contact page, I found that they were supposedly an international company headquartered in Poland.
I was a little convinced, so I filled out the doc. Attachment and sent it over. The next morning I got another email from the same guy saying I was the right candidate. There was a handful of attachments—W9 form, I9, and an employment contract. I was pretty surprised that it was pretty quick response, but before I filled anything out, I went ahead and called the BBB for verification.
They could not find anything listed under this company's name. Nothing. They said they would return my call after further investigation. They did, and they said they couldn't find anything on the company. The verication label they had posted on their website was a very well-doctored one, and that they had no business with the company.
Wow. I have no idea why these people go through great lengths to fool people, but how low is it to prey upon people searching for honest employment, especially on hard times like these, where innocent could be easily preyed upon? I'm thankful that I didn't go further with this. I hope this word of caution was beneficial to you...
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