I don't even know where to begin... I've been wanting to get a job in the veterinary field for a while now, so I was very excited when my finance informed me yesterday morning that she had found a online ad the night before that looked like this:
Veterinary Assistant (dayton)
Date: 11-07,10:14AM EST VETERINARY ASSISTANT - (Full time) Needed for a 24 hour Veterinary Emergency Hospital. Experience preferred but not required. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to patient care, animal restraint, husbandry, custodial services, helping the Drs and the technicians etc. Must be a team player. Benefit package includes health insurance, 401k, vacation / personal time, allowance for scrubs. Salary negotiable pending experience. Location: dayton Compensation: $14p/h
I actually do have experience working with dogs, so I thought this would be perfect for me and that I might actually stand a chance in the selection process. So I sat down and spent at least a couple hours very carefully and thoughtfully writing a custom cover letter and sent that along with my resume and a digital copy of a letter of reference from one of my college professors to the e-mail listed on the online ad.
To my surprise, later that evening I received an e-mail from them though I did not see it until this morning before work. It looked like this:
Hi XXXXX
We would like to thank you for sending your resume to Miller Recruitment & Partners. After reviewing your initial credentials, I think you could possibly be a great fit for our company. Our Human Resource manager would like to schedule an interview with you before she leaves for vacation early next week. You need to complete the pre-interview screening before we can schedule an interview, which can be found http://www.workatmiller.info or the career link on our homepage. Your applicant code is 590961. Please write down your code, as that is the only way you can gain access to your application and employee profile. Once you complete your screening someone from HR will contact you within 72 hours to schedule an interview.
Respectfully
Christine Blissett
Miller Recruitment & Partners
Now, normally I have a pretty good BS detector for bogus job ad scams, but I guess I was so blinded by excitement and by that fact that I actually would have been "a great fit" for a veterinary company. This got me even more excited. So, I did what they asked and clicked the link and typed in my "personal" code (after researching it, I found EVERYONE is given the same code). Then it tells me this:
On the next 3 pages you will be guided through the screening process. This is a standard procedure requested by our client to qualify all applicants. Please make sure you fill out everything correctly, as you will only be able to take this screening 1 time.
Do not use your browsers BACK button or leave the screening before finishing it.
It is now about half an hour before I needed to leave for work, but I thought I might get some kind of edge on the other applicants if I was speedy and filled it all out as soon as possible. I thought mine might be the first they would read. So I started the process thinking I would have it done in time. Next they asked me a dozen or so short answer questions which I also spent a lot of time and thought in answering carefully and intelligently, very confident that I may be chosen. I spent so much time carefully wording everything and rereading everything and double checking everything that I ended up being late for my REAL job thinking, "this is more important"! I was especially excited when I read this:
If you are filling out this screening right now, it means that you are one of the top 5 candidates for the position.
After I filled out the questions they sent me to the next page where it said this:
In compliance with the USA Patriot Act Miller Recruitment and Partners is required to maintain documentation confirming the identity of all employees. Our identity verification/background check program is through Experian/Equifax, which is in the form of a credit check. This identity verification is completely free to you while allowing us to receive an electronic response much quicker than traditional background checks (less invasive too). By completing the background check/credit report we will NOT receive any of your private credit history details or personal information. We simply receive your first and last name, and an "Ok" to proceed if there are no background discrepancies. This step is required before we are able to schedule an interview.
Also, keep in mind that our decision to hire you is not determined at all by your personal credit score or history.
Please note - for the identity verification/background check we cannot accept a scanned, faxed, or emailed report because we will not be able to electronically verify your identity from our end. So be certain to use the following link, which will direct you to a secure application through a credit reporting company linked to our Experian/Equifax account. When you complete the credit check you will be given a customer number. Keep this handy, as it will help facilitate things during your interview with the HR Manager.
Once you have completed your credit check, please enter your initials and click Submit. We will forward your information to the Hiring Manager as soon as the verification has been completed and contact you to schedule an interview.
Sounded a little strange, however, still blinded, it seemed reasonable enough to me so I clicked the link which lead me to Scoresense. I then (after calling my REAL manager to tell him a bogus story on why I would be late to my REAL job) I continued to "verify my identity" by filling out all the necessary information to get a credit check.
So, after I finish the rest of it, I finally go to work. I then anxiously and excitedly waited for a phone call that I was sure would come any minute. I have a fiance and two soon-to-be step children, and I was so excited that I would have a benefit package to take care of our blossoming family. Once I got home (a couple hours ago), the excitement had started to wear off and my BS detector decided to boot up again. That's when I started realizing how fishy the whole thing was and that I STILL had no idea of what veterinary hospital I was applying to.
So I first did a search for "Miller Recruitment & Partners" and that's when my world came crashing down. I had been had. I found listings on this site relating to Miller Recruitment as well as Scoresense, but I didn't see anything having the two connected (though I admit I did not read them ALL). So I thought I would write one for people going through the same thing.
If you're reading this, I'm sure you already know that if you don't read the fine print Scoresense tricks you into signing up for a free credit report and then charging your credit card every month for their services if you do not personally call and cancel your subscription before the one-week free trial period ends.
People say that it's a genius scam without accountability and I agree if I was just going there because I wanted a free credit score (which they did inaccurately provide). However, If I'm being straight up lied to about a job that just wants to "verify my identity" using Scoresense, then I think that should be a different story. I don't know much about the law, but I was registering for that site under false pretenses. Who else would trick me into signing up for scoresense other than scoresense themselves!? Miller Recruitment doesn't even exist! How is this legal? I spent a lot of time, effort, and emotional investment on that process, and I got so excited about what possibilities this new job would open up that it really broke my spirit when I found out it was all a LIE.
I calmly called to cancel my subscription and the lady on the other end was asking why I wanted to cancel and trying to convince me that it was a great service and that I shouldn't cancel. I then (fed-up, upset, and quite emotionally disturbed by this point) YELLED at her telling her that I had been scammed into signing up in the first place and that I didn't even care to know my credit score or use any of their features in the first place. I also told her that I was very upset over the whole ordeal and just wanted it canceled NOW. That seemed to shut her up and she then canceled my subscription and I got a confimation e-mail saying it had been terminated.
I guess only time will tell if I will still be getting charged after canceling (I read that other people on here are STILL getting charged!). I really hope not. I just want this to be over. If I helped at least one person avoid this situation, typing all this was worth it. Be careful, people.
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