- Ellen Davis, a writer, said she was targeted by a fake job scam while looking for remote work.
- The scam involved impersonating human resources representatives and asking for personal information, according to the screenshots.
- Davis cautioned others to trust their instincts and be wary of unusual work processes or requirements.
This essay is based on a conversation with Ellen Davis, a writer based in New York. Her identity has been verified and BI has seen screenshots of her correspondence. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.
For many, many years, I’ve worked as a marketing and promotion writer and producer for major networks and companies like People Magazine.
My last role ended a few months ago and I have been actively looking for work. I was mostly going after remote writing author roles and was having a hard time getting even one bite.
Earlier this month, I got a message from a potential job I’d applied for, which seemed a little strange, but I thought, ‘Okay, it’s a whole new world out there. Technology has changed and maybe this is how reps are contacting people.’
They said they liked my resume and thought I would be a good fit.
I wasn’t surprised when I heard from the company because I applied there. Ellen Davis
I wasn’t surprised to hear from the company. The name was familiar because I applied there and immediately checked the names they were using on LinkedIn and they were real HR representatives from the company.
That’s how I started communicating.
It was a scam
The person who texted me told me to contact someone on Google Chat, which should also have been a red flag – but I did. Her original message said, “We need to hear from you as soon as possible,” and I thought, I’m not interviewing on the weekend. I said I would be available on Monday.
We’ve never had a Zoom call. We never spoke on the phone. She sent me a series of questions asking why I am the best fit for the job and what my qualifications are.
Things started to get weird when she asked me what my credit score was. I should have ended things right there, but instead, I said, “Honestly, I don’t know what my credit score is.”
Things started to get weird when she asked me about my credit score. Ellen Davis
Then she told me what a good job I did and said she was going to introduce me to the board of directors, which seemed absurd to me that a copywriter’s work would go before the board of directors.
At that point, I started to feel a little weird, so I went on LinkedIn and messaged the two people from the actual company whose names were used in these fraudulent communications with me.
While I was waiting to hear back from them, the person on Google Chat said that the board of directors was very impressed with my credentials and they would like to hire me as an author. As soon as she said that, she also sent a list of equipment that she would send me to get the job done, including a 15-inch MacBook, headphones, laminator, and printer. As a writer, I thought I would just send a file – why would I need to laminate?
The recruiter sent a list of equipment he would send me to be able to do the job, including a 15-inch MacBook, headphones, laminator, and printer. Ellen Davis
Then I saw that I had a message on LinkedIn. It was the woman from the actual company who confirmed that the Google Chat exchange was a scam and said that the company would never contact me via text or Google Chat.
I immediately blocked the scammers.
Trust your instincts
The crooks strangled me for at least four or five hours. If I’m going to interview at a company, I research the company. I take pages of notes in front of me when I’m going through an interview.
I’ve heard this scam before, where they ask you to have all this technology to do the job and send a check to cover its cost and the check turns out to be fraudulent. I have a feeling that’s where he was going.
I am upset that I have not received these signals, but I have been eager to move things forward. It was a company that promoted sustainability and I just thought that would have been fascinating work and something that I really believe in.
I’ve since applied for a few other jobs, but I’m a little heartbroken that I fell for this one, and I definitely don’t feel safe right now.
There is so much cruelty out there and it can seem like everyone is trying to separate you from your money and your dignity. We need to protect each other a little.
That’s why I’m trying to point this out: If you feel like something isn’t right, it probably is – very rarely do you get that uncomfortable feeling in a legitimate interview.
You may be nervous. You may be tense. But if you feel something is wrong, trust your instincts.