Protecting yourself in the job search
Hello Fairy God Seekers:
I am writing this post for two reasons, as a warning, and to see if anyone has any suggestions for protecting yourself.
On the Wednesday morning of this past week I received an email from Upwork that an employer was interested in my profile and to apply for a position. The position was for a copywriter/proofreader. So, I do. Later i find out that I am shortlisted for an interview with La-Z-Boy and that I should email them to set up the interview on Google Hangout (one of my red flags)...it was posted for $15-30/hr but they were hiring at $68/hr +$39 for training. I did interview on Google Hangout (all IM...I don't think anything of it since I have had an interview that way before). After some time, the interviewer tells me that he has a meeting and this other person is going to take over. I say ok. She continues and tells me that I am hired and that they are going to send me a check that will be used for a laptop and a time tracker (since this is a remote job). The check is sent via email and I am to print, scan and deposit it into my mobile banking app. I do this but have difficulty with it being accepted but it eventually goes through.Then they tell me to be back on at 8AM since it will not be reflected until the morning. I am back at 8AM and am thrilled that I finally have a new job that pays well. However, it quickly goes south. They tell me to use Zelle to withdraw $500 for the time time tracker. It doesn't go through. So they tell me to use Apple Pay and to withdraw $2000 and it goes through. So they then tell me to try Zelle again and again it doesn't work. So they tell me to use Apple Pay to the same number that the $2000 went to. I do and shortly afterwards I get a call from my bank to tell me that the check was fraudulent and that I was now liable for the funds. I tell them this and they keep telling me that there is a mistake. They tell me that accounting has fixed the error and that I have nothing to worry about. Then they tell me to call Apple Pay and ask me to ask them to release the funds. I call Apple and tell them the whole story. They tell me that Apple Pay doesn't work that way...when paying a company it is through a website, not messenger. I am transferred to a fraud expert who tells me to call local law enforcement which I do and tell them the story. Later an officer calls gets the story and tells me that if a police report is filed there could be a chance that the bank might fix the error. However, they ate still saying no. The last message I had to the scammers I asked them to prove who they were and they never did. I am still in contact with the officer and the report has been filed. I am out over $4000. I am still incredibly angry.
So, here is the question...has anyone conducted a background check on a potential employer? I ask this because I need to protect myself going forward. (I should also say that I am also starting my own business and that so far...although slow is going well). Do I do a background check on every person I work with? And if not, what other options are there in protecting yourself (all of my business areas are services).
I appreciate any support and suggestions that you are able to give
Thanks
Wow, I am impressed with how this topic has evolved. Actually, it wasn't just the scammers but the bank that caused me alot of heartache, pain, and anger. Apparently I was caught in the crossfire of the merger between BB&T and SunTrust. From the very beginning, there was lack of communication. Due to the way they handled it, I am closing my account with BB&T, and starting a new chapter.
Wow!! I am so sorry you have to go thru that. I too have been contacted by scammers before, but I never followed thru. What I have done in the past is that when they have reached out to me, I have asked them many questions about the company before I agree to the hangout interview. When I see that they are hesitant about providing more information, I google them on my own. I never click on any link provided by them just in case it's a set up. In my experience, they stopped talking to me once I insisted on getting to know more information. In conclusion, I would suggest that you google the company before you agree to something, especially if you haven't applied for that specific job. Good luck with everything.
I too was almost caught in this kind of situation. My best advise is to do you homework immediately on a company BEFORE the initial interview. This will assist in forming the questions for the first round. As a forensic accountant, I first look for information as to whether they are legitimately registered with the state they claim they are in to do business - I am in Florida, and most companies need to be corporate registered. If not there, I look on line to the BBB and see if there are complaints or do a general Google search. Lastly, before I accept any job, I go old school, especially if I have any doubts, and ask for a Letter of Offer. Any legitimate company will be more than willing to spell out your title, compensation, start of work date and benefits offered in this letter. If not, back away and decline. Remember too, if you are a freelancer, that you are running a business, and you may expect and are obligated for your business sake to ask a company for a W9. This will give you their pertinent federal information so you will know who runs their company and their federal ID.
With all this, they will certainly know you are in it for legitimate business and if they are not, will back away from you quickly. Good luck and I am sorry - it sucks when you find something you think will be a great fit only to find out you were conned.
The TL;DR response to your issue is real jobs don't require direct payment from you to receive employment. I don't know why you didn't know that but now you do. You live and you learn. Hopefully you learned not to send money to people over the internet for something that seems too good to be true. That helps you going forward as you will think more critically before making a decision like that again now won't you? I'm not blaming or shaming you so don't cuss me out. I'm just saying that the only thing that is actually going to help you is the situation itself. Hopefully you learned from it and now you know what not to do during your job hunt and what to look for in weeding out scams. Unfortunately some people don't care about stealing money from job seekers or anyone really.
I know you wanted advice limited to employer screening, so I won't weigh in on ideas for the rest: First, the LinkedIN check may not work, because ppl pull profiles claiming to be that person/company -- which doesn't sound too far of a stretch from this situation. Second, if you can afford it, maybe a D&B check? Third, did you provide any documentation on who you were? Companies don't send money around without documentation of where/who it is going to. Finally, get the EIN# of the company and search it before any financial transaction is made.
Onboarding!! To legally work for any employer in the US there's an usually a pre-hire screening and onboarding process even when you're given an offer on the spot it's normally contingent on passing their checks. It's always a HUGE red flag if there's no mention of HR paperwork ESPECIALLY I9/W4s they are federally required so even when working remotely this should have been done. They need to make sure you're legally allowed to work and if they didn't they are not a legit employer (which I'm positive Laz-Z-Boy is). I'm sorry this happened to you but next time you get an offer if the recruiter/hiring manager doesn't mention the new hire process and paperwork then don't jump in head first.
You don't have to do a background check as much as you should regarding due diligence. As others have mentioned, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Google, etc. should be able to provide some type of digital trail for a legitimate company and even fraudulent companies. I would also recommend researching a company through BBB (Better Business Bureau) they have vast amounts of information for companies with a physical location and even online companies. They also track complaints, scams, etc. and should be able to provide you with enough information for any company you might consider working for in the future.
Just wanted to thank everyone for their input on this topic. It is an important topic and know that we all need to be aware of and know how to protect ourselves from this kind of thing.
scam scam scam, run as fast as you can
I'm so sorry that this happened to you! The only other advice I would share in addition to what others have provided here is if this "company" did in fact contact you via Upwork, you should report them to Upwork so they don't scam other users.
To protect yourself in the future, please note that payments from companies to Upwork users are only done through Upwork and not outside of it (such as via check, third-party payment apps or direct payments to your bank). If any company claiming to be contacting you via Upwork tries to pay you outside of Upwork, that's a big red flag and you should not pursue that opportunity any further and report them. Here's some info from their website about it, which also includes links to information on payment protection: https://support.upwork.com/hc/en-us/articles/211067628-Why-Shouldn-t-I-Pay-or-Get-Paid-Directly-
Should you get similar e-mails in the future, double-check the sender's e-mail address to verify it is actually coming from Upwork and not some random account that is portraying itself to be from Upwork. Many scammers will send you an e-mail that looks like it's from a legitimate business with logos, links and everything (like a bank, Amazon, Apple, e.g.) to try and get your information and/or your money. Legitimate Upwork e-mail addresses include [email protected] and [email protected].
As far as I know, there are no means to do background checks on companies, but as others have suggested here, you can do plenty of sleuthing on LinkedIn, the company's website, etc. If you have the name of the person you're corresponding with, you can always call the company and ask to speak with them by phone. Just state you're following up to their e-mail and wanted to discuss one of the project points but you felt it was best done by phone. If the person on the other end recognizes you and the project, then you know it's legit.
Most importantly, definitely go with your gut instinct. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Thank you for sharing your situation so others can avoid the same thing happening to them, and I sincerely hope you're able to quickly recover your lost funds!
I am so sorry for what you experienced. It's frustrating that people's trusts are being taken advantage of at every level.
There isn't any "official" process for checking the background of employers that I'm aware of. But this doesn't mean you don't have tools/options at your disposal.
1) Ask if the company has a website and take a look at it. Of course, scammers can create amazingly real websites so this isn't fool-proof. Either way, it'll give you insight into how the company is trying to present itself to others.
2) Go to sites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed. They have reviews for employers (FGB does as well!).
3) Yelp can be a decent resource at times. You might not get 100% honest reviews from current employees of the company (who wants to put one's job in jeopardy?), but you might get reviews from past employees as well as people who've done business with the company.
4) As mskw noted, Google Maps is an excellent resource to search and see if a company actually has a physical location. Even online companies have a physical address. If you can't locate a physical, verifiable address for a company, I agree this is a red flag.
5) Also, as mskw noted, as for names. Then go and Google these people. Or again, look at sites like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed. See if you can find actual information about the people.
6) As far as names go... Be wary when you talk to people and it seems everyone has a "generic" name. For example, you're talking to Bill Smith who says he's the recruiter. Then he says the HR manager's name is Linda White. And the President's name is Mr. John Jones. While all of these COULD be viable names... Most companies have employees with more diversified surnames.
7) Finally. Go with your intuition. If at any point something doesn't "feel" right... Don't do it. This is really hard when the job sounds wonderful. And even IF the job is... It doesn't mean it's the job for you.
All the best...