Description

I received an email from a master lecturer by the name of Sharon Davis (https://www.odu.edu/directory/sharon-davis) stating that a student by the name of Kenneth Jones is a small business owner and is looking for a part time employee to help him. I emailed the email that Sharon provided ([email protected]) regarding my interest. Kenneth and I emailed back and forth including him giving me a link to apply for the job (https://forms.gle/TVUfkr1GF12PkKeD7) as a personal assistant, depositing checks and purchasing kids toys for his foster care organization. I received an email from him saying that I was accepted for the job and he detailed that my first task would start immediately upon my texting his phone number that he provided (+1 629-285-8213) -- all of this is documented but the document is too large to be attached. He text messaged me with instructions to print out a check that he had sent over email, asking for pictures of each step completed. Before I followed instructions to deposit the check in my bank account via mobile deposit after endorsing, I asked for him to send the name/website of the organization he manages or even his LinkedIn profile to ensure it is a legitimate business. He sent a link to the website jccany.org, then immediately asked to let him know when I finished the deposit without giving me any time for feedback. After 5 minutes and while I was still researching to no avail to the identity he was claiming, he sent a text saying "Are you there?" I responded "Yes, I am reading the website and do not see where you are listed in the staff page," and he responded "It a foster care organization and that's my organization name ok," then immediately "Kindly deposit the check so we can move to the next step." I immediately messaged back "This seems like a scam so I will no longer be accepting the position. Thank you for your time," and he responded "I hate when someone don't have trust," and then "It's ok." The entire text thread lasted about 30 minutes, and Kenneth Jones' messages were riddled with grammatical errors and incorrect errors -- all of this is documented as well; again, file too large to attach. While I do not think any harm was done to myself, I worry for other students who may have gone further into the situation.