Description

I am reporting what I believe to be a fraudulent employment scam involving a company/person advertising what was presented as a legitimate remote data-entry employment opportunity. The position was represented as a legitimate job in which the company would provide the necessary equipment and supplies to perform the work. However, after going through the hiring process, I encountered multiple serious red flags that led me to believe this was a fake employment operation designed to obtain money, personal information, and/or place victims into financial obligations. The individuals involved represented that they would provide equipment needed for the position. Instead, I was sent what appeared to be a company check through FedEx and was instructed to use the funds for equipment and other business-related expenses. The check was not legitimate and was ultimately no good. This appears to be a classic fake-check employment scam, where victims are encouraged to deposit fraudulent checks and then use the money before the financial institution discovers that the check is counterfeit or fraudulent. I was also instructed to send money to supposed vendors and/or pay for items that were represented as being provided by the company. A legitimate employer should not require a new employee to use a fraudulent company check to purchase required equipment or send money to unknown vendors. Another major concern was being encouraged or instructed to enter into a Verizon contract for equipment/services with the understanding that the company would ultimately take responsibility for the payments or reimburse the costs. This created a financial obligation in my name for something that was supposedly supposed to be provided as part of the employment. I believe this was another tactic used to make the opportunity appear legitimate while shifting the financial responsibility onto the victim. There were also significant inconsistencies regarding the identity and position of the alleged hiring manager. The person presented to me as “Matthew Sullivan” does not appear to actually use that name in communications and is referred to as “Sully.” This inconsistency raised additional concerns about who I was actually dealing with and whether the people involved were using false identities or aliases. I am providing this information because I believe it may be important for BBB, law enforcement, financial institutions, and other potential victims investigating this operation. The job itself was advertised as data entry, but when I asked specific questions about the actual data-entry duties, the individuals involved could not provide clear or consistent answers. They appeared unsure, hesitant, or unable to explain what the actual data-entry work consisted of. This is extremely concerning because a legitimate employer should be able to clearly explain the job responsibilities, training, workflow, software being used, expected duties, and who the employee would report to. Another major red flag was the communication pattern. The individuals involved were able to call me and contact me when they wanted me to complete something or follow their instructions. However, when I attempted to call them with questions or concerns, I could not get clear answers or reliable responses. This created a situation where communication was essentially one-sided: they contacted me when they needed something from me, but they were difficult or impossible to reach when I needed clarification about the job, equipment, payments, vendors, or other important matters. I was also instructed to send devices/equipment through FedEx. After the devices were sent, the individuals claimed that they had never received them on their end. This is one of the biggest red flags I encountered. I have shipping information and/or tracking documentation showing that the equipment was shipped, yet they subsequently claimed that it was never received. The fact that I was instructed to ship devices through FedEx and then was told that the company did not receive them makes me seriously concerned that this was intentionally designed to create confusion, deny responsibility, or potentially cause the victim to be financially responsible for equipment that was already shipped. The overall pattern was extremely concerning: a supposed remote data-entry job, promises that equipment would be provided, a fraudulent check sent through FedEx, instructions to send money to vendors, instructions or pressure to obtain services/equipment through Verizon with the expectation that the company would pay later, requirements to personally pay for items that were supposedly going to be provided, inconsistent information about the hiring manager’s identity, inability to clearly explain the actual data-entry duties, poor communication when questions were asked, and finally claims that equipment sent through FedEx was never received. I believe these circumstances strongly indicate that this was not a legitimate employment opportunity and may be part of an organized fake-check and employment scam. I am submitting this report so that BBB can document the complaint, investigate the individuals and/or business involved, and potentially warn other job seekers who may be targeted by the same operation. I strongly encourage anyone who receives a remote job offer involving a company check, requests to purchase equipment from specific vendors, requests to send money to vendors, requests to open a Verizon or other telecommunications account in their own name, or instructions to ship equipment back through FedEx to independently verify the employer before depositing any checks, signing contracts, sending money, or providing personal information. I have retained relevant documentation, including communications, shipping information, tracking records, check information, instructions I received, and other materials related to this employment opportunity. These records may be useful for an investigation and can help establish the sequence of events and the representations that were made to me.