A Westlock couple are feeling frustrated and worried about the possibility of identity theft after falling prey to an employment scam advertised through the local paper.
“John and Jane,” who asked not to be identified in this article, said they weren’t bilked out of any money by a con artist who posted a fake job ad in the Town & Country in late November. However, they did provide their fake employer with personal details and are worried about being involved in some identity theft scheme.
“I’ve read such terrible things (about identity theft),” Jane said.
At the start of December, “John” responded to an advertisement for a “driver” position that only included an e-mail address as a contact.
They received an e-mail on Dec. 5 from a British man named Collins Maxwell, who claimed to work in the buying and selling of artworks and “organizing an art work exhibition (sic).”
He further claimed to have a wife and three children and even sent along a picture of the family. “Maxwell” claimed he would be moving to Canada soon and would require a driver to transport his children back and forth to school. The initial e-mail promised a salary of $550 a week.
He asked for personal details, like their mailing address and a driver’s licence number. The couple did not think that was unusual, as the man was advertising for a driver. “Maxwell” claimed he would be in Alberta by Jan. 5, 2011. He also claimed he would be sending a secure down payment of $200 “before I arrive in Canada (sic).”
At some point, the couple began questioning if the job offer was legitimate, and so they began to search online for more information. They came across a listing of various employment scams and found two mentions of the same scam perpetuated by a Collins Maxwell under identical circumstances.
Immediately, they contacted the RCMP, who advised the couple to contact their credit card companies and investigate getting a new driver’s licence for John. They were told that they could only “put a hold” on John’s licence if anyone other than him requested a copy or phoned for other information about John.
The most frustrating thing about the situation for the couple is that John turned down a couple of other jobs because of this one, Jane said.
“This was a waste of time and energy,” she added.
The scam has not been limited to the Westlock area either. Sgt. Bob Dodds of the Barrhead RCMP, said a similar incident occurred in their detachment area.
A Barrhead area man recently came in with a complaint that he had applied for the same job and was offered it under identical circumstances.
He was actually sent a cheque as a retainer but was advised not to cash it by his financial institution, who informed him it was a scam.
Dodds said the man then received numerous calls from his “employer” to cash the cheque.
Employment scams
RCMP Cpl. Linda Klassen, who works with the ‘K’ division’s Commercial Crime Section, said people often do not report falling for employment scams, as they are embarrassed that they were fooled or lost money.
“As with any other scam, education is the key to prevention,” she said.
Many legitimate companies advertise in the classified sections of newspapers, but these employment agencies have permanent addresses, advertise a specific job and receive fees from the employer once the applicant has been placed.
If you’re ever asked to provide money/a credit card number/personal information to any employment agency, you should find out exactly what services the company provides, request information regarding the company and its employees, and investigate the company thoroughly online using search engines.
Klassen said it is never required for job applicants to provide their social insurance number or driver’s licence number to apply for a position, so make sure you check out any potential employer who does so.
Make sure all promises are down in writing before signing any contract and that you understand all the terms of that contract, she indicated.
