Christina D.

Indeed.com allows scam artists to post bogus job listings. I received a job offer that I initially couldn't pass up. Pay was $2000 per month, part time and it was work from home plus possible monthly bonus. I immediately got suspicious when Frank Mills (I doubt that's his real name) hired me without ever calling me for an interview. He claimed he was out of the country in the U. K. Frank Mills told me my job duties were to send client proposals, enter data, maintain administrative records, and he would send me all materials in due time, names and addresses of companies to send the materials to bla bla bla. I asked him for the name of his business, website URL, and description of what his company does which he only gave me the name of the company "FIM Consulting LLC" and never gave me any other info. Everything was done via email. He started sending me very poorly written emails with many punctuation mistakes. He said that payment is done either by direct deposit or check which is a single monthly payment. I wasn't about to give a company that didn't seem legitimate my checking account or routing number for direct deposit! I was never able to find anything by googling the companies name, which is a big red flag. I was curious about the scam so I went along with it. He asked me for my address and phone number and I told him that information is all on my resume. At this point I thought he was the dumbest person alive. He seemed he had a lot of urgency for me to get the check and deposit it as he even provided the tracking number. Here is Frank's exact email:

"I just track the package now i and i see that you have got the payment from my client. I will like you to go and deposit the check with your bank ATM machine or with you bank teller. Then let me know when the check will cleared in 24 hrs, i will tell you what to do with the remaining funds after you will move your month bonus with is $300. I will tell you what to do with the remain money. Am waiting for your mail urgent"

I got the check in the amount of $2,650.46. Delivered via USPS priority mail. It was shipped from New Jersey, but the Bank's address was from New York. The check was from HSBC bank, however the bank logo looked home made because it was pixilated and distorted, which was another red flag. The memo on the check read "Funds Available", another red flag. When have you ever written a check and felt the need to write "Funds Available" on the memo line? I wondered what would happen if I just cashed the check? Probably no money available. I didn't want to waste anymore of my time when I knew that it was a scam. I want other people to know so they don't become victims. Trust your gut instinct. If something seems off, then it probably is.