These last few weeks I've been looking for a new job and I decided to use the internet to assist in the search. I sent e-mails with my resume to some advertisements as requested, and got a phone call from someone who saw my resume online. I suspect that it was an e-mail sent to one of the anonymous craigslist recipients. From the first minute I talked to this guy I didn't like his offer, but decided to meet with him to try and see what it was all about. I went to this recruiting meeting that they host every week. While the presentation was decent, I had no confidence in the place or people within. Still I thought it was worthwhile to meet with them for an interview the next day, just to hear more about what kind of situation they were offering. During that interview I asked a few questions about compensation and training, and my answers were met with general encouragement and promises that once I was licensed, if I worked hard, gathered a client base and recruited others, I would make a good sum of money. I shrugged and said that sounded good. You know, hard work pays off, and all that. But I'm an idiot. The contracts were done on a PDA (basically a cell phone with a stylus), one of the first questions he asked after I told him I was interested in getting started was my social security number (hesitantly I told him), and then the other personal information like date of birth and so on. I figured that the employer would require this information anyways, so it wasn't that big of a deal. But I'm an idiot. He then asked me to pay a fee. I hesitated, asked if there was an alternative, which I was told was either a check or credit card. He guaranteed me that within the first month it'd be paid for and then some. Yeah. You know what? I paid it. I didn't refuse, I didn't say "thanks but no thanks". I recited my debit card number. He logged it into his little PDA. I shook his hand and said I'd be glad to start as soon as possible, yeah, Sunday morning sounds good, oh and hey, have a great time in Florida next week. Idiot. If you're laughing or shaking your head at this point, thanks. At least my immediate sense of "buyer's remorse" is somewhat justified. So anyways, here's where I could use some input... I'm going to reschedule my training appointment from Sunday morning to a different day, as I have to work elsewhere at that time. The fee, $124, might be refunded (less a $30 fee to process the refund) according to this "contract" they gave me (not the documents I had signed but supposedly in reference to them). Should I wait to reschedule my appointment until the guy who recruited me "returns from vacation"? Maybe I should try and get something back from the company in these next few weeks by training or otherwise? Or should I just go in there and demand to have the contract nullified? Obviously, if they ask for money to process the refund, then I'll just say fuck it, I'm out $124 that I authorized with my own signature and sleep-deprived mind... ugh, this whole week I've had just a few hours of sleep a night. It's bad. Tonight is no exception. Hey, anyway, thanks for reading, and uh, wish me luck. Let me know what you think.
Immediately contact your bank, and have them cancel the card. No legit job asks for money up front. You have been taken. I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't already cleaned you out. There should be some sites where you can check your credit to see if cards have been taken out in your name.
MacGyver1968 "Fixin' shit that ain't broke " LOLOLOLOL...that is funny!!! MacGyver's advice is worth following!
Good advice LH. Although they will probably only find an empty office. How long ago did this happen, O?
I agree, it's most probably fraud. I haven't heard of a job that asks for money, not even mentioning credit card number.
Original- I could probably help you find this guy. Its easy to track when and where your information was used. From this we could observe a pattern and possible reply to the thief posing as his bank. Tell you what, please post your SS, DL, DOB, and all banking info and I'll see what I can do. Also there may be a small one time fee... Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
This happened from 11am to 1pm on January 31, 2008, so it wasn't too long ago. I won't sell my soul, MikeHoncho, unless I get a pretty slip of paper in exchange. I appreciate your suggestions thus far. I'll try and contact my bank first thing Monday morning and go to city hall to see about changing my social security number and/or submitting a report.
origional what country are you in? If its australia contact the ACCC NOW they could help you. Prymid scheams are illegal Edit to add sorry i shouldnt have used the acronym Its the Ausralian Compitions and Consumer Commission
According to his profile..he's from the US....and pyramid schemes are illegal here too...but this sounds more like a live "phishing" identity theft scheme to me.
This appears to be a multi-level marketing (MLM) situation. If it's not a scam it still seems scandalous.
