Craigslist Job Scam-Internet Solutions Corporation
*Note: Click here to read about the newest Craigslist Job Scam and for tips on protecting yourself.
Previously I had written about my car breaking down. Well that incident really set me back. Because I wasn’t able to continue to commute back and forth, I had to quit my job. Since then, I’ve working hard at finding an office job in my area which has not been easy. The town I live in is not that big. In fact, most of the people that live here commute to D.C. So the limited job availability coupled with the fact that whatever job I get must be accessible by the bus system has made the job hunt a bit of challenge.
So when I saw the following advertisement on Craigslist for my area, I thought I had lucked into something good.
Click image to get a larger view
However when I emailed the person for more information, I received the following form letter in reply:
Thank you for your interest in the Office Administrative Assistant
position. In order to get the most accurate information and to
expedite the hiring process, I have created my own online application.
Please complete, at the link below:http://blueribbonjobsearch.com/joboffer/register.cfm?jobpositionid=27058
Upon review, you will be contacted within a few days.
We are a strong supporter of education. Hence, if you are currently in
school or are interested in furthering your education, please indicate
so on your application.Thanks,
–
Shon Johnson
My first reaction was one of annoyance. If there was a special application they wanted me to fill out then why not post that information in the ad? It didn’t make any sense and I should have listened to my instincts. But of course I really need a job and despite this peculiar quirk, this seemed like a pretty good lead.
So I went to the site and was presented with this form:
Click image to get a larger view
I filled out the information and immediately regretted it when I clicked “Continue”. I was lead through a thinly veiled attempt to collect information for marketing purposes. I immediately cancelled out but realized that it was really too late for that. They already had my name, address, phone number and email address.
I tried not to worry about it but my worry increased when I went back to Craigslist and answered two different employment ads and was sent the same exact email. The only thing different was the email address I wrote to and the name of the person I had contacted. One email had a different web address in which to fill out the “Application”. This time instead of blueribbonjobsearch.com it was thecareerwizard.com.
I decided, then, to do a little detective work so see what I was up against. This led me to the Internet Solutions Corp Watch Website. The blog is filled with posts of all the domain names owned by the Internet Solution Corporation and there are links to information about the company such as this video on Youtube:
The video and other information I found on the internet has led me to believe that I had been lured into a phishing scam perpetuated by two men named Alec Defrawy and Alex Finch, the owners of Internet Solution Corporation. Phishing is what scammers do to collect personal information such as your name, address, email, passwords and even financial information. It is my opinion that Internet Solutions Corporation is using their numerous websites to collect information from applicants to resell to third parties. Based on information I have found on the internet, I do not believe that the jobs that they post exist. More worrisome, according to the video, some people have even been called in for interviews where even more personal information was collected and resold.
The situation is both frightening and disheartening. Especially as today I received the following automated response:
Our records indicate that you applied for the Office Administrative Assistant position at Blue Ribbon Job Search . We have received your application and feel you meet the initial requirements for the position. I would like to recommend you as a qualified candidate.
If you still have an interest in this position you may visit our website at: http://blue-ribbonjobsearch.com/careers2.aspx?email= &id=blueribbonjobsearch2nds06262008&jb=371006
When you open the application page you will be asked for a login id. Please use the following login to access the site:
Username: myemailaddress
Password: passwordWhen you login you will be asked to verify some information and some additional information from you to help in the final hiring decision. Once you complete this process your application will be forwarded for final review and you will be contacted directly.
Regards,
Sue Ann Merritt
Human ResourcesCareer Network, Inc.
P.O. Box 618305
Orlando, Florida 32861-8305
When I went to the address, it was an obvious attempt to confirm the information I had already provided to them as well as to harvest information about the people in my network in the form of personal references.
Based on information that I have read on the internet as well as my own experience and a one on one interaction with a “company representative” by the name of Alex Simon, I do not recommend that anyone do business with Internet Solutions Corporation, VeriResume or any of their “affiliate” websites such as thecareerwizard.com. I consider myself to be a pretty intelligent woman and I am embarrassed and angry at having been taken in by them.
The only advice that I can offer is to do your homework when applying for jobs advertised on the internet. One of the things that tipped me off is that each one of the advertisements for these jobs used Gmail addresses. That’s not to say that every business that uses Gmail is not trustworthy, only that you should be a little more cautious when replying to their ads.
Get as much information as possible about the job prospect before submitting any of your personal information to apply for it. If possible, get a phone number and address where you can actually talk to someone. If they don’t want to give you any of this information, walk away.
If something doesn’t feel right, go with your gut. If the person sends you to a web address to apply for a job, do a Google search on the website’s address and see what comes up. That’s how I was able to find information on the Internet Solution Corporation. I typed in thecareerwizard.com and was led to the Internet Solution Corporation Watch site. The one thing about scammers is that they always have leave a trail of victims and chances are good that, like me, someone has written about their experience to prevent others from being taken too.
If even one person is saved from being victimized by Internet Solutions Corporation, then I’ll consider this episode well worth the embarrassment. Be safe.
Additional Information
Taking the Bait On a Phish Scam – Washington Post
Looking for a job? Phishers are looking for you by the Washington Post
Better Business Bureau Report on Internet Solution Corporation
Something’s VeriRotten with VeriResume
Complaints regarding calls from VeriResume
List of domain names owned by Internet Solution Corporation
Criminal profile for Ayman El-Defrawi
Updates
I have received another email regarding a position I applied for. This time I was directed to connectioncareersnow.com. This is another domain owned by Internet Solution Corporation. Be on your toes.
Updates 04 July 08
A few days ago I received another letter telling me to apply online, this time at myemploymentspot.com. This company also goes by the name of VeriResume.
Additionally, I received an email from a Mr. Alex Simon threatening to sue me if I did not take this post down. I refused. I have edited the post to clearly indicate that this is my opinion based on my experience with this company and additional information from credible sources. You, as the reader, are free to make up your mind as to whether or not you wish to do business with them.
I will continue to update this post as more information regarding this company comes available.
Thank the editor. Contribute to my Audi fund!Link to this post
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Craigslist Job Scam-Internet Solutions Corporation
113 Responses to “Craigslist Job Scam-Internet Solutions Corporation”
About Me
I am a writer, thinker, info junkie and entrepreneur. Life is a puzzle adventure and I'm on a mission to uncover all its hidden treasures. Come explore with me.
I am the founder and owner of Omnithinker Media, a collection of websites that provide information and tools to help you Live Delish and Create the Life You Want.
I also offer professional writing services at my business site Delish iBusiness.
"A man with no fear is a truly free man"
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Hi ~ I have received several of these same ads on CL and as soon as I went to the page, I saw one of the fields requesting my date of birth. This was for an HR position. Having been in HR and knowing it is against the law to ask a prospective employee for their date of birth prior to employment, I knew something was up. It was enough for me to reply to their e-mail with that notification and haven’t heard from them since.
Thanks for the alert and keep up the great work!
Thanks for the info. I replied to the craigslist ads and sent my resume even though they were a gmail address. Some people are unprofessional. However, I did not fall for the filling out the form part of the scam.
The sites didn’t look right and I got auto responder replies immediately with links to them. A quick search turned up this site, which confirmed my suspicions.
Thanks again
This company is doing this nationwide as I was duped by an advert for a vet office receptionist position on CL philly. I filled out the initial form from the link sent to my email from a rep named “Brian Byrne”, however I didn’t fill out anything else beyond that. The link in the email was to thecareerwizard. A whois search shows that the domain record was created on 5/22/08 with domain servers of:
NS19.WORLDNIC.COM 205.178.190.10
NS20.WORLDNIC.COM 205.178.144.10.
Foolish me, I wasn’t sure that my application was processed so I clicked on the link and filled out the initial form again and it directed me to career-network. The domain record for that site was created on 7/18/08 with domain servers of:
NS79.WORLDNIC.COM 205.178.190.40
NS80.WORLDNIC.COM 205.178.144.40.
I had sent an email replying back to the sender wondering if my application had been processed. Obviously the cell phone carrier field and the drop-down menu regarding furthering your education should have made me not fill it out.
I received a separate email in response to a different position I sent a resume for on CL and the “HR rep Keith Grivaldi”, a fake name used for this ploy or a different ploy, sent me a link to thecareersupply.com. The email was too fishy so I deleted that. I did a whois search for thecareersupply.com and the
domain record was created on 12/5/08. Very Fast, indeed!
The domain servers are:
NS79.WORLDNIC.COM 205.178.190.40
NS80.WORLDNIC.COM 205.178.144.40.
So people be cautious if they see a link for any of those websites as they are appear to all the same.
I totally just fell for the much-maligned LPM Boutiques” scam. Here I am desperately looking for a job, and was absolutely taken advantage of. Sigh. My question is, can they do anything other than spam me? No financial information was exchanged.
Hi Cameron,
As long as you didn’t give them you ssn or any other information they could possibly use to steal your identity or something, then you should be fine. So far all they’ve is spam me.
I think I’ve fallen for the same LPM Boutiques scam that was mentioned above by Cameron.
I found a listing on craigslist for “Vintage Boutique Needs Sales Associate (South Philly).” I emailed the contact email which was a gmail “phillythrift@gmail.com.” Soon after I was emailed the following text:
Thank you for your interest in our retail position. In order to get
the most accurate information to expedite the hiring process, we have
created our own online application.
Please use the link below to complete
http://www.lpmboutique.com/employment/
Upon review, you will be contacted within a few days.
We are a strong supporter of education. If you are currently in school
or are interested in furthering your education please indicate so on
your application.
Thank You
Harison Ehram
LPM Boutique
I gave them my resume, cell number, email, and address. What should I expect? Spam? Phone calls? Please let me know. I’m so worried. All I wanted was a rad job for spring semester…
I think this just happened to me!
agghhh it sucks, especially with this economy where u are looking to find jobs, jobs you probably wouldnt take but have to… sux!!!
a
I just emailed my resume to the same “vintage thrift boutique” job ad on craigslist as Cameron. Good thing I googled that boutique name because I’d never heard of it. Unfortunately they now have my name, email, and phone number…
Since I have found the link was a spam, I have NOT replied or give them my ssn, nor give them my phone #. I haven’t heard anything from them since then. They must gotten tired of me. Once I filled out a fictious name(just for fun to see what happens…lol!!), they finally got my message that I am NOT dumb to fill out the spam info. That is what I do with spammers, give them a piece of my mind. They give up easily. I’m very careful what I do these days.
@ Dianca & Melissa
So far all they’ve done is spam me via email. However, I still signed up for a credit monitoring service (truecredit.com) because you just can’t be too sure these days. Just to give yourself peace of mind I do recommend signing up for the service even for just a few months to be sure.
@ Flo
It’s awful how these scammers take advantage of people during these hard economic times. Something has to be done to shut this company down.
@ Dave H
Good for you Dave. If we can discourage even one scammer then the effort is well worth it.
Yep, happend to me as well. I completley recognize their application every time they send me a job offer. I haven’t recived many calls, or emails asking me for info. Its still sucks though! I have my credit checked by Citi and I’ll request a report soon. Be careful outhere!
I unfortunetely have now experienced the LPM boutique scam. I at least had the foresight to Google LPM before filling out the “application”, but I did send them my resume, which contains my email & cell, in my first contact with them. If you don’t fill out the application, will you still get hit by them? Also, can they do anything with your past job history? I did mark the reply email with the request to fill out the application as “phishing scam” in my email box after reading this, so will this do anything?
It’s such a shame that in times like these that people stoop so low to take advantage of others like this. It’s sickening. Thank you so much for at least doing your part & alerting people to these jerks & saving those you can!
Hello,
like many mentioned above, I too was scammed by the infamous LMP boutique (Chicago.) I saw their add on Craigslist last night and I thought the idea of working there seemed very intruiging so I went ahead and sent my resume (which includes my name, e-mail, address, and phone number)and very naively I also uploaded my resume through their website. But I noticed when I uploaded it, my computer said that there was an “error” but shortly after I still recieved the verification e-mail..Has that ever happened to you?
I guess my biggest fear is that they will use my name and information for fraud/identity theft purposes and that scares me beyond belief.
What do you think I should do? And how would you go about reporting this?
LPM Boutique is nothing to do with Internet Solutions Corporation. Internet Solutions Corporation recently became Three Stars Media, and trades under the name Career Network and Destiny Careers.
Vickie,
I fell for this same scam some months ago. I opened an alert on my credit file and had a look at evertyhing on there. This happened to me about 6 months ago, and thus far, nothing has happened to me, aside from a few “spam” emails. I honestly think that is all they were looking to do anyway. You may also want to open a file with the Social Security administration. Look at my post on September 23. That’s how I handled my situation and I think that is about all you can do. Just be vigilent.
Thank you for writing this post!!! I’ve been laid off and started job hunting and applied to couple of Craigslist ads… and I started getting these online application asking about improving your education, etc.. something isn’t right… sigh now I have to be a bit more careful!
They take advantage of people who really need a job in these tough times. I just got laid off two months ago and thought I was in heaven when I saw the job oppurtunities with great pay. But when their reply asked that I click on a link to supply them with my credit report, the red flag went up. What kind of employer would ask for a credit report before even have met you and having filled out the appropiate paperwork and application. I responded with a similar comment and never heard back. This hurts people who really need a job and the honest employers that really need workers.
Thank you! I was just about to respond to an ad, felt weird about it and googled their email address when your post came up. You’re awesome and saved me a headache.
the name of the owner is Ayman Ahmed El-Difrawi and its in orlando florida on haiawasee rd in the metro west area. its a total scam, i know trust me. its a scam to get you to join online schools like university of phenix, kaplan, aiu
I know these guys, trust me they are such a scam. They only use a scam as far as it can take them. There based out in orlando florida in the metro west area, next to publix. They change names more than you can imagine. The whole company knows its a scam but the owner does his best to keep them pumped thinking there doing a something good. They ask for the cell phone and other info to text you or call you so they can make you believe that your in consideration for a job and than they hit you with would you like to try online schools. UOP, AIU, or Kaplan. They then try to transfer you to the schools where they pitch you some BS. Once they find out that your not interested they hang up or you never here from them again. They use craiglist bc its free and they send multipy ads out everyday by the thousands in each city in the counrty about. they still ads from other real ads and leave out the compnay info. thats why when you look at the ads its very general and they use gmail accounts alot. stay away from them and beware. its a scam. they dont care and they get paid by the leads they create for the online schools.
Jennifer and Nikki. Like I said earlier, when I get the scams like this, I make up names to give them scammers a very hard time. Its my way of having a little fun. I’m still looking for a good paying job. I am getting help from a Vocational Rehabilitation. They are a huge help!!! Hope you guys can get help as well. Good luck!!
Thank you for this information. I applied for several jobs on craigslist earlier this week. I got two of those emails that you described back. I haven’t clicked on them or filled them out, but I did send them my resume in my initial email, which I’m regretting now! At least your post saved me from going any further!
Too bad I didnt do my research first. I didnt figure out the scam until they wanted references page. Thought that was asking too much for a job search site.
Thanks for the info. I hope this page helps spread the word and helps shut this organization down.
The scam has changed names again. Three Stars Media http://www.threestarsteam.com suddenly has become Three Stars Team http://www.threestarsteam.com , or simply Three Stars from looking at the site.
Seems like the result of an unexpected incident. The site was registered january 21 2009. Within three days they completely removed the word ‘Media’ from the site They removed the major part of their online press releases containing the name ‘Three Stars Media’. They are being replaced by copies of the old ones, without the word ‘Media’. Even seen one from January 21. Currently still in cache. http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Company+Forum+Now+Open+for+Three+Stars+Media
Correction: Three Stars Media http://www.threestarsmedia.com
Jennifer and Tammo, I went to University of Phoenix just out of curiousity to see how much it would cost just to go to class. Wow!!! The price was a bit high and they do have a good sales pitch. I wrote to them saying that I am not interested. Haven’t heard from them yet. Thank you Jennifer for letting me know about the scams here from University of Phoenix. Tammo, Thank you for sending the link to the Three Stars Media site. I’ll keep an eye open. Dave
HAHAHAHAHAHaaaa. I like most am desperate for a job so bought in to furnishing the info. Just yesterday I went in and filled out the references dealy that was asked for in the second email. As I was in this site reading about all the scams my cell phone rang. It was from a person at ‘Employment Select’ wanting to verify the info I furnished.. It was going to take me 30/45 minutes to verify. I asked if they were representing ‘Career Network’ and was told yes. I told them how interesting their timing was since I was currently looking at web sites telling me what a fraud Career Network was. I was given all the sell about it not being a rip off and then told “OH, it looks like we’ve already verified your information so I’ll go ahead and send your application to the employer. Thanks for your time. Good bye.” You be the judge. BEWARE!!!!!
Thank you so much for posting about this! I have been looking for jobs on Craigslist, and never having any experience with this before, I fell victim to their scams on more than one occasion. I have yet to receive any phone calls, but the e-mails have already started. If it weren’t for your post, I may have been dumb enough to give in to more of their scams. I feel just like you – embarrassed that I gave into this! I’m a smart girl, and this is very not cool. Thanks so much!
Sad to say, I too fell for this scam.
Will I be in any trouble, having given my resume and contact references?
Being new here and not having any job at the moment, I don’t have any credits as mentioned here. I do have my SSN (thankfully, I didn’t give that out) given to me recently.
When I found out this was a scam, I immediately informed my references about it.
I guess I’m just scared that my information might be used by someone else because I was so stupid not to do my homework.
So, am I in any trouble? Will I be a victim of identity theft? or credit theft or whatever it is you guys call it?
thanks for any help you may provide.
Mon
Thanks for the comments, I received this in my e mail
Our company is currently looking for a motivated Shipping and Receiving to join our team, and, after viewing your resume I would like to speak with you about this opportunity. Based on your qualifications I feel that you would be a perfect candidate for this opening.
The ideal candidate will be career minded and have a “can do” attitude! Candidate will work a Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm schedule. The Shipping and Receiving position offers competitive pay beginning at $15/hour plus exceptional benefits to match!
, I have only extended this opportunity to a few people as I would like this position to be filled soon. Please view our website through the link below to complete an online application and to view a more detailed description of this position regarding qualifications, benefits, and more!
*Removed URL/Contained Commenter’s Email Address*
I am beginning the interview process shortly so I look forward to hearing from you today and hopefully working more closely with you!
Best Wishes,
C. Benn
Hiring Manager
Thank you so much for posting this. I have a friend that got an email from them saying they read her resume and to send in her info. I work for a Top head Hunting Firm and told her if she gets an email about jobs send them to me first. Looking for info about this company i came across your post and your a God sent. Im happy you did not take this down. Its helping a lot of people. Like i said i work for a Top job placement firm with real jobs for Managers and Business development and I know what scams are all about. I hope people research before sending any info to anyone. Check to see if they have a linkedin profile and if there is no phone number to call them at you know its a scam!!!!!! Id be happy to help anyone on a real job hunt you can see im a real person not a scam. My linkedin profile to contact me is http://www.linkedin.com/in/missyhickcox
If you have any gut feelings about a job thats email to you i have all the resources to check them out.
Be careful People. There out there scaming BIG time. Some even change you to find you a job. You should NEVER have to pay for help finding a job.
Again, thank you all for your comments regarding this issue. I will be doing a follow up article soon about what you can do to protect yourself if you have fallen for this scam.
Be safe out there.
Thanks for this article, but unfortunately I already filled out the first part of the application page with my personal information. I googled their address because it was weird that they didn’t tell me where the position was located. Instantly I realized my mistake when the first search result was “Rip-off Report: Keith Grayson Executive Assistant Orlando Florida”. I am extremely frustrated because I should have trusted searched their company before I filled out the first part, and I even uploaded my own resume with my references information on it! Is there anyway that they did not receive my information because I literally closed it out after I had been taken to the second page asking me if I was interested in pursuing furthur education while working.
Thoroughly pissed off.
PS. This is the website I went to: http://impeccablecareers.com/
Never trust a guy who does not give you his full name in a professional correspondence
Well, I did one smart thing today! I too just arrived at craig’s list, so happy about all the interesting work available!
But…I did NOT send a resume, since they did not give the name and location of the company…did not include phone number…it’s like, if they’re vague I’m vague too!
But I do feel a bit embarrassed nonetheless, and yes, disappointed, I need a job, and would love to have one of the bogus jobs offered!
I am replying to Amy’s comment. My e-mail was almost exactly the same–word for word. Thank goodness for you guys out there!! Two things about my e-mail was that the job stated it was $25/hr and the other thing was when I went to fill out the application on-line..the part that read “do not attach whole resume” just work history information…it wouldn’t let me fill in the box…so, I thought something wasn’t right!! But I also have been getting calls from schools from a application I submitted on CareerBuilder.com..the only way to apply was to answer if you wanted to further your education and they present it as if every employer wants to hire someone that wants to further their education!! What a lot of bunk!!
It’s incredible how long this scam has been going on. Law enforcement seems to think that this is a civil matter. When does it becomes non-civil.
Mr. Difrawi uses his employees to fabricate affivadits. Take the case of Terri Lynn Bears. She filed an affivadit in Les Henderson case that stated she purchased Les’ book. Since she lived in Florida and purchased his book, by law Mr. Henderson have conducted business in the State of Florida giving the state jurisdication.
In the case of ScamFraudAlert.com, Mr. Difrawi had Terri Lynn Bears and other employees filed affivadits stating that the owner of ScamFraudAlert.com send emails to them defaming Mr. Difrawi. Absolutely FABRICATED.
Mr. Difrawi continues to RUN HIS OPERATION WITH TOTAL DISREGARD TO THE LAW or WHAT IS CONSIDER NORMAL BUSINESS PRACTICES. THAT IS NO DECEPTIVE EMPLOYMENT OFFER THROUGH JOB ADVERTISEMENT. THIS IS THE “CORE” OF HIS EMPIRE OR OPERATIONS.
These are all over Craigslist Texas, from the small town areas especially, if it does not have a name, phone and real email address forget it.
If you notice a fake like I did, just report it to Craigslist please. I used my trash mail and replied to one of these fools and told them that I reported them and here is my response:
We have had a problem recently with craigslist applicants sending fake resume attachments which are actually downloadable viruses, causing our network to crash. After our third network collapse we have now been forced to change the process of uploading your resume. If you want to be considered for the position you MUST follow the steps below for us to view your resume and consider you for the position.
Complete BS! ^^^^ Job Seeker beware!
Another POP UP SCAM!!!
Our Human Resources Department recently received the online application you submitted for the Marketing Administrative Assistant – Up to $50,000 position with Popup Careers. Their review of your application has led them to conclude that you meet the initial requirements for employment in this position. They have forwarded your application to be considered as a potential candidate for the Marketing Administrative Assistant – Up to $50,000 position.
If you still have a desire to be considered for this position, please indicate so by visiting our website at the following location: http://popup-careers.com/careers2.aspx?email=youremail@gmail.com&id=popupcareers2nds03032009&jb=03032009
Information:
If you EVER have to click a advertisement, or you place your email in a box before anything else, or click a Google ad, It is a scam!
As you all should know, Adwords and Adsense are there to help webmasters make money by people clicking these ads, if you were made to click an Ad before and after anything else, someone is making money off of that click.
Thank You
Admin
StaffSearchVideo.com
I am absolutely mortified. I got scammed by fraudulent jobs on Craig’s list. I even was so stupid to give my SSN!!! I was so excited to see all the job openings in the area my husband and I want to move to. These people are so hurtful. It makes me sick to my stomach to even think about it. What can I do to find out if my identity is compromised? Who do I contact? I tried freecreditreport.com, but they need my cc info. Is there anything I can do to see my report free of charge and flag it? Im so worried.
Regards,
Jane Doe
To answer your question on where to get a copy of your credit report and to correct the wrong information given. The site to get a copy free is not freecreditreport.com this site requires you to sign up for a monthly subscription to a credit watch program for $15 or so. It is actually annualcreditreport.com and if you don’t believe me Google it, it is the only govt site that was created solely for giving people access to their reports once a year free from all three credit bureau. Also in response to another post about getting on the do not call list, you can call 18885optout. This is something else you can google. I used to work for the credit card company in their fraud dept so I advised customers all day long of their protections and rights with issues like this.
Dang it, they got me too. CAUTION: THEY ARE GETTING MORE SNEAKY AND GROSS! I applied to a job posted on YAHOO’S HOT JOBS, asking for a Receptionist at a Pediatricians Office, making $17.50-$22.50 an hour. Yes, it’s a high pay scale, but some of these jobs want you to know medical terminology and do some back office, which is why I thought it was plausible!
- – -
Here’s the ad from Yahoo Hot Jobs:
Healthcare Receptionist: Company Confidential
Company Name Company Confidential
Job Category Clerical/Administrative; Healthcare
Location Los Angeles, CA • San Diego, CA
Position Type Full-Time, Employee
Salary $17 to $22.50 per hour
Experience 0-1 Years Experience
Desired Education Level High School
Date Posted April 23, 2009
We are looking for a receptionist for our busy pediatrics office. The ideal person is energetic, detail oriented professional. As receptionist your duties will include but not limited to answering the phone, transfer incoming faxes to the appropriate person, and data entry for payroll. Wage begins at $17.00 – $22.50 per hour with pay increases for hardworking employees. Our benefits package includes Health, Dental and vision coverage. Paid time off, Profit Sharing and 401k is offered after 60 days of continuous employment.
Qualified candidates will be contacted within 3-5 business days to possibly schedule an interview.
(Note, a link regarding the employer says the headquarters are in Newark NJ)
The link to apply took me to a funky domain…
http://jobsmatchnowemployment.com/joboffer/register.cfm?jobpositionid=121643
Now, I see that jobsmatchnowemployment.com has scam alerts of its own, if you look them up on Google. It gets better!!!
Then I got this: From PerfectCareerCenter.com (which forwards to Career-Networks.com):
Secretary opening available – $25
From: “Perfect Career Center”
Hi Heather,
We are currently seeking a motivated Secretary to join our team as soon as possible. The Secretary will be responsible for various office duties such as answering phones, sending and receiving all faxes, sending and receiving all mail, and ordering office supplies. This position offers $25/hour and includes full benefits, which we will discuss at the time of your interview.
Heather, to avoid being flooded with applications and responses, I have only extended this opportunity to a few people. Your online resume caught my attention, and I would like to start the interview process as soon as I possibly can. I am looking forward to hearing from you today, if at all possible. By clicking the hyperlink below, you can view more information about the position, benefits offered, our company, and send in your application as an interested applicant.
I am interested in applying for the Secretary position.
I hope to receive your application later today!
With Regards,
J. Howard
HR Director
If you cannot access the webpage through the link above, you can copy and paste the link at the bottom of this message into your browser.
http://findperfectcareercenter.com/cmanager3.aspx?em=email@email.com&id=admamid4_lil51_AdministrativeClerical_04272009_MON&rd=88255&gs=7&ro=4&j=52408948
See this link here? I put it in so you could click on it, and for my privacy, I decided to edit a few numbers on it. Well, when I did, it came up with a different scam job, looking for a Hotel Worker. Sheesh! They are reallllllly trying hard to scam people!
- – -
When I clicked on the REAL link on my email, discussing my healthcare receptionist job, it was basically the same as the hotel worker link you see above. There was no mention of WHERE the job was. At least with the pediatrician ad it stated Los Angeles/San Diego (which should’ve been a clue it was a fake ad — that’s a very far roundtrip distance and I doubt they have offices in both areas, or if they could, they would expect a person to work in both offices!)
On the “About Us” Page at Career-Networks.com, it says ANOTHER domain:
Career Network is owned and operated by Three Stars, founded in 2005 by two individuals working from home to start a job board. In four years, that business has grown into a thriving international company with over 500 employees worldwide.
We are one of the largest gateways to employment opportunities on the Internet. Thousands of resumes are posted on our network of job boards daily, cross-posted through multiple channels, portals and search engines. With roughly 1.5 million job seekers applying for positions through our network every month, we provide employers with the most exposure to their vacant positions.
For more information about Three Stars, please visit our site at threestarsteam.com.
What We Do
At Career Network, we pride ourselves on not being your “ordinary” job board. For employers, we add high-level organization and superior management to their recruiting process by aligning them with qualified individuals and providing a user-friendly back office system that makes managing jobs and applicants easy. They are able to post unlimited positions, control where their jobs are advertised (nationwide, by state or by zip code), and choose their pricing bracket. We offer two different payment options: flat rate and pay-per-applicant.
For job seekers, we offer a vast database of open positions and an easy-to-use format to enhance their job search. Not only are they free to apply for positions at will, but we also invite them to apply for jobs that they are already qualified for.
By using a network of geographic and industry specific job boards, we provide employers and job seekers with options, an important factor to both parties.
- – -
SO BE CAREFUL OUT THERE…EVEN YAHOO JOBS APPARENTLY IS ACCEPTING SCAM ADS NOW. I AM GOING TO REPORT THIS, BUT BE SURE TO CHECK OUT SITES IF THEY LOOK LIKE THE JOB IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE OR IF THE SITE IS GENERIC
A note on what I think they are doing: they appear to be capturing data on whether a person wants to continue their education or start a company, in addition to being a job seeker. I believe their whole goal is to create sellable lists to make money off of OUR EMAIL ADDRESSES!
If you think that sounds far fetched, just know that I worked for a legitimate company that rented lists from a big legitimate list rental agency. We paid up to $50k for lists in a year! It’s BIG BUSINESS and our email boxes will suffer!!!!
MORE INFO!
Attention fraudulent job posters — your days are numbered. You might as well turn yourselves in, because info about you is ALL over the net and it won’t be long before you’re done!!
Their List of Offending Web Sites, In Part, Includes:
jobsmatchnowemployment.com
career-network.com
findperfectcareercenter.com
perfectcareercenter.com
threestarsteam.com
threestarsinc.com
three-stars-inc.com
three-stars-inc.net
threestarsinc.info blastcareers.com imageemployment.com greatestcustomcareers.com youlookforcareers.com theconcordcareers.com directcareerjobs.com employmentflash.com twinklecareers.com yourcareerdrive.com career-zoom.com
actioncareersonline.com
actionmarketingteam.com
careernetworksite.net
There are THOUSANDS more, to be sure…I just feel exposed clicking on their links any further.
Others reporting scams from these people:
http://en.wordpress.com/tag/alec-difrawi/ (links to many of the scams listed below)
http://scamfraudalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/administrative-assistant-company-confidential-2/
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/346/RipOff0346720.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/352/RipOff0352258.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/341/RipOff0341891.htm
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/fraud–rip-off-c133814.html
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/false-job-posting-c109267.html
http://www.complaintsboard.com/suspicious-companies/careernetworkjobscom-aka-starlitecareerscom-aka-jocelyn-gibbons-a70314.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090129143600AAyocdI
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090206063501AAD7yfb
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&p=17034639
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/03/stampout2001.shtm (Career Network was in court on this in 2001 — they didn’t learn their lesson!)
http://www.arwentaylor.com/craigslist-job-scam-internet-solutions-corporation/
http://scamfraudalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/22/jobs-by-action-marketing-team-three-star-inc-or/
http://scamfraudalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/18/company-nameaction-marketing-team/
http://scamfraudalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/12/plant-worker-action-marketing-team/
http://scamfraudalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/bank-teller-position-confidential/
http://scamfraudalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/warehouse-worker-permanent-hire-careers/
http://scamfraudalert.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/action-marketing-team-jobs/
http://threestarsmedia.blogg.se/
http://www.aboutus.org/User:snagalot
http://www.hollywooddump.com/2007/02/another-employee-steps-forward-to-vent.html
Let’s WORK TOGETHER to protect ourselves! I have submitted my story to a few sites, but I also submitted this entire post to the FBI! You can too! There’s also the Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau, etc. Take action, don’t let them keep this up! Also, if we don’t stop employment sites like Yahoo Hot Jobs from taking their ads, we are all in danger AND getting our hopes up for jobs that don’t exist. Report it to them as well, like I did!
Report to the FBI: http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx
Report to the FTC: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en
Report to the BBB: https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx
Tell Yahoo Hot Jobs that It’s Fraud ! Stop Them From Allowing Fraud to Be Mixed w/Real Jobs.
Go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/hotjobs/generaljobs.html. Tell them about Employer #649062, as well as the Action Marketing Team, Employer #730888, which looks more legitimate, but when you access their jobs, it’s the SAME forms as the other site. Ugh! (Don’t forget to click the REPORT ABUSE link on individual jobs connected to these employers!)
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Hello,
I am so glad to see that you have kept your posting up. I ran into actually Career Network and realized it was a fraud as I too received several under different emails but they all had the same Terms & Agreement page, and some time ago they application used to ask for the phone carrier (which they can earn bogus money sending text msgs to you). But, even though you found out it’s Defrawi, that is not is total true name, Alex is a chosen name. Look up Lou Pearlman in wikipedia. Alex was his parnter and Lou Pearlman went to jail in Florida for the up to then biggest Ponzi scheme in the US (unfortunately the Wall Street guy is now bigger). I reported CN (to craiglist security), and tried posting on yahoo answers, but got flagged for abouse, supposedly there is some profiles run by Defrawi another person found (Oscar the Grouch), who writes blogs that CN is a legitmate site, which it is not. Also, if you notice when receiving other bogus and fraud site info it all seems to originate in south Florida for some reason. Anyway, in my research (used to be in fraud prevention for a huge lender before they collapsed, this is why I’m on the hunt for Defrawi and getting him banned on any site), I found a connection of an Alec or Alexander Simon, because oneof the return emails for CN back then was from this name, he is connected to Talent Network in Las Vegas which is also reported as fraud and very similar to the Lou Pearlman scheme with adults, scamming paretns of money to put their kids into show biz. Defrawi actually spent time in jail for fraud, 4 years, and was charged with child abuse at one time. It’s all in wikipedia with links to the court documents, he can’t have public legal papers banned. I’ve found him on student web pages at colleges and he says find a great job, and he’s not a student. He couldn’t be going to school in one state and be attending a truck driving school in another. In all cases I report him to the site security, and I did start a case over a year ago with the Federal Trade Commission, and I never get any ads with him on craigslist anymore. But, I just reloaded my resume to yahoo again. Big mistake, and I tried to get their cooperation in getting rid of him, so again got an email from Career Network. I saw one blog where he may be associated with a European mafia as one guy is hunting Defrawi relentlessly, but some of this people are almost as bad as Defrawi. I only believe real documents, such as the court papers. And supposedly he’s buying up computer site shares and has knocked some people’s blogs and sites right out of business. He’s an immoral and evil person, and profiting from innocent job seekers misfortune. Just keep reporting him to the site securities and FTC and FCC. Keep up the good work, and I’m glad to see it did get to him since he contacted you directly. His real name is Ayman Ahmed El-Difrawi and supposedly his monther’s name and address is where his business is linked to. There is history on his parents ad life too. Read evreythign on wikipedia about this guy and Lou Pearlman.
As an additional note, I read a blog where if someone does get your cell and carrier and you start receiving odd text messages, to look for the opt out code. I never text and only have a prepaid cell, but supposedly unless you opt out, like on computer email this is how they could make money. Today’s email and Career Network application site did not ask for a carrier, so Defrawi seems smart enough to take that away. After watching the video I don’t know why the large copanies or a lawyer doesn’t take it on board to sue Career Network and Defrawi for illegally using their trademarks on their website without permission. I used to work in sales/marketing in the software development world, and you can’t use logos and trademarks without express permisson. There’s a lead for any lawyers out there, could make some money or at least a name for yourself. Today’s website didn’t list the companies like before, but fraudster are stupid, they leave a trail that will always trip them up as I found working in the real estate fraud. They have many trademarked logos of famous companies right there on their web pages. Defrawi will eventually go to jail, just a matter of time, as it took with Lou Pearlman, we all just have to keep blogging and putting in formal complaints, and if we can get the job boards to listen and help, they they won’t have a place to capture you info as easily, if they are banned, but I couldn’t get yahoo to listen and all they have in their admin section now is insurance sales, and bogus companies, guess they don’t care.
Thanks for these great postings. I have sent email responses saying “you are scammers and liars” and I get a response “thanks for your great interest we would like to hire you.” So they don’t even read what you send. One flag for me is misspelled words in the ad. If they can’t spell key words in the ad I get a strong feeling it is a scam.
YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS ONE!
Now that I posted, I got what I can only perceive as a veiled threat from Career Network’s lawyer.
I never replied to him, but here it is, for you to see. These people are crooks and have a lawyer trying to squash our free speech is sickening. Nowhere in here have we said anything but our own opinion and experiences and read up, because that’s PROTECTED SPEECH.
Leave us alone, Mr. Scum-Representing Lawyer. We are NOT afraid to tell the truth!
“Dear Ms. XXX:
My name is Keith Kress and I serve as general counsel for Career Network. It has come to my attention that you recently applied for employment through www. career-network.com and were less than satisfied with your experience. I would appreciate if you would share with me any questions and concerns you have regarding your experience with Career Network at your earliest convenience so that I may address any problems that might exist with Career Network and also ease any concerns you may have as well.
I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Keith E. Kress
Attorney at Law
(321) 293-3236
KKress@kress-law. com”
ACK! I just want these crooks to go away. You WILL NOT win, so stop trying!
I recently found an email in my inbox regarding Legal Assistant position, and as I am currently job hunting, of course I was interested… at first. The email contained a link out to an “online application”, and as I am wary of any job response containing a website link, I Googled their company name: Career-Network, Inc., P.O. Box 618305, Orlando, FL 32861-8305.
The search results all pointed to scam, and I appreciate coming across your article. I just wanted to add the information sent to me, to help warn others. The web address they linked me to for their application was “newly-employed.com”.
Thanks for your article!