I applied for a writing job a while back through the Indeed job search site and I received a response for a job offer. I assumed it is legitimate. I even had an interview with this company on Thursday via Zoom. On Friday I received word that I had the job and I just needed to fill out some paperwork and then I could start training on the next Monday.
They informed me I needed to mobile deposit a check to get the necessary software for the writing job I was going to perform, which entailed editing and proofreading pages on their website. Then I could begin.
To start with I had a devil of a time getting this check through my email server. It finally arrived through my Spam folder. The check was made out to me, but the company’s letterhead was of another company from where it came from.
I asked about this, and the person on the other end said it was a donor and this was common practice. I went ahead and deposited the check through my cellphone using my bank’s mobile app.
Today I went to check on the status and transfer the funds into a newly made checking account. The teller asked for the check, which I had to return home and grab, and showed her. The teller told me that check was returned as potentially fraudulent.
On Monday I get to see if that company’s Zoom account or work’s website even exists. Or if the person I talked with even existed. Thankfully, I have no money to give these people, or I would have been out of almost $3,000. A valuable lesson learned I guess.
Jerry Schellhammer 