Started with an email from
[email protected] about a job offer as "billing clerk". Requested that I fill out a job application form (with information that I would normally have on my CV anyway). I fill it out and send it back on Friday, Dec 11th, 2015.
Today (the following monday), I receive a phone call from this number claiming to be calling from "Bucher Travel". So far so good. Lady on the phone tells me to check my email in the next few minutes for a message from them about the job offer. Weird thing to place a call about, but alright.
I receive an email from the "manager" Matina Clark that contains the following:
Hello Brandon,
We are pleased that you have accepted our offer to work in our company. We start our business in Canada and we will be opening offices on December 28, 2015. We hire people for the position of "Billing Clerk". You have a unique opportunity to start working with us, and be among the first employees in one of our offices. For the beginning you need to complete the document "Employment agreement".
1. Please carefully read the document "Employment agreement" Print, sign, put a date on the offer; scanned and sent by email.
2. Scan and write any document proving your identity.
3. Link your personal bank account to "Interac E-mail Money Transfer" system (EMT), if it is not connected.
Best regards,
Manager Matina Clark
[email protected]
Bucher Travel Inc.
Phone: (347) 389-0578
__________________________
At this point, I look at the original job offer, now that I'm not looking at a bunch of them all at once, and realize that $24/h as a Billing Clerk is extremely abnormal. So I decide to do a little research. I start with the website.
buchertravel.ca, you will find is a legitimate website. It doesn't look tacky and it actually conforms to most of today's web standards. There's one problem that most won't see: http://i.imgur.com/nlMPRq8.jpg
The website is actually loading all the content from Bucher Travel's company website buchertravel.ch. At this point, red flags are popping up in my mind everywhere. So I do a little "whois" research now. Find out who's registered the two websites, official and unnofficial. I came up with this: http://i.imgur.com/aXMqsME.jpg
I don't aim to call the phone number back but I've replied to the email simply with the following:
Hello Matina,
I would feel more comfortable providing and signing any official documents in person rather than over the internet. This is for security and privacy reasons. I do hope you understand.
Thank you,
Brandon Nolet