IT People in Canada? Help?

[lupo pazzesco]

Not sure how to phrase this, but a friend actually got a job offer from a Canadian company, claiming to open a satellite office down here in Texas. A few alarm bells are going off, and from reading experiences both here and via other friends online, I'm thinking scam.

I've already asked a few people I know who have excellent google-fu, and they're saying they wouldn't touch this with a 10ft pole. Lovely right?

So, last stop before I go to said friend and explain the findings...is there anyone here familiar with the IT world in Canada, who, if they PM me and i give the company name info and website, might be able to tell me if it's legit on that end? Because it's in Canada, we're just hesitant to automatically call scam, since we really only know so much about 'murica, ya know?

Just a random thought I had, hopefully something comes of it. If not, I tried.

Thanks in advance!

[TheSHAD0W]

My first question is, where in Canada? The city/province would help a lot.

[lupo pazzesco]

Oh, derp. I suppose that WOULD help.

Um, the website says "in the MONTREAL area and beyond" That's all I could really find.

[lupo pazzesco]

Thanks patiokitty, PMing you the website/name now.

[sirwired]

A lot depends on what he's being asked to do. "Establishing a satellite office" is not something that would usually be done by an employee in the area; I believe it would normally be done by somebody they'd send down to the area (at least temporarily), and then staffed by locals.

If the "job" has anything to do with "payments processing" run away. Very quickly. If they ask for a "background check fee", "special software", or something similar. Again, run away.

It's quite common (browse the FTC website) for telemarketing and business opportunity scams targeting Americans to be run from Canada. The "North American" accent on the phone lulls people into a false sense of security, and the scammers know that national borders make things 10x harder to prosecute. (Not impossible by any means, but the chances of recovery for any losses are more-or-less zero.)

[Rapscallion]

How did they come to know of your friend's existence? Email to your friend out of the blue? Job agency?

Rapscallion

[lupo pazzesco]

Raps, she's been applying to various jobs via Monster, and said she doesn't remember applying to this place. However, she DID allow her resume and job preference/interest to be public for people to search, so she's thinking that's how they found her.

[MoonCat]

I second the run away advice if there's anything about payment processing, check processing, financial stuff, etc. It's a money laundering scheme and people who fell for it have been prosecuted as accessories to a crime.

[lupo pazzesco]

Thank you so much patiokitty. I've forwarded this on to my friend. She and I were spending time hanging out today, and I shared everything y'all have found. She'd said she was having some alarm bells herself (hence what started our initial conversation) and after some of what we (her brother and the people I'd asked before coming here) had found out, she told the guy she was meeting he should look for someone else to fill the position.

Now, they were supposed to have a face to face meeting sometime next week, but after she sent that message? Oddly, he hasn't answered her or tried any other form of communication. Odd, that.

[lupo pazzesco]

HOLY SHIT, HALP!! MAJOR MASSIVE NOT GOOD UPDATE!!

Mk, friend just got a BIG surprise and is now freaking out.

She just got a cashier's check from this supposed Canadian company, from a bank located in Lake Mary, Florida. I told her DON'T DO ANYTHING, until I can get more info, because I've heard of scams like this before.

Problem is, she opened a new bank account and this guy has the deposit info for the account. So we're trying to figure out how to bypass that and what, exactly, to do with this cashier's check. I'm trying to attach it as a Jpeg, (with my friend's named blacked out, but want to be sure if that's all I need to black out and if anyone has any help they can provide!

Help help help!

I have to calm her down, she's feeling physically ill over this right now.

[Mikkel]

I'm sure someone will know exactly how this scam works and how to stop it, but while we are waiting for that, why not contact the police or, perhaps better, the FBI? The bank might be able to help too.

[KiaKat]

The good news is that she hasn't cashed the cheque. Until she does that, it's just a piece of paper. Contacting her bank(s) is a good first step, as well as the issuing bank. They'll likely have procedures for this sort of thing, and will be happy to help.

Another good first step is to stop panicking. Hopefully the company doesn't have full identity information on her, yet. If they do, she needs to lock down her credit reports so that nothing can hit (contact each reporting agency to find out how) and check to make sure there's no fraud on there.

[lupo pazzesco]

Mikkel, most of my call with my friend involved me trying to calm her down, she was freaking out about having THAT much money put into her hands for a company she'd decided not to go with, ESPECIALLY after she heard some of the info gathered on them.

Happy Monday, everybody!!!

[Geek King]

My advice is to not cash the cashiers check. It is likely fake, but may take a couple of weeks to bounce. Company will likely ask for some of the money to be sent to them, and your friend will be S.O.L. Send it straight back, unused, or contact whoever would handle mail fraud in Canada.

This sounds like a new-ish take on an old scam.

[It's me]

This might provide some guidance:

http://www.occ.gov/news-issuances/co...ry-2007-1.html