Work at Home Job Scam

I was contacted by email on 02/24/2014 for a job interview. I was to set up a yahoo messenger account and be online at 9am PST 02/28/2014 for a job interview... This was the conversation:

me: Hello Lynda,

lyndaprisca: Good morning
lyndaprisca: And how are you doing?

me: My name is M****** and I applied for the data entry position advertised at Worksource Bremerton.
me: I am good, and you?

lyndaprisca: Are you ready for the interview?

me: Absolutely.

lyndaprisca: Accept the job details

me: I am waiting for the document to download.

lyndaprisca: Send me an email address you would love to receive it

me: m***********@yahoo.com
me: The file does not seem to be downloading.

lyndaprisca: stand by

me: Okay. Reading the document now...

lyndaprisca: Okay, let me know when you are done reading

me: Am I doing any of the sales? Or am I just doing the data entry from invoices sent to me?

lyndaprisca: Just data entry

me: I accept the job details.
me: Are we still connected?

lyndaprisca: Yes..I have few questions for you and it is very important how you attempt them, is that okay?
me: Of course.

lyndaprisca: Why do you think we should employ you?

me: I am a very dedicated and hard working individual. I was raised on the value of hard work and will put my all into doing the best job I can for your company.

lyndaprisca: Tell me about your last job position

me: I am a quick learner and usually only have to be told how to do something once.

lyndaprisca: Tell me about your last job position

me: At my last job, I worked at a Sprint cellular call center. I went through the training program and was sent to work on the floor. I answered a multi-line phone system and assisted callers with resolving any service and/or payment issues they had.

lyndaprisca: How well do you work under pressure?

me: I actually prefer being busy and under pressure. It seems to be where I thrive the most. I am a very intellectual person and my brain goes a million miles a minute. Being busy and under pressure keeps my attention and stimulates my brain. I suppose that probably sounds weird.

lyndaprisca: What do you understand by privacy and code of conduct?

me: I have spent the last three years in college for Psychology with an emphasis on Substance Abuse. This involves very strict HIPAA laws. I had to take three different courses on that exact topic. All information is completely confidential, with no exception. Code of conduct I feel is very important because rules are set in place for a reason. Conduct in the workplace is mandatory to keep a business running smoothly.

lyndaprisca: What is your strongest point as an individual?

me: I have many, but I think my strongest point as an individual is the ability to take any situation or problem and think things through to the most effective resolution. I am very focused in that regard.

lyndaprisca: Have you worked with data entry software before?

me: I have, not a lot and it was quite some time ago, but it should not take long to learn. I also tend to study software in my off time until I perfect it.

lyndaprisca: What do you think is the greatest quality a good data entry clerk should possess?

me: I would have to say focus and attention to detail. Having a job in data entry is pointless if you do not pay attention and things get entered incorrectly.

lyndaprisca: How do you control errors in your work?

me: My process is as follows... 1.) Look at the information I am inputting 2.) Input the data 3.) Check all information 4.) Re-check all information. I feel it is very important to triple check work so that there is little chance of errors.

lyndaprisca: Rate your self on a scale of 1-5 based on the following MATHEMATICAL ACCURACY, SPELLING ACCURACY, TYPING SPEED,STATISTICAL ACCURACY?

me: Mathematical accuracy = 5, Spelling Accuracy = 5, Typing speed = 4, Statistical accuracy = 5

lyndaprisca: Will you be able to dedicate 7hours of your time to this position Monday-Friday?

me: Absolutely! I would be doing that in an office environment either way. To me there is no difference. Work hours are work hours. It would be no problem at all.
me: Wonderful! I will be ready and available! Do I need to download any other software for for the data entry?

lyndaprisca: Not at the moment
lyndaprisca: Do you have microsft?

me: Yes, I have office, excel and powerpoint.

lyndaprisca: Good
lyndaprisca: That will be enough for training task

me: Perfect! Just for clarification, is 8-11am my time or your time?

lyndaprisca: Your time

me: Perfect! I am looking forward to it!

lyndaprisca: All you need to do is sign in here at yahoo messenger every morning and we send you task to work and send it back

me: I will be available and ready! Signed in by 8am!

lyndaprisca: Great..Congratulations once again

me: I also will send the signed employment letter as soon as I receive it.

lyndaprisca: All we need from you is good work, you will enjoy every moment working with us

me: Thank you!

lyndaprisca: That is all for now,you are required to report online Monday morning
lyndaprisca: Hold on online while i forward your interview answers to the company's board of directors for proper review and consideration.Okay ?

me: Of course, I will be right here.

lyndaprisca: Hello you there?

me: Yes, I am here.

lyndaprisca: Congratulations......This is to confirm that you have been approved to be a staff of SPECIALIST COMPUTER SOLUTION UK, having reached the requirements, passed the interview and recommended for the Job by the Board of Director on employment.

me: Thank you so much!! When do I start?

lyndaprisca: You will start training Monday morning by 8am . We will send you the Employment Letter to sign and send it back to us


I was then sent a very official looking employment letter on company letterhead.

SCC
Technology Solutions Provider
SCC Headquarters James House, Warwick Road Tyseley, Birmingham, B11 2LE

Date: 02/28/2014

Dear M****************,

We are pleased to confirm your acceptance with our firm in the capacity of a Data Entry Clerk. You will report directly to Mrs. Lynda Prisca with your start date of employment 03/03/2014. Full work will be scheduled 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Monday through Friday. In order to successfully complete training, attendance is mandatory! Failure to commit to the set required schedule training hours will result to suspension and or termination.

As informed, your base pay salary will be $13.0 per hour during training. Upon successfully completing training, your pay will advance to $25.0 per hour. Also, you will be covered by the standard group benefit plans of Aetna and fringe benefits, which will be explained to you. For the first year vacation time shall be pro-rated, so you will be entitled to 21 working days' vacation for this year.

If you agree, please sign the enclosed copy and return for our files. We look forward to your joining the company.

Yours Faithfull,
Mr. Peter Rigby
Chief Executive Officer

Disclaimer
This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. If you have received this e-mail by mistake, please notify the sender immediately by e-mail and delete this e-mail from your system.


I thought this was legitimate and was very excited as I have been looking for work for a couple of months. Monday morning I logged onto the computer at 8am as directed and no-one was there. I waited for over an hour at which time I decided to call the company to see if there was a problem. When I called, no-one knew a Lynda Prisca and had no idea what I was talking about. I was asked to email all correspondence between myself and Mrs. Prisca. Which I promptly did. As I was waiting for a response, Mrs. Prisca finally got online. Following is a transcript of that conversation:

me: I am online and ready for training.

lyndaprisca: Hello you there?

me: Yes, I am here...

lyndaprisca: I will be sending you your training task here right away, sorry for the delay

me: No problem, I am ready.

lyndaprisca: Have this task completed and emailed back to me for Review
Write an article on customer service relationship management and customer service management strategy..minimum of 2pages
Time limit 3hrs

me: Okay, I will have it in to you.
me: Would you like this article to be opinion-based, fact-based or both?

lyndaprisca: Both

me: Double spacing 12 point new romans okay?

lyndaprisca: Sure

me: I just received this email from SCC...
m*************: Dean Lewis

To Me
Today at 9:27 AM
Hi M*******,

Thank you for your mail regarding the contact you have received allegedly from SCC. I am sorry to say that you have been the victim of a fraud, SCC does not operate in North America and we do not operate in the manner you describe. I would suggest you report this event to your local Police Department and feel free to pass on my contact details.

Kind Regards
Dean Lewis
Head Of Risk & Review
scclogo

me: Are you there?
me: Hello...
me: Shall I take your silence as confirmation that this is indeed a scam?

lyndaprisca: Hello
lyndaprisca: You there?

me: I am here, waiting for a response to the email I forwarded...

lyndaprisca: I got your message and I want to confirm when you were sent the message

me: I do not know what to do. I logged on at 8am like I was told, and when an hour had passed and I did not hear anything, I called SCC to see if there was a problem. I received the above email in response to my inquiry at 9:27am my time.

lyndaprisca: That's a wrong message.
lyndaprisca: Continue with your task
lyndaprisca: And let me know when you done

me: So now I do not know if this is for real. Especially when no-one has asked for any information as to bank account or ssn for tax purposes, I have not filled out a W4. I am very confused. Especially considering if this is not a real position, what is gained from this?

lyndaprisca: I just contacted the HR department and they said no such message

me: I received it in response to my calling the phone number listed on the SCC website. How can that be false?

lyndaprisca: We do not request for those details due to security reasons and as well you are paid via paycheck

me: Working on this task now...

lyndaprisca: Okay
lyndaprisca: Let me know when you done with the task

me: I have completed this article and attached it to an email for you. Please review it and tell me if it is what you were looking for. Thank you.

lyndaprisca: Stand by
lyndaprisca: Hello
lyndaprisca: You did well
lyndaprisca: Keep it up

me: Thank you! So is that all for today?

lyndaprisca: Sure
lyndaprisca: I will talk to you 8am tomorrow

me: This morning I logged on at 8am but nothing happened until 9am. What time should I be on here tomorrow?

lyndaprisca: 8am, i had technical issues

me: Okay, thank you. I will talk to you then.

lyndaprisca: Bye'

me: Goodbye.

At this point, I know this is a scam, but I decide to play along for a few days to see where it goes. Information is power and maybe I can prevent it from happening to others. Also, the tasks I have been assigned thus far are so easy that it doesn't even kill much time.

My second task was sent via e-mail:

Dear Employee,
Complete this task
Write an article on The Best Ways to Prevent Overdue Accounts using your own words.

Article must be at least 2pages with examples.

Have done and submitted in .WORD .

Time limit is 3hrs

This was my response when I completed it:

me: I am ready.

lyndaprisca: Check your email for training task

me: I have nothing in my email.
me: I have it. Thank you.

lyndaprisca: Okay, good

me: I have completed and attached task 2 to an email.

lyndaprisca: Hello you there?

me: Yes, I am here.

lyndaprisca: You did well today
lyndaprisca: Keep it up

me: Thank you.
me: Should I be practicing data entry techniques?

lyndaprisca: Sure you need to

me: Is there a particular program I should be focusing on?

lyndaprisca: Not for now, until your second week of training

me: Okay, thank you. Is there anything else I can do today?

lyndaprisca: Non for now
lyndaprisca: Do have a nice day

me: Thank you, you too.
me: I will be back at 8am tomorrow.

lyndaprisca: Sure
lyndaprisca: See you then

Today, I logged in and she has not said anything to me. I received my task via e-mail

Task 3:
Good Morning,

Complete this assignment within a time limit of 3hrs.

What items of information do you need before you can approve an
invoice for payment?
Tell me about an invoice discrepancy that you discovered and how you
resolved the discrepancy.
Tell me about an invoice dispute that you were involved in and what
your role was in resolving the dispute.
If you are asked to prepare a bill for services. What information
should be included in the bill?

I am still playing along as I have yet to discover what is gained from doing this to people and that is what I want to know. I will keep everyone posted.

This is the conversation after completing today's task...

me: Done! It is in your e-mail.

lyndaprisca: I have it now
lyndaprisca: Stand by
lyndaprisca: Hello you there?

me: I am here.

lyndaprisca: I got your task and you did well as well

me: Thank you.

lyndaprisca: Did you receive my email about funds?

me: I did, can I just cash the check? I do not have a bank account. I use cash only.
me: I have a prepaid visa card for anything else needing done.

lyndaprisca: cant you make a deposit into it?

me: Yes, on the prepaid visa. I forgot about it.... that is how much I use it.

lyndaprisca: But it will be necessary for you to open one

me: Okay, I can do that when it becomes necessary. Is direct deposit required after time?

lyndaprisca: I dont think so

me: Alright.
me: I am unsure as to why I need a bank account if I can deposit on my prepaid card and direct deposit is not mandatory...

lyndaprisca: Can you deposit on your prepaid card?

me: Yes.

lyndaprisca: Then their will be no need for the account opening

me: Alright. I will compile my timecard and email it to you. Should I include Thursday and Friday? Or just Monday through Wednesday.

lyndaprisca: Monday through wednesday

me: Okay, you should have it within the hour.

lyndaprisca: Thats okay


I will post any other news I have.

Also, here is the funds email I received...

Hello M***********,

I am pleased to inform you that funds for the job you have done and to purchase your working materials/Installation materials and software to enable you work effectively from home was released Yesterday and you should have them today. You can check the status of the envelope on www.usps.com with the tracking # listed below .

Tracking Number: *********************************

As soon as you receive the Check, Proceed to your bank and deposit the check, and the funds will be made available after 24 hours of deposit. You are to get back to me online after the check has been deposited.

I want you to send me your time Card for this week because you will be advised to deduct your paycheck from the total funds.

Welcome to Scamwarners mickeymine420,

It is 100% scam as the real Company has told you. It is a fake employment scam where the scammer will ask you to deposit a fraudulent check. The scammer then will have you buy pretend software from him or wire money to a third person. The scammer is playing all roles in this scam.

Please post all the email addresses the scammer used. What fake company he is pretending to be from. All the information the better.

Cease all contact with scammer. Just leave him clueless why you are not reponding.

You can take the fake check, mailer and copies of the email/chat to your banks Fraud Dept., Local Law Enforcement or the USPS.

No company will do chat interviews and send checks to someone they met over the internet.

THIS IS EXACTLY MY ORDEAL WITH HER NOW!!!! CHECK WILL BE HERE TODAY AND ON MY TASK 4- I FEEL LIKE A FOOL! SCC IS THE COMPANY PETER RIGBY CEO LYNDA PRISCA IS TRAINER!

When the check comes, do not cash it, do not tell the scammers that you got it, and cut off all contact with them. They may threaten to send the UK FBI after you because you stole their money. Ignore them.

I am sorry that you are also going through this. I am still playing along just to see what is to be gained from this scam.

This was task #4


Complete this task

This is to introduce you to yahoo database of financial information about publicly owned companies.
Instructions
Access this data base at finance.yahoo.com
Then type SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY. Scroll down to "COMPANY", click on profile
What is the street address of SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY
What sector is SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY
Scroll down to "FINANCIALS" and click on balance sheet
Have the company's total assets increased or decreased since the last report? How much have they increased or decreased?

Each year, Fortune magazine ranks the leading 500 American-based corporations in terms of total revenue earned.
Instructions
Visit the Fortune home page at: http://www.fortune.com
Identify the three global most admired Fortune 500 companies.
Select one of the listed companies, locate this company in the Yahoo finance database locate comparative income statements for the past three years. Comment on the pattern of changes in total revenue and net
income over the past three years.
Compare this database to that of EDGAR you previously trained with stating which you pref are and why


This is my conversation with her thus far:

me: I am online.

lyndaprisca: Hello

me: Good morning

lyndaprisca: How you doing today?

me: I am good, and you?

lyndaprisca: Very well thank you

me: I did not receive the check yesterday, so I assume it will be here today. I will let you know.

lyndaprisca: Have you tracked it?

me: Yes, it left Tacoma, WA yesterday at 9:13 AM.

lyndaprisca: Okay, good

me: It arrived in Bremerton at 11:15 AM yesterday. So I think it should be here today.
me: I have my task
me: Task 4 is completed and in your email.

lyndaprisca: I have reviewed your work, you did well
lyndaprisca: Have you tracked your package?

me: Yes, it is in Bremerton and should be here today. Does it include a list of supplies I will need to purchase?

lyndaprisca: You will be assigned a vendor when your funds are available

me: Alright, I will let you know when I have received it. Is there anything else I can do today?

lyndaprisca: Non for now. Have the funds deposited when it arrives and confirm the deposit slip to my email for verification and documentation

me: Okay, thank you. I will be on again in the morning. I will let you know as soon as I receive it. Thank you.

lyndaprisca: Okay
lyndaprisca: Do have a nice day ahead

me: Thank you, you as well.

Hi Mickey! I lied to her this am and said check was deposited she wants email of deposit ASAP, again I lied and said it was in other car! She asked when funds would be avail and to that I replied later today or tmr- again lie! She asked total of check I told her Husband took it to bank unsure on amount. Within 30 mins I get call from Fort Myers FL (239)400-1383 man with very bad English wanting to check how training is goin and if I am pleased with Lynda Prisca. Stated to call this number its SCC head quarters in US if any questions and concerns! I reported this to ripoff.com as well! Sorry to meet like this, C

Phone number also used in this romance scam :

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=45341&p=109629

STOP!

DO NOT play along with a known scammer who has ANY true information about you!

CEASE ALL CONTACT, ignore ANY AND ALL contact attempts from the scammer and disappear. If the phone rings, LET IT RING.

Some of us are baiters. We use made-up names, made-up addresses, untraceable phone numbers, IP-address hiding proxies, and other techniques to make sure that irate scammers cannot retaliate against us. If you don't know how to do that, don't play with scammers.

Dang I feel so silly. I just went through this today wasted 2 hours of my time, I could of been doing something productive. I felt like something was weird. Never done an online interview but I didn't want to be closed minded, I def never heard of IM interview smh. I guess I was so excited Ive been looking for work and did apply to a few at home online jobs. So I didn't think any thing of it. I gave her my name, dob, and address I am so disappointed smh. Clearly I felt like something was up. Googled her name and seen this. I was searching the SCC website for information as we were chatting. But I guess. That's a lot to go through just to what? You shouldn't do people like that. That's why I was way to skeptical about posting my resume on sites. This would have never happened. * SAD FACE *

I would never post my resume or personal details online either .

STOP!

DO NOT play along with a known scammer who has ANY true information about you!

CEASE ALL CONTACT, ignore ANY AND ALL contact attempts from the scammer and disappear. If the phone rings, LET IT RING.

Some of us are baiters. We use made-up names, made-up addresses, untraceable phone numbers, IP-address hiding proxies, and other techniques to make sure that irate scammers cannot retaliate against us. If you don't know how to do that, don't play with scammers.

What could a scammer do if he does have some real information about me? I tell they are the fools!

If he is sufficiently incensed by repeated failure of your attempts to send money to him, traveling somewhere to meet you but you don't show up, etc., he may contact someone he knows in your country to beat you up. If it's one of our baiting characters he's sent to beat up, the hitman will find that the address doesn't exist, and the phone number can't be traced.

Scammers aren't fools or stupid. They are typically ignorant of American or British culture, and their English is usually poor, but they are skilled at manipulation, and their English is probably better than your Yoruba or Igbo (assuming they're Nigerian).