Not sure if scam

So I got a email:

Dear Applicant


Congratulations! Our recruitment team has Viewed your profile for the position of ( Office Assistant / Clerical ) We are very pleased with your listed qualifications and would like to conduct an on-line interview to discuss the duties within the job along with the pay scale. Your information has been forwarded on to the Head of Operations Manager, Mr David Stimson he will be conducting the interview via Yahoo Instant Messenger.

If you are still available and interested, please set up a screen name with Yahoo IM, if you already have one, add Mrs Angela Hughes to your buddy list. His screen name is ( [email protected] )

Please be on-line Monday, February 16, 2015 starting from 11am EST for your interview and briefings

Sincerely
HR Dept

The first thing that got me was the "online chat interview" but I decided to go with it

This is the "chat interview"

Me:‎ Hi, I was emailed about an on-line interview for the Office Assistant/Clerical position.
Angela Hughes:‎ Can we proceed ?
Angela Hughes:‎ <ding>
Me:‎ Yes
Angela Hughes:‎ Bliss Gvs Pharma Limited was incorporated on December 11, 1984, as Public Limited Company. It is listed on Bombay and Delhi Stock Exchange. The company’s most unique product is ‘Today Vaginal Contraceptive’, a safe female contraceptive aimed at furthering Planned Parenthood and is also an established method for preventing conception.

Bliss also manufactures to US specification vaginal pessaries of Clotrimazole & Povidone Iodine in addition to Anal Suppositories for treatment of piles. The company also manufacture wide range of Pessary Formulations, Suppository Formulations, Calcium Preparation, Protein Powders, Iron Preparation, Antibiotics, Analgesic & Antipyretics, Respiratory, Anti-inflammatory, Dermatological Preparations, Anti-Diarrhoeal product
Angela Hughes:‎ Bliss Gvs Pharma Limited was incorporated on December 11, 1984, as Public Limited Company. It is listed on Bombay and Delhi Stock Exchange. The company’s most unique product is ‘Today Vaginal Contraceptive’, a safe female contraceptive aimed at furthering Planned Parenthood and is also an established method for preventing conception.

Bliss also manufactures to US specification vaginal pessaries of Clotrimazole & Povidone Iodine in addition to Anal Suppositories for treatment of piles. The company also manufacture wide range of Pessary Formulations, Suppository Formulations, Calcium Preparation, Protein Powders, Iron Preparation, Antibiotics, Analgesic & Antipyretics, Respiratory, Anti-inflammatory, Dermatological Preparations, Anti-Diarrhoeal product
Angela Hughes:‎ Bliss GVS is a fast-growing Pharmaceutical Company with a proven track record of developing, manufacturing and marketing high quality pharmaceutical formulations at affordable prices for the global market. We are a public limited company listed on India’s National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange with more than three decades of industry expertise. Our vision is to be a consistent innovator and leading provider of pharmaceutical formulations which improve accessibility and quality of life globally

In order to achieve this goal, we are committed to increasing our global reach whilst incorporating efficiency throughout our production and supply chain processes. Efforts are currently underway to adapt and expand
Angela Hughes:‎ Our product distribution across Europe, South America, Asia-Pacific, Russia & CIS countries. We are scaling-up our capabilities across all functions including R&D to facilitate this expansion. We have also added additional product segments in herbals, small volume parentals, topicals and ointments through organic & inorganic routes ok...?
Me:‎ ok
Angela Hughes:‎ This is Mr David Stimson ( Bliss Gvs Pharma Limited ) I would be the one to brief you about the position and the company. Please your full name sex and location?
Me:‎ -Blotted -
Angela Hughes:‎ Company Website ( http://www.blissgvs.com ) Use 10 minutes of your time to read more about the company, let me know when you are done so we can proceed Ok
Me:‎ ok
Me:‎ The corporate hq is located in Mumbai, but I assume you also have offices in New York?
Angela Hughes:‎ We are currently working on the branch in Bayside, New York and it will be available on the 16th of March, once you are employed today you will start by working from home till the branch is setup, immediately the branch is opened you will be assigned to work over there Ok
Me:‎ Alright that sounds fine
Angela Hughes:‎ Job Duties : Friendly interaction and communication with patients and co-workers Maintain important patient and office records Ability to handle a multi-line inbound phone call system Assist fellow coworkers when called upon Use a computer efficiently and effectively Ability to perform administrative duties Have strong bookkeeping and records procedures.

Secondary duties: daily duties would be to report to your Supervisor, who would be attached to you online, He/She would assign logs of duty daily and you would be required to work according to instructions using the Microsoft Office tools, formalize and manage the data you have processed, sent to your supervisor via E-mail.

Can you handle the Job duties if you are being trained towards it ?11:17 AM
Me:‎ Yes I can handle the job duties

Angela Hughes:‎ <ding>
Angela Hughes:‎ You there ?
Me:‎ yes
Angela Hughes:‎ We have already viewed your profile before inviting you for this interview because we just want to know more about you

You have just been confirmed qualified for this position You are now offered the job position...you are HIRED! You are welcome to ( Bliss Gvs Pharma Limited ) You are now given a chance to show your commitment,charisma,diligence and be a productive employee.
Angela Hughes:‎ You will Earn $28 per hour and they are also chance of increase depending on your work and motivation, you will receive your pay via Check weekly, Do you operate with a bank.
Me:‎ Yes
Me:‎ -removed-
Angela Hughes:‎ You would be eligible to Benefits after 6 weeks of working with the company, Benefits offered are Health Insurance / Vacations / Bonuses

You will be fax or email a paper work and a HR document during your orientation and training,you are to fill,sign and send back to us,we take out taxes okay
Me:‎ alright
Me:‎ I assume I start after the orientation?
Angela Hughes:‎ Yes
Angela Hughes:‎ Email me the following for verification: Your full name,current Home address and Phone numbers via email to ( [email protected] ) with your name on the subject of the email to enable my secretery enlist them into the Company's Register for proper documentation with your name at the subject of the email, Email that and get back to me here on chat now okay
Me:‎ ok I sent the email
Angela Hughes:‎ You will be undergoing a 3 day training and orientation which will commence as soon as you have all working materials and you are rest assured that you will be paid for it

This Job offers Flexible hours but you are to report online by 9am daily for duties,task,and assignment...Ok?
Me:‎ Alright, thank you
Angela Hughes:‎ You will be undergoing a 3 day training and orientation which will commence as soon as you have all working materials and you are rest assured that you will be paid for it

This Job offers Flexible hours but you are to report online by 9am daily for duties,task,and assignment...Ok?
Me:‎ With that said, this interview is now over?
Angela Hughes:‎ You will need some software to commence your training and orientation also a time tracker to calculate your hours worked since this is an online work from home.

Here are the name's of the software's you will need to start working with..simply accounting,myob business essentials software 2014,Time Tracker,For Peach Tree premium 2014 US Patent Single Users Pack,BS 1 software 2014.
Angela Hughes:‎ The funds to purchase the software will be provided for you by the company via Check..... make sure you use the check as instructed for the software okay ?
Me:‎ Ok
Angela Hughes:‎ As soon as the Check its been issued out to you i will notify you and provide you with the tracking number so you can keep track and know when it will get to you okay...
Me:‎ Ok
Angela Hughes:‎ Do you understand what i said about the check for your working materials...Explain
Me:‎ You will send me money to purchase the software
Angela Hughes:‎ All we need from you is good work and trust,you will enjoy every moment working with us
Me:‎ ok
Angela Hughes:‎ Thats all for now...make sure you're online 9 am tomorrow for your daily task....update on your check and how to get started with work, Have a great day. you're welcome again.


[email protected] is the email address
I also got 2 emails from [email protected] and [email protected] that said the same thing.

So I'm wondering if this is actually a scam (couldn't really find anything)

[AlanJones]

It is a definite scam - no legitimate business would conduct an interview by Yahoo Messenger.

The email address they want you to write to them at [email protected] is on a domain that was set up a couple of weeks ago and doesn't match the legitimate domain blissgvs.com that they told you to view details on.

They will send you a fake cheque and ask you to cash it and then send the money to someone by Western Union/Moneygram to pay for the software you need - there is no software, they just want to steal the money.

To add to what Alan said:

This whole scam is based on the average person's lack of awareness of how the banking system really works.

The fraudulent check they send you will likely pass initial inspection (because it will be an altered certified check or it will be written on a real person's phished or hacked account.) After a few days, the bank will give you the cash, and you will think the check has cleared.

In reality, that's not the case. The bank gives you the cash because they are required to by law if they have not proven that the check is fraudulent. When they later discover the check is fraudulent, they will reverse it and take the money back from your account. They will also charge you for the fraudulent deposit, and any checks that bounce as a result of the money being taken back out of your account. So you will be out the hundreds of dollars that you wired for the "software" (which you will never receive of course), plus a variety of fines and fees. Your new "job" can easily cost you upwards of $1000.

And if they really want to take a hard line, the bank can close your account, refuse to allow you to open a new one, and/or report you to the authorities for the crime of check fraud.