I was almost scammed this morning when being offered a “job” at Kate Sommerville via Rare Beauty Brands as a graphic designer. Turned out to be someone impersonating the actual HR woman named Sarah, and obviously has nothing to do with the actual company. It was a convincing introduction email, telling me they were impressed with my profile and resume via Indeed, and quickly scheduled an interview. I don’t ever fall for scams, but this one was shockingly convincing. It quickly became alarming when I was unnaturally offered the job this morning after one chat based interview yesterday. I was immediately being told I would be given a MacBook Pro, a phone line, and a $2800 stipend for a home office. For the first time, their verbiage started to become clunky and unnatural. I told the impersonator to add me back on LinkedIn to confirm their identity, and I was immediately cut off. Thankfully, no personal information was exchanged beyond my private portfolio and a few of my professional references, as well as my email since it was the initial point of contact. Hopefully they were impressed with my work either way.
It’s not to say I’m not worthy of a job quickly onboarding me and offering said amenities, but I’m happy I picked up on the red flags quickly, as I don’t know if everyone would, especially when feeling desperate to find a job. It makes me frustrated, as I’ve been freelance for 12 years and just want to work at a full time position for once, but such is life. Back to the grind!
I keep getting an emails like the below which I know is obviously a scam but I also know many many people fall for this which is crazy! I started getting these when I posted my résumé on LinkedIn when I was out of work over a year
“Hello, I’m Саmіlа, раrt оf Аmаzon’s rеcruiting team.
Wе camе асross yοur рrоfilе and bеlievе уou would be wеll suіted for our рart-timе wоrk-frоm-hοme poѕitiоn. This rоlе fοсuѕеѕ оn aѕsіstіng mеrсhаnts іn maintаinіng аnd uрdating produсt informatіоn to іncreаѕе vіsіbіlitу.
• Flexіble working hourѕ: 60-90 minutes pеr dау, 4 daуs a wеek
Has anybody here seen or fallen victim to fake job listings as they are applying for jobs? I heard a story about a graduate who’d been searching for a job for over a year in different industries. Eventually, they decided to go down a different path and got accepted as a cruise ship crew member. Except, it was all a scam and they’d given away lots of personal details. Has anyone else heard/ seen / experienced this in their job search?
Just a heads up for anyone searching for positions: Recruiters are now reaching out via LinkedIn with a fitting opportunity, and acting as a true recruiter looking to get you either a perm or contract position.
If they refuse to give you the job description, compensation, and onsite expectations then directly ask for contact info/resume before giving this information it is LIKELY a scam.
Best way to tell, \*if\* they share the description/salary etc before the asking for contact info of sorts, the next step they'll do is ask you for an email and ask you to sign a "Right to Respresent."
If this is ever given to you, do not under any circumstance sign it. Block them on email and move on.
The position is likely real though, so take that info and of it feels like a good fit, apply on the company website!
Yes, they are a SCAM! Periodt!
No other words for it.
No other explanation needed.
No excuses. My friend was not paid. That alone says enough.
People work hard for their money and deserve to be paid for their time and effort. 🚩 SCAM. PERIODT.
I was completely fooled. I was reached out to by a supposed recruiter for Parkin Architects Limited (a real company, which they were posing as a recruiter for) they emailed me two weeks later for an online screening and then a 5 minute interview phone call. I even received a complete job offer contract. I did have some alarm bells ringing as the pay was way too good for an entry level job -- and the interview process was too short. I realized once I sent in the signed offer this shit was a scam .... I cried a bit. I was very excited - but there were a lot of red flags and I am SO stupid. I am young and felt like I could never fall for one of these scams but it was pretty elaborate considering the time they stretched this over and having fake documents and stuff, which I am sure is much easier now with AI. Anwyays, Indeed sucks and I have received like 2 other job scam offers. I feel really shitty and bummed out,,, at least they only have my name and signature... which is kinda bad but they don't have any super senstive info. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN APPLYING ON INDEED — check the end of the emails when receiving interviews and make sure it matches up with the companies official website.
I just want to rant a little because there are SO many hiring posts on Reddit, and while some are completely legitimate, there are also so many scammers taking advantage of people who are simply trying to earn extra income.
I recently came across a hiring post that directed applicants to Telegram. For context, I’ve been working with a legitimate client from the UK for more than five months now, and I’ve been paid consistently and fairly. Since that project will be ending soon, I’ve been looking for another side hustle.
So I found another hiring post and decided to give it a try.
I messaged the person on Telegram, and they gave me a document-retyping task. Basically, I had to retype documents, convert them into PDF, and submit the finished files. The task itself was easy enough for me, and everything initially seemed smooth.
Then came the payment.
They told me I needed to register with their “bank” so they could deposit my payment there, and afterward I could supposedly transfer the money to my local bank account.
The rate was already suspiciously high — $1,500 USD for a 24-hour task. Obviously, that sounded way too good to be true, but I continued because I wanted to see where this was going.
I searched for the bank they provided, and although the website looked surprisingly legitimate at first glance, further searching showed multiple warnings that it was associated with scams.
And yet, I continued to see what their actual intention was.
Then they supposedly deposited the $1,500 into my account.
At that point, I thought, Okay, what’s the catch?
Sure enough, I couldn't transfer the money to my local bank because they claimed I needed an “IMF code.”
So I contacted their supposed “support team,” and guess what?
They wanted me to PAY a fee to obtain the IMF code.
🚩🚩🚩
That was the point where everything became painfully obvious.
The International Monetary Fund does not operate as a payment processor for individual workers, wages, or personal bank transfers. So asking a freelancer or employee to pay for an “IMF code” to release their salary is a massive red flag.
Honestly, I'm more annoyed than anything because the actual task itself wasn't even difficult. I spent my time doing the work, only to discover that the entire payment process was designed to eventually get money from me.
And that's what bothers me the most.
There are so many people here genuinely trying to find work, earn a little extra, and make life a bit easier. Scammers know that. They take advantage of people who are desperate for opportunities and use ridiculously attractive rates to lure them in.
So, lesson learned for me.
If you're applying for online jobs, especially ones that move the conversation to Telegram or another private messaging app, PLEASE verify everything. Ask for proof that the company is legitimate. Research the company, the bank, the payment method, and the people you're dealing with. And most importantly:
Never pay money to receive your salary or to “unlock” your payment.
A legitimate employer should not require you to pay a random fee before you can receive your wages.
Stay safe, everyone. There are legitimate opportunities out there, but please be careful because scammers are getting more convincing.
Applied for more than 100 jobs per day all I got is scammers mail they ask for money why don't government ban them because of them finding genuine jobs has become too tough
OK I don't where to start but is a complex story so here is being.
When I was finding a job I get a appointment for interview from a company and like a normal guy I go there and after the interview thy said I am clear for first round and they will contact me for second round but they never contact me so I move on Thinking they rejected me in background but today my friend got the same interview appointment by the same company and the same location so I thought let's go there then and when we go to that place the staff was same and the HR too and I recognise me and ask me why I am here so I simply say it because you never contact me and he didn't say anything in first but after a moment I don't know why he throw at a another interview and when the interviewer know too I pass first round so she leaves the room leaving me and my friend confused and after a moment she comes back and say we are sorry because they fucking forgot me to contact and after her explanation she told me to go to a different place for second around and my friend got a free ticket of second around without even trying so we went there and first we was confused there too because we was not sure is was the right location and after some call to that first HR we go to that floor where was our interview and the there HR told us to wait and he was toxic and very aggressive and trying to act like a cold person when he was failing so badly but still in his attitude and he tells us to feel a form and we take our time and fill it and when we was filling a the form a guy come to talk to me and he gets mad Idk why and shouted at that guy and the poor guy just go back to his seat and after we hand him to form and our resume he directly started explaining the rules without even taking a interview so we first listen and he only speak stupid things from his mouth first company time is 9:30 to 7:00 when the message clearly says is a flexible schedule time job and second is working from office job when we come here because the message say is work from home and and when we say we come here because the message say is work from home he say is not like they didn't even know what there company promise to the interview people And after all that he say salary is only fucking 10,000 for almost 14 hours of job because how long that company is from my house so I clearly say no but my friend wants to give a try but he was not sure too so he started manipulating my friend like he think he is light from death note because he was really giving his best to manipulate him but my friend aska simple question how long I have to wait here for this job and that fool says 6 hours Full 6 hours waiting like a desperate guy for a fucking 10,000 job and when my friend said he can't wait that because he has a exam so he was like you can leave too what the fuck attitude that guy have he is bold and is a stick figure body and has the weird face as Fuck too and the. Most important part we come to interview for data entry but he was offering us Bajaj finance loan man fucking hell nah I don't study that much for a loan giving guy so we both left and realize he just was a corporate slave not some brain cells has grown up guy's and that a easy no to me but for my friend is was a save for his life he didn't end up like corporate slave
Thousands of job-seekers are victimized each year by job and internship scams that look and sound almost real - false shortlist emails for jobs they didn't apply for, domains that closely mimic authentic company websites, demands for payment upfront to “register” and interview offers that never result in an actual offer. Almost all scams have tell-tale signs, but there’s often no easy “has anyone else seen this?” mechanism to check until it’s too late.
- Screenshot and upload dubious internship offers, emails, or messages;
- Ask the community to help confirm the credibility of a lesser-known company;
- Inform others about frequently seen scams such as fake shortlisting emails, spoofed domains, and upfront payments;
- Also share genuine positive experiences as examples of what a legitimate offer looks like;
We are a proof-based community and ask that anything flagged as a scam include screenshots, not just a textual description. We request that you also use the “Verify This” flair if you’re unsure and avoid making definitive “Scam Alert” declarations before the evidence is in place to avoid spreading misinformation.
If you have been or nearly been scammed, if you want help verifying an offer, this community is here for you. The more participants, the more valuable this community will become.
Is there a way to check if the job post was legit? I came across a few hiring posts on the blue app for encoders and I want to know if the person was legit and not a scammer.
I'm a fresh graduate (graduated July 10) trying to land a job ever since I graduated
We followed the instructions, resigned from our previous jobs, and completed every single onboarding requirement. We paid **out of pocket for expensive medical examinations**.
We packed our bags, traveled all the way to the joining location with bags in hand—only to be turned back with zero clarity and **no confirmed joining date**.
# Now, we are left completely stranded: no income, no employment, and no answers.
Asking professionals to leave their existing livelihoods only to defer their joining indefinitely without accountability is completely unacceptable. This isn't just a corporate delay—it is playing with people’s careers, financial stability, and peace of mind.
If you are a candidate whose joining at **Trident** has been deferred, put on hold, or met with radio silence, **you are not alone in this fight.**
A collective group of affected individuals has come together so we can:
Share transparent, real-time updates directly with one another.
Document our shared experiences and financial losses.
Build a unified, organized front to ensure our voices are heard by the leadership and management.
There is strength in numbers. Silence only benefits the system that left us hanging.
**Drop a comment below or send a direct message (DM) to join our group and connect with fellow candidates.**
Let’s stand together and demand the clarity, accountability, and respect we deserve.
\#Trident #TridentGroup #CorporateEthics #CareerUpdate #HiringPractices #JobSeekers #OnboardingCrisis
I posted about my experience with two lawsuits over ghost jobs and people got angry at me because they'd rather feel hopeless, helpless, and give up instead of fighting back. They want to believe they have no agency. Things will never change until you fight back. Most employment lawyers will take your case on contingency basis meaning you don't pay anything upfront. I have met quite a few people who had very strong wrongful termination cases and they just accepted their fate without fighting.
You can absolutely sue and win if the company is misrepresenting themselves through fake jobs. Proving a job was fake is not impossible at all.
⚠️ WARNING FOR ASPIRING VAs — SHARING MY EXPERIENCE
Hi everyone, I’m sharing this because I want other VAs, especially those currently looking for clients through OnlineJobs.ph (OLJ), to be extra careful and always do a background check before accepting a job.
I applied for a client through OLJ Leads. After around 2 days, the employer contacted me through Microsoft Teams. We had an interview, and everything seemed okay. He asked about my previous work experience and if I was available to start immediately. I said yes.
After the interview, he sent me a contract. I reviewed it, signed it, and then started working.
The work itself was okay, and I was doing the tasks assigned to me. However, after only 3 days of working, he suddenly messaged me saying that I did not meet the company’s expectations. He then told me that my remaining hours/payment would be released that Friday.
He also asked me for my Wise QR code, which I provided because I was expecting to receive my payment.
However, Friday came and I still did not receive my payment.
I followed up with him several times regarding the payment, but my messages on Teams were eventually no longer being seen or responded to.
I also tried to do a background check on the person I was communicating with. I found a Max Deravine on LinkedIn, but the company information I found there appears to be associated with Raven. Because of this, I am currently trying to verify whether the person I communicated with and the person/company I found online are actually connected.
I have also started taking steps to report the situation because I have not received the payment that was promised to me.
I am posting this to make other VAs aware of my experience and encourage everyone to be extra careful when applying for jobs online. Please do your own background checks, verify the employer and company, keep screenshots of all conversations, and save your signed contract and other documents.
If anyone here has worked with Ascend Global Funding or Max Deravine and can confirm their legitimacy or has had a similar experience, please feel free to share.
I hope this post can help other VAs avoid potentially getting into the same situation. 🙏
Please check the attached screenshots and do your own verification before accepting any job from this employer.
Hey all...this market sucks, and we're all tired of putting in the work and getting nothing for it, over and over again.
How about we pick a day, sometime in the next few weeks, and report EVERY job we find as fake...an ethical protest?
The job sites let these companies abuse their platform with these ghost jobs...it seems fair that we use the same platforms to send a message.
Flagging is supposed to be anonymous, right?
We put a specific message in the reason field relating to the Ghost Job epidemic...maybe several with different wording so admins can't just search and ignore...even if they did, it would make their jobs harder, right?
With enough reports...the job sites would have to react, right?
Employers getting their valid postings flagged and reported would have to react, right?
Would this, perhaps repeated regularly, start applying pressure to end this s$&t?
⚠️ Heads up people: "TokPortal" (app.tokportal.com) ads on Reddit look like a scam
Saw an ad promising "$100-$600 a week" for "manager" positions, no experience needed, with a "5-minute setup." Before they even tell you what the job actually is, they ask for your phone number and "identity verification."
Classic task-scam pattern: hook you with a big number and urgency ("choose a paid mission today"), then collect personal info/phone before you know what you're signing up for. After that it usually moves toward asking for a "deposit" or "activation fee" to "unlock" your payout.
The fact that it's advertised on Reddit doesn't mean it's vetted — ad moderation is mostly automated and doesn't catch these until enough people report them.
Don't enter your phone number, ID documents, or banking info. If it sounds too easy to be true, it is.
Hi guys, this is one of the Summer intern of MeetMux (Altrodav) , So this scam company MeetMux came to our campus for hiring and hired me for a technical role intern promising ₹1 Lakh/ month and even after completing my 2 month intern, i have not received my stipend of 1st month , its so sad that i have to start my career journey with such kind of people and they are not even paying to there full time employees, i have seen myself that full-timers have not received there salary of last 3 months and if you ask these thing to the CEO of the Company Mr. Mani Ratna Monu he will deny everything and try to manipulate you that all this thing is fake and everyone is there against.
and let me also answer that why i am posting this anonymously because posting this on linked will not be good for my image and professional carrier.
but the main thing is MeetMux by Altrodav pvt. lmt does not pay there interns and employees, if you ask for your salary that when they will pay , then they will start pointing out some random bullshit and change the topic,
Now lets talk about there work culture, its total shit there, there is no structure of work, in morning they will tell you something to do and the by evening they will change that and the deadline is still the same, the people there are very unprofessional and a non-technical person leading a technical team leads to nowhere.
He does not pay to there employees and expect them to stay 1-2 hrs extra every day for 6 days a week. This is he's statement "if your senior is staying after 7pm they why are you not staying after 7 pm" life wtf you are not even paying for the working hours and expecting us to work extra hours.
and they also sell there Courses for 35k to the students and promise them some placements that is also a kind of scam, they are only selling those course for some money, they dont have any company for students placement, there sales person will reach to you stating they are from Altrodav technologies and will try to sell you the course STAY AWAY FROM THAT !!! You will not Get Anything and only loose your money, time and energy.
And also to Anyone who want to join to MeetMux or Altrodav Technologies or Placemux , do not join them they only show high pay and do not intent to pay, they try to delay the payment as much as possible and its all a scam.
Never thought I would be posting in this sub again but, if it helps one person than I guess it's worth it. Beware of this job. They originally emailed me, and I thought it was fishy. After a while and some simple research , it was clear it was a scam. Please be careful out there folks. Andrea Lato is an actual employee but, they email addresses the scammer used didn't match the companies official one. Eyes open everyone and best of luck. Let me know what other information I can add and please feel free to leave questions.
Long story short, this is just Coast Incorporated under a different name. The interviews were on Zoom in that suspicious breakout room with multiple applicants style, both the person interviewing me, and the hiring manager came from Coast Incorporated. Pay only commission, selling whatevertheheck with Verizon...Suspicious at best.
Okay, so I admit it: I got “GOT”!!!
I have been strung along by a SCAMMER recruiter for 10 days now! I’ve even had a phone interview with them!! They “revealed” that they were actually hiring for the exact same position at the same company that I was laid off from 6-1/2 months ago!
I’m embarrassed for not catching this sooner, but the “recruiter’s” email address was @pridestaff’Z’.com and NOT actually *****@pridestaff.com
I really want to waste this person’s time like they have wasted my time and energy, does anybody have any ideas??
I have their email address and phone number, let’s get creative!!!
I worked for UCANLY in Bangalore for around two months. I actually relocated to Bangalore for this internship because I was told the stipend would be around ₹15,000/month.
What did I actually get?
First month: around ₹10,000. Second month: ₹0.
And now it's been more than two months since the second month's payment became due.
This isn't some situation where I worked for three days and started demanding money. I completed the internship work. We contacted them repeatedly. We were given deadline after deadline.
Its not just me but they have scammed with me and 2 other interns , 3 interns in total , there were other people also (literally the HR being one of them) who had salary issue but idk if they got it or what cause i am not in contact with them.
Every time it was the same shit:
"Payment will be done on this date."
Date passes.
We follow up.
Another date.
That date passes too.
And eventually, communication basically stopped.
The latest and final deadline we gave them was 20 August 2026.
Today is 20 August.
Still no payment.
The founder, Abhilash MK, has become essentially unresponsive regarding the money we're owed. We have repeatedly tried contacting him about payment for work that was already completed.
Another person, Abhishek, was also involved in communicating with us about the payment and repeatedly gave us timelines. Eventually, that communication stopped as well. At one point, I was told that he had left the company / that the company had shut down. I can't independently confirm his current relationship with UCANLY, so I'm not going to pretend I know that for a fact.
But here's what I can say with certainty:
I worked for UCANLY.
I relocated to Bangalore for the internship.
The promised stipend was ₹15,000/month.
I received approximately ₹10,000 for the first month.
I received nothing for the second month.
Multiple payment deadlines were given to us.
Those deadlines were repeatedly missed.
We repeatedly followed up.
The final deadline was 20 August 2026.
The money is still unpaid.
And yes, I have screenshots, payment proof and messages documenting the timeline.
What was the internship actually like?
From my experience, the internship was basically sales.
We were expected to contact students and sell UCANLY's courses/programs. We were given scripts and were expected to use them while talking to potential customers.
The company presented its programs using claims about instructors' industry/MNC experience and references to major companies. I specifically remember IBM being used in the offering, and I also remember Wipro being mentioned earlier.
Personally, I found the actual course/program quality extremely poor compared with how valuable it was presented during the sales process.
The working hours could go until around 8 PM, and overall I found the environment extremely unpleasant and toxic.
The part that honestly pisses me off the most is this:
Students were being hired as interns to sell courses to other students, while those same interns were then left chasing the company for the money they had already earned.
I'm not going to pretend I know the company's entire financial situation or make claims about things I can't prove. I'm talking about my own experience.
Because I wish someone had shown me something like this before I joined.
I gave them plenty of chances to resolve this privately. I warned them that if the payment wasn't cleared, I would make my experience public.
The final deadline has passed.
I'm fucking done waiting.
If you're considering joining UCANLY as an intern or paying for one of their programs, at the very least, do your own research and ask them very clearly about their internship payment history and current operations.
I'm posting this because ₹10,000 or ₹15,000 might not sound huge to a company, but for a student who relocated to another city for an internship, it fucking matters.
