| Interac Association
Employment
Recruitment Scams
July 18, 2005 -- In
recent months, there have been several instances of employment
recruitment scams, where Canadian job hunters are recruited
to act as agents for “foreign companies.” The job hunters
are actually being used as “mules,” to transfer stolen funds
outside of Canada. Anyone who participates, even unknowingly,
would become an accomplice to the crime and can be prosecuted.
How
it works
The
employer, typically based in a foreign country, poses as a
legitimate company looking on job recruitment websites for
an agent to represent the company in Canada. The job
is to accept payments from Canadian customers on behalf of
the foreign company, and then transfer a portion of the proceeds
offshore. The employer indicates that a key qualification
for the position is that employees must be online banking
customers, able to receive funds electronically, using Interac
Email Money Transfer.
Once
the employee receives the funds in his/her account, he/she
is given instructions to transfer the money via a funds wire
transfer service to a foreign address. As compensation,
the employee or “transfer agent” is paid a percentage of the
funds received and transferred.
What
to look for
In
order to appear authentic, fraudsters may present employment
agreements, websites and other types of information, for example,
a detailed contract outlining employee job responsibilities,
compensation, etc. While, these websites and employment
agreements may present an appearance of a legitimate employer,
the unusual trait that might arouse suspicion is the grammar,
spelling and wording, which may contain errors or use odd
wording.
Tips to
protect yourself
- Offers
of easy money are often too good to be true. Web-based job
recruitment efforts that require you to move funds outside
Canada could be a front for an illegal operation.
While the opportunity may look appealing, the job could
be a scam, and a criminal offence.
- Check
any employment-related information for unusual phrasing
and look for misspelled words.
- If
you are suspicious, check with local law enforcement.
- Stay aware by checking the following sources of information
about fraud
www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca
www.recol.ca
(Reporting Economic Crime Online)
www.fcac.gc.ca
(Financial Consumer Agency of Canada)
www.strategis.gc.ca
(Industry Canada)
|
 |
Related Links
|
