Possible recruitment scam

Catriona

I hope that it's OK to post the details I have here - it seemed the clearest way to give the info so that it could be recognised.

I got an unsolicited email today that said:


To

• [MY EMAIL WAS HERE]

Good Morning,
I hope you're well.
RE: Admin Assistant (Home Based Role)
You have been invited apply for a home-based Admin Assistant role.
- Full or part time, flexible hours
- Earn up to £15 per hour
- Interesting work, great opportunity
ACTION: Please visit the following URL to see if you qualify.
Go to: http://www.nationalrec.co.uk/test223
** THIS URL IS ONLY VALID FOR 24 HOURS **
Kind regards,
NAME
name removed just in case it's forum policy | HR Consultant | National Recruitment Services




Now I am looking for a new job and my CV is on online job sites so I clicked through and took the 'test'. It was a single page with a list of dropdown boxes that asked things like could I use email, computers and the internet. Bear in mind that this was an online test.


I was 'successful' and got to a new screen that said:






[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=+2]Great news![/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=+1]You have been accepted as a suitable home based worker.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-2].[/SIZE] Confirmation of Role Details:
Title: Admin & Data Entry Location: Home-Based Rate of Pay: £10-£15 per hour (depending on project) Hours: Flexible - full or part time Start Date: As soon as possible The Benefits:

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Interesting and varied admin and data entry work[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Work whenever you want - full or part time[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Take control of your income, earn £10 - £15 per hour[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]You can choose which work tasks/projects that suit you[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Full support given - suitable for any age, ability and background[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Start working from home this week![/FONT] [SIZE=-2].[/SIZE] .

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=+2]Important - Final Step...[/SIZE][/FONT] [SIZE=+1]Verification: Please now call the company's new starter team directly.[/SIZE]
.
[SIZE=+1]Call now: [URL="tel:09131300230"]09131 300 230[/URL][URL="tel:09059157676"] [/URL][/SIZE] (open 24 hours) [SIZE=+1]Quote your reference number: 24622[/SIZE] [SIZE=+1]Done - your starter pack will be emailed to you![/SIZE] .
[SIZE=+1]Please call within 5 minutes or your space cannot be secured.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Time remaining to call: 0:00
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Congratulations and good luck with your new role![/SIZE]





As you can see I didn't call that number as alarm bells started ringing when the list of possible 'jobs from home' on the first screen included envelope stuffing, a well-known pyramid scam from the 90s.

Another reason I think it's dodgy was the small print footer:

"[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Calls cost £1.50 per minute plus your phone company's access charge. If you do not proceed or are unsatisfied, a full refund of the call cost can be requested. Service provided by Heart Communications. C/S: 0333 366 0374[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica][SIZE=-2]© NRS. All rights reserved.[/SIZE][/FONT]
"

No job egency I have ever heard of asks you to pay £1.50 a minute to join their ranks. Anyhow, I thought I should put it on here. A search on Who Calls Me type sites reveals nothing (so I added some info).

Maybe it's all innocent, but I thought that sharing the info was the best policy. I hope this is all right

Flyonthewall

No doubt, 100% scam.

-working from home
-high wage
-test, no interview
-expiring link

Nothing about that is genuine. It was a bad idea to even click the link - hopefully they won't have gained any information about you through that. They'll probably sell on personal details if you gave any.

The fact they cause you to pay out through phoning just makes it even worse.

Avoid and in future don't click random links in emails.

roosterpotatoes

Never call a 09 number either, always a bad sign, I may be wrong but I'm sure they can somehow clone SIM cards and continue to charge your mobile after you hang up

I agree totally with Flyonthewall.

Good luck with your job search Catriona