Sun. Sep 29th, 2024

VM Agency Scam Texts: Fake Job Offer

By Samantha Jun8,2024

Did you receive a job offer texts from Jessica posing as a recruiter at VM Agency? Beware! It’s not a legit remote work opportunity. Presently, more than hundred job seekers have received job offers allegedly from VM Recruitment Agency.

The remote job offer isn’t from VM Agency (a recruitment firm). Firstly, the company does not send job seekers unsolicited job offers. Secondly, the content of the text messages and the recruitment process has all the red flags of an employment scam;

  • Too good to be pay
  • Shallow interview via LinkedIN and WhatsApp
  • Communicates via texts only
  • Lacks formal onboarding process
Screenshot of VM Recruitment website

How The VM Agency Fake Job Scam Works

  • The scammers entice job seekers with high income pay and benefits via texts
  • Once you indicate interest, a fake interview would be conducted either on Signal, Telegram, or on WhatsApp. After which you’d be told you’ve been hired.
  • Once you accept the fake job offer, the scammers would use ‘work equipment fee’ tactics to scam you. A third party would be introduced as a vendor whom you’re to buy equipment from. However, this person is included in the scam. Whatever check sent to you wouldn’t appear on your bank account, but you’d be coerced to make the payment for the equipment with your own money while you wait for the check to be approved by your bank.

All these are examples of advance fee scam and are quite common with fake employment. Once you make the payment, the scammers would disappear and cease all communication with you.

Yearly, thousands of job seekers fall prey to job scams, especially remote job offers. So how do you stay protected? what are the red flags of job scams?

Warning Signs of Job Scams

1 – Unsolicited Recruitment Text

Received an unsolicited job offer via WhatsApp, text message or email? There’s a likelihood that it’s a scam, especially if it came from a company you’ve never applied to. Legit companies wouldn’t send you job texts out of the blues. There’s always a due process for hiring.

2- Too Good To Be True Pay

This is one of the very first red flags. It’s true we all like the idea of being paid high, but when the quoted pay is far above what the industry normally pays, you need to pause. If they’re promising to pay higher than the market rate, tread with caution. Sometimes they might promise unrealistic work hours with no specific skill for huge pay, making the job look irresistible. That’s just a bait with which to entice their victims.

3 – Conducts a Shallow Interview

The interview process is always a dead giveaway. It’s always quick and short, without any depth. Then you’re told you’ve been hired. Most times, the interview is hosted on Signal App or Telegram, via text messages with just an acting HR.

No legitimate business or company would hire an employee without a thorough interview to ascertain if they indeed meet the criteria.

4 – Requests for a Fee

If after the interview and onboarding, you’re asked to pay an amount of money, then it’s a scam. This fee could either be labelled ‘Application fee’ or ‘Upgrade fee’. Whatever name it’s called, legit companies don’t collect money from employees.

What to Do If you fell for this Fake Job Offer

If you’ve already submitted your personal details and CV to the crooks behind this fake employment offer. You should do the following;

Enroll in identity theft monitoring services

Identity protection services like Experian or Aura monitor databases that collect different types of information. When you enroll with them, you’d receive an alert notifying you of suspicious activities like –

  • a change of address request
  • court or arrest records
  • orders for new utility, cable, or wireless services
  • an application for a payday loan, etc.

Experian.com for example, has a basic Identity Theft monitoring plan which is free. I advise that you sign up for it, if you can’t afford the premium plan which is $24.99 monthly.

Alert your Bank of the Fraudulent Transaction

If you fell for the equipment vendor plot and made the payment using your account, immediately notify your bank. Send screenshots of the conversations between you and the criminal, payment receipt, etc.

You should also request for a chargeback if it’s possible to recover your money.

Spread Awareness of the Ongoing Scam

It’s very important that you inform people of your experience with the crooks impersonating Conformal Medical. You could do this on Forums, or even Threads like Reddit. This would help prevent others from being victims of the scam.

You can also go a step further by reporting the scam to government authorities like –  FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov). This would make them put up a notice warning the public of the scam.

Conclusion

Unsolicited job texts from VM Agency should be treated as scam and disregarded. Employment scammers are becoming smarter lately – they go as far as impersonating reputable companies, making job seekers think they’re the real deal. However, it’s all part of their scheme. Once they’ve established the trust, they’d proceed in their scam which could be disguised as ‘equipment fee’ ‘training fee’ ‘upgrade fee’ etc.

When approached by a job recruiter either online or offline, the first thing to do is research the company and the job opportunity. Find the company on the internet and review their online presence, including their social media. Enter the company’s name and the word “scam” on search engine, paste the email address too to find out if it has been flagged as scam.

See latest alert – Is Instagram Bipa Settlement Scam or Legit?

By Samantha

I am Samantha, a Cyber Security enthusiast. I kicked off my passion as a Cyber Fraud Researcher during the Covid19 pandemic when I saw lots of people falling victims to fraudulent websites pretending to sell disinfectants, masks and wipes. Since then, I've helped thousands of people avoid being scammed by providing timely alerts on trending scams and tips on how to stay protected.

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4 thoughts on “VM Agency Scam Texts: Fake Job Offer”
  1. Scammed opportunity from Va agency had me send thousands and put me in the negatives after sending thc deposits to there wallet. They will not let me withdraw my earnings and money sent. Platform they have me login is shop7778.com

  2. If you’re a victim of a scam I would highly recommend also checking out the Federal Trade Commission web site: ftc.gov

  3. I received one just today with a different name, Lisa. So beware it could be from different people. This smelled of scam immediately. Here’s how my offer read for those wondering…

    Email/Contact from: [email protected]
    Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a recruiter at VM Agency. We need a part-time team. Online work hours are flexible and you can work from home without any restrictions. Salaries range from at least $200-$1280 per day. All you need is a smartphone or computer to do the work. You will be paid immediately at the end of each workday. Work 7 days a week, 10-30 minutes, if you are interested, please contact me via WhatsA-pp +6692104725

    First Lisa has no last name and contact was from a random contact email and not a company email. Second there are other agencies with this name, some fixed to the music business so there is some excitement they expect to obtain from the victims they seek. Third a legitimate phone number and address should be address to the business they represent. Fourth, follow the language. Too much money for little to no hours, and no restrictions. If you think you’re making that kind of of money working for any company with no restrictions, then that’s why people get scammed. If you go looking for too good to be true, 9 out of ten, it is and you will open yourself up to being scammed out of money and valuable time. Lastly, never give personal information out and check with BBB (Better Business Bureau) determine whether the company is legit and do your due diligence to looking up the company and contacting someone from their official website. The more questions you ask and research you do, you will determine whether it is in fact a scam.

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