More victims are coming forward in a scam involving a fraudulent job posting listed on Indeed.com and other job listing sites. At least one person has suffered financial loss from the scam after providing the poster with gift card information.
The job posting, listed on Indeed.com and other job sites, offered an office assistant position with Bertha Gutierrez, P.C.
Applicants to the post received a response email claiming to be from Gutierrez that said, “Thank you very much for your application. We really appreciate you taking the time to consider us as a potential employer. However, the position you applied for has been filled, but you have been offered another position at our client’s company as a Personal Assistant due to your exceptional resume.”
The email asked for personal details such as address, phone number, and email address. Following emails were sent from a person claiming to be “Dominique Walter” from Walter Group INC, who could be reached at a gmail address.
Follow-up emails with “Walter” included other employment questions and instructions to cash or deposit a check to the applicant’s bank account from an Illinois business. “Walter” asked applicants to notify her when the check had been deposited and to make purchases for her using the money.
Applicants were instructed to purchase gift cards and to send pictures of the serial numbers to an Illinois phone number. Applicants used their own money for these expenses while waiting for the check to clear only to be notified by the bank that it had bounced.
When applicants attempted to make contact with “Walter” about the bounced check there was no response.
Gutierrez originally said 20 people had contacted her about the position through phone calls and emails, but that number has increased.
In email responses to the applicants, Gutierrez stated that no such position had been posted to Indeed.com by her office. At least one applicant was told the position was in Dallas. Gutierrez said she only has one location in San Antonio.
Gutierrez also said she did not have any business clients who she would be referring an applicant for hiring.
Gutierrez contacted Indeed.com about removing the job posting. In response, Indeed.com said the posting was no longer listed and had been possibly removed by the poster.