The exposed scammer, Charles Gbandi
A certain breed of conmen is using the oppourtunity of the collapse
of the steel industry to prey on people looking for work who often pose
as recruitment managers in genuine companies.
Their trick is to use job offers to lure victims into paying
upfront fees to cover supposed costs such as admin expenses and criminal
record checks.
The most likely victims are younger job hunters because they’re
more likely to search online and the long-term unemployed who want a job
so badly that fraudsters find them an easy target.
Gbandi's LinkedIn Page
A charity organization, Crimestoppers, revealed that victims of online job scams lose an average of £4,000. "Some
victims have even turned up to workplaces expecting to start their new
job – only to find out that the employer has never heard of them," the charity warns.
An out-of-work oil industry logistics expert, Alan Winks was
overjoyed that his years of experience in the North Sea had paid off
when he was offered a job with Shell in Nigeria on more than £10,000 a
month.
"Congratulations, you have been found suitable for the position," emailed the supposed head of human resources, Charles Gbandi.
Gbandi also wrote to Alan on Shell letterhead and had a LinkedIn
page apparently confirming his position at the company. But it was a
sham designed to get Alan to pay for fictional costs such as immigration
and insurance expenses.
His fake Employment letter
"The letters are quite convincing. But fortunately I have a
contact in Nigeria who warned me that the email address and phone number
were fake, as was the official-looking stamp at the bottom of the
letter.
When I got this job offer I was so glad. I thought it was genuine and that we would have a Christmas this year after all."
Alan’s near-miss is not an isolated incident. Shell says it is inundated with queries about bogus job offers.
His fake Shell stamp
The company warns on its website:
"It has come to our attention that scam artists are
impersonating senior Shell officials using fake Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn accounts.
Members of the public are hereby strongly advised to note that
any communication or correspondence via social media offering business
contracts, scholarships, interviews or immediate employment, requesting
payment at any point, is fraudulent and does not originate from Shell.
Anyone who receives these false solicitations is strongly
advised to either disregard them in their own best interest or report
them to the nearest law enforcement agency."
Source: UK Mirror
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