Beware of Scam Artists

Sure, we all know not to give our bank account information to those Nigerian bank officials promising to share millions of dollars mistakenly frozen in somebody else's account; but believe it or not, those aren't the latest scams. 

No, nowadays people like to prey on the desperate and unemployed.

How do I know this?  Well, obviously it's afflicted me and others that I know, so I thought if nothing else that I should share this information for everyone else's benefit.  (Hey, try and put one over on me & I can promise you that I'll do everything I can to make sure no one else becomes your next victim.  Think of it as my way not so much of giving back but getting back, as they say...)

I've already written about companies adding rejected job seekers to their mailing lists and how that humorously-but-probably-accurately contributes to global warming (larger mailing lists mean more junk mail, which means more paper is consumed and that more trees must be harvested to meet the artificially inflated demands - hey, it works if you're willing to go with it...), but now we have scam artists using networking events to push products and solicit job seekers to become franchise owners. 

Put another way, some people really will stoop to unbelievable lows. 

At a recent networking event, I and several acquaintances were approached by a woman whom I will call "Jane."  Jane offered to help share her networking expertise as an independent recruiter to help put you in touch with people at different companies where she has connections.  A quick check of her Web site shows that Jane seems to be a bona fide & legit recruiter; however, during your first phone call with Jane she subsequently launches into a very heavy sales pitch followed by an e-mail campaign that basically goes as follows:

----- Forwarded Message ----

From: "Jane"
To: Jxxxx
Sent: Sun, November 14, 2010 1:23:54 PM
Subject: Re: XYZ Position

Hi, [NAME]

I've forwarded your resume to [COMPANY] and will let you know when I hear something back.  However, if you're tired of working for others, and want to live a semi-retired lifestyle and get more out of your own business, let's talk more about [JUICE] as an additional stream of income for you. You can do it part-time, if you wish. Here are three videos below. Promise me you'll watch them and let me know if you want to meet for coffee. It's important.


According to friends who have been approached by Jane, she then launches into a hard sell about putting some money into the program - even going as far as suggesting to do so on your own credit card - to help push the product.  An upcoming speaking engagement is also touted as a way to meet other hopeful supporters and "franchise leaders" so you can "find ways to start making money right away." 

Look, part of me honestly thinks that anyone naive enough to fall for this kind of bull deserves what they get, but the thought of someone using legitimate networking functions where honest and desperate people are trying to find job leads so they can put food on their tables or pay bills as a means of preying on them is despicable. 

Bottom line:  Never forget that someone is always willing to take advantage of your situation; and anyone offering to help you should probably be given the benefit of the doubt initially; but don't be too surprised if that helping hand occasionally and unfortunately turns out to have its own goals in mind.