Job Scam

Has anyone ever heard of Career Network? I had applied for a couple jobs earlier this year that were routed through this company. I had a suspicious email from them afterward that prompted me to do some research. I found out through a consumer advocacy group called the Ripoff Report that I wasn't the only one who'd been scammed. It seems that Career Network was just a marketing scam to get addresses, but no one knows what they planned to do with them. There was absolutely nothing I or anyone else could do except write the legal board in Florida. You can bet your sweet hot cheeks I did. Here's my letter, written last January, that tells the story:

Dear Mr. McCollum,

My name is Stephanie M and I reside in San Antonio, TX. I am writing in reference to a fake job placement agency, Career Network, which lists itself as residing in Orlando, Florida. However, upon a Google search, I can only find an office in Jacksonville with a non-working number.

This so-called job placement agency is putting fake job ads on many websites including, but not limited to HotJobs, Craig's List and Myspace. The user is asked to continue their application on their company website at www.careernetwork.us.com. I admit, I should have realized that this was a scam right away when they asked for my cell phone carrier and whether or not I would like to further my education. But, like many others, I was looking for employment in an economy where unemployment is rising. I applied for an Event Planning position specifically, but I have only realized my mistake after applying to a few others. I am happy to provide you with log in information if you need it so that you can see the specific jobs I applied to.

After applying, I received an email requesting that I visit their website, log in with the provided information, and fill out some additional information. The email had a person's name on the bottom, but no phone number and only a P.O. Box address was given. I have a copy of the latest email should you need it. Again, it asked about furthering my education (which I am not interested in) and asked me to provide up to 5 personal or professional references. I referred 3 of my past friends/coworkers and each of them received an email almost immediately. I also received a phone call a few days later asking about my education. The caller informed me that I requested this information (which I didn't as I just graduated with my MBA in May) and wanted to tell me about opportunities. I replied that I didn't request this information and asked if he could tell me about my job application. He had no idea what I was talking about so I hung up frustrated.

Now, after seeing other reports on www.ripoffreport.com, I realize that this is truly a scam and that I have been duped. But, I am swallowing my pride in hopes that you can address this situation. Please help in shutting down this company. I am concerned that my personal information is being misused and I would like it to be removed from their list. Thank you so much for your support. I truly appreciate it and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Stephanie M


Although I never heard back from Mr. McCollum, within a few months, the job postings disappeared. So, why am I telling you this now? Because I was about to apply for a job for a company called Buzzgrub. It routed me to the same page as Career Network and asked the same questions. Of course I simply closed the page rather than go through this mess again. I did some more research and found this blog telling more of the story behind these companies. It's pretty bad. Please follow the link to learn more.

Lesson of the day/year? Be EXTRA careful when giving out information. I haven't had any problems that I know of, but you just never know. Be safe!