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OREM — An Orem man thought he was getting the perfect summer job to bring in some extra money, instead he got scammed.
Jon — who did not want to reveal his full identity — is monitoring his credit report and banking activities after falling for what many might call the perfect scam.
"It's a pretty sick feeling," Jon said. "I know that my credit has been jeopardized and is being used even as we sit here."
It all started when Jon posted his resume online to find a job. A shipping company calling itself E-Shopping Logistics and Trading with an address listed in Miami contacted him two weeks ago and told him he'd get paid $2,000 a month to ship packages. After checking out the company online and checking for fraud warnings, Jon thought the job seemed legitimate.
The company hired Jon as a "re-shipper," and he went through the usual process as most new hires at a variety of businesses.
Jon said he even talked to the company's human resources department, which had him fill out a W-2 — detailing his date of birth, address and Social Security number. Like any other job offer, the company even asked for a direct deposit number.
Even though it kind of seemed kind of a weird deal that I was getting paid so much for so little work, it had all the makings of a regular organization.
–Jon
"Even though it kind of seemed kind of a weird deal that I was getting paid so much for so little work," he said, "it had all the makings of a regular organization."
Jon received several packages in the mail, which he then would forward to addresses in Europe or Russia, among other places. But Jon received a strange notice from the post office Monday.
"This is considered a scam," Jon recounted of the post office. "Sounds like you participated in one. You probably need to contact the credit bureau. And I was in denial; I was like, 'No!’ ”
The scammers used Jon's identity to open new credit cards in his name and buy items that he was shipping around the world.
What was supposed to be the perfect job to bring in extra income to support his family turned into a nightmare for Jon.
"It was a work from home-type position," he added. "And I had put requests with Monster and Career Builder."
Calls to the company in question only got an automated response, referring callers to dial an extension or wait for a receptionist. But the calls were immediately disconnected.
Orem police Lt. Craig Martinez said the victims become involved in illegal activity that could affect other people whose identities are also stolen. The local police department is usually aware of the latest scams, and provides several resources if you think something seems suspicious.
But that doesn't help Jon, who now has a fraud alert on his credit report. He's been forced to close his checking accounts, and is working with police to try to catch the culprits. The Utah Attorney General's Office is working with Jon to notify Florida police — but since each transaction was made overseas, there's little recourse for victims of these types of scams.
"This is just a new twist to an old scam," Martinez said. "There's really no one answer as a catch-all to protect yourself from this happening to you. You just have to be very suspicious."
