JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A woman in North Carolina contacted the Ask Anthony team for help.
Kelly Benge was offered a position, with what she thought, was a Jacksonville real estate company. The company is legitimate, but the people who offered her the job are not. They stole the company's name and information for their own personal benefit.
She's still unemployed and out of $4,500.
In October, Benge was offered a job to be an executive assistant. She saw the advertisement on LinkedIn. The pay was $43 an hour and she would get to work from home.
"I was so excited. It's like, wow, this is really happening. I'm so happy. It's a remote job and I was just thrilled," Benge said.
After the job offer, Benge received an email from "Michael Stowell" who said he was the hiring manager for Weaver Realty Group in Jacksonville. In that email, the "hiring manager" told her she needed to purchase a MacBook pro, a specific laptop, for her orientation.
A $4,500 check was sent to Benge's home and she deposited it into her bank account. She then venmo'd the money to an IT person named "Sarah Nguyen," who was suggested by Stowell, to purchase the equipment.
"We realized that it was a fake check," Benge added.
Benge was now responsible for covering the amount of the bounced check. She reached out to her future employers with questions and never heard anything back.
"So, at this point, my husband goes online and starts googling. He realized we've been scammed," Benge explained.
Weaver Realty Group is a legitimate company in Jacksonville. But, they had nothing to do with this scam. Their attorney told Anthony Austin during a phone call that they are victims too and have reported these imposters to federal authorities.
"My husband and I our college educated people and we got caught up in this. It's a shame people are out there doing this and scamming people like this," Benge said.
Before you a accept a job offer:
Search online: Look up the name of the company or the person who’s hiring you, plus the words “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.” See if others say they’ve been scammed by that company or person.
Don't pay for the promise of a job: Honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job or send money on Venmo or Cash App.
Never bank on a “cleared” check: No honest potential employer will ever send you a check to deposit and then tell you to send part of the money or buy gift cards with it.
You can report job scams to the Federal Trade Commission by clicking here.