A colleague of mine recently got a job offer to work in Dubai. Nothing untoward since he’s on the job market and his name is out there. Luckily he dropped me a line asking what I thought before committing to the offer.
I’ve reproduced all the correspondence below. It’s clearly a scam but what really interests me is why a savvy, educated person would fall for it.
Patrick is a degreed engineer. He earns a reasonable salary and has stable employment. He’s not unhappy where he is but he knows “a friend of a friend who works in Dubai and makes a fortune”. Heard that one before?
Patrick has applied to a few Dubai jobs in the past. As have many people. Like most people, he was unaware that he’d been flagged as a person “open to job opportunities”.
Scammers look for people who are open to opportunities. There’s a saying that you can’t scam an honest man, but I think that’s too simplistic. Getting a better paying job is not dishonest and is something that most working people strive for.
A clever scammer knows that a scam should be “within reason”. Patrick would have smelled a rat if the offer had been ridiculously high. So the scammers put together an “offer” for Patrick that was at the very upper limit of his pay scale. Not incredulous, but certainly enough to get his interest.
The scammers also did their research. They crafted a job offer that took into account Patrick’s job skills and abilities. (This makes me think that the scammers have a background in HR or recruitment). Their offer certainly looked authentic.
They also showed patience in reeling him in. When he asked questions they gave credible answers, and they didn’t put him under pressure to move forward. The enticement of getting a dream job was all the pressure that was needed.
All in all, it was a very expertly put together and well-executed scam.
The initial correspondence came via LinkedIn which gave it credibility but also made it totally untraceable. The correspondence is reproduced below.
“Dear Patrick,
Having completed the screening of your profile and qualifications from the professional job site Linkedin.com as recommended by our recruitment department, the project board hereby affirms your appointment with the approval given by Aydiner Construction.
The document attached embodies the prototype of your Contract Package for your perusal and approval. You are required to properly read and endorse the contract agreement if found satisfactory. sign on the last page and send us a scanned copy of the acceptance page.
We at Aydiner Construction welcome you to join our team of experts and enjoy the world’s best workforce family and we hope to have a long successful professional relationship with you and wish you all the very best.
Yours truly,
Yunus Emre Hüseyin
HR MANAGER
AYDINER İNŞAAT A.Ş.
AYDINER CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.
Yeni Foça Sokak No: 2 06700
G.O.P. – ANKARA / TURKEY
E-Mail: hr@aydiner-hr.com”
The job offer was attached as a separate document, on official-looking stationery.
Patrick said that when he got the offer he thought it may be a scam but he then Googled the company and saw that they had adverts on their website for the position in question. What he didn’t notice, or chose to ignore, was that the given email address in the correspondence was slightly different from the company website.
Patrick signed the offer and emailed it back and then got the following:
“Dear Patrick,
We acknowledge the receipt of the signed contract letter and we are pleased to have you as one of us at Aydiner Construction, Turkey.
Please contact our approved visa agent Sevket Ðulizar for the processing of your Turkish Work Visa, Resident Permit and other supporting documents that will be needed for entry into Turkey.
Sevket Ðulizar
Sadik Ahmet Cad. No:8 Balgat / Istanbul
TURKEY 06100
Email: sevketdulizar@consultant.com
He will provide all assistance and advice until you arrive Turkey to assume job duties.
Endeavor to copy us in all your correspondence with Sevket Ðulizar for advise when necessary.
Yours truly,
Yunus Emre Hüseyin
HR MANAGER
AYDINER İNŞAAT A.Ş.
AYDINER CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.
Yeni Foça Sokak No: 2 06700
G.O.P. – ANKARA / TURKEY
E-Mail: hr@aydiner-hr.com”
It was then that Patrick made contact with me. He showed me all the correspondence and in all fairness to him, it looked quite standard and maybe, just maybe, it could have been genuine. The first question that came to mind was whether or not he had been interviewed for the position. He said not, and I asked him if he thought that was reasonable? I suggested he ask the hiring manager how they could offer a position to someone without an interview. This is the response he received back:
Dear Patrick,
Appointments are given based on the qualification on your profile as such is the final conclusion of the Authority. Reason based on the fact that there maybe ill and non-excellent interview as the applicant is not being interview physically.
Your profile/CV was viewed from professional job site Linkedin.com by our Esteemed recruitment team where your CV was posted.
Yours truly,
Yunus Emre Hüseyin
HR MANAGER
AYDINER İNŞAAT A.Ş.
AYDINER CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.
Yeni Foça Sokak No: 2 06700
G.O.P. – ANKARA / TURKEY
E-Mail: hr@aydiner-hr.com”
By then the penny was starting to drop. The next stage would undoubtedly have been for Patrick to send money to a bogus visa processing agent for a work permit. Or money for airfare. If he fell for that then they would probably send a further request for more fees as a deposit for something or other. And so it would have gone on. Patrick’s desperation would have escalated with time and money invested, making him an increasingly easy squeeze fo the scammers.
I then tracked down someone else who had gone through a similar scan (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/job-scams-aware-randy-mills/) and sent it Patrick. This sealed the case and Patrick stopped corresponding with the scammers.
Patrick is still looking for a job in Dubai.
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