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 The Department of Labor and Training today is advising job-seekers who use the state’s online job board, EmployRI, of a fake recruiter scam in which the scammers, posing as representatives of a legitimate company, tried to defraud a job-seeker by getting him to cash a check for $3,000. He did not deposit the check and the scammers did not obtain any of his confidential information. On July 25, he reported the incident to DLT, which immediately deactivated the EmployRI account belonging to Cardinal Health Inc., a Fortune 500 health care services company based in Dublin, OH. Yesterday, DLT staff called more than 400 job-seekers whose résumés had been viewed by the scammers to warn them. Thus far, DLT has learned that 34 customers have been contacted by someone claiming to work for Cardinal Health including another customer who received but did not cash a $3,000 check. Both customers who received fake checks have reported the scam to the Rhode Island State Police.
DLT is advising job-seekers not to respond to the scam, never to respond to any text messages or emails from unknown senders, and to notify the Business Workforce Center at 1-888-616-5627 or dlt.esu@dlt.ri.gov if contacted by anyone claiming to work for Cardinal Health. DLT advises job-seekers never to provide Social Security Numbers or other sensitive information to an employer unless they’re confident that the employer is legitimate. Also, DLT warns EmployRI users to watch out for scams, including whenever a job is displayed and whenever they apply for a job. The warning has a link to detailed information to help recognize job scams and protect themselves. “Be cautious of any employer offering employment without an interview (either in person or by phone)” and “Beware when money is required up front for instructions or products” are two pieces of advice. (See attached document, Be on the Lookout for Scams.) DLT disabled Cardinal Health’s account Monday. Yesterday, DLT notified the Rhode Island State Police. The State Police advise any customers who have been victimized and lost money to this scam to call 401-444-1000 or their local police department to file a complaint. As well as calling, DLT will be notifying affected customers by mail. Although the scammers tried to get the job-seekers to cash a fraudulent check for which they could have been held liable, it is unclear if the scammers also are seeking to collect confidential information to use for identity theft. As a precaution, DLT is offering free credit monitoring services for one year to all affected customers. |
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