Is This A Scam?

Heat84

Yesterday I got a call from a guy with a thick Indian accent and an American Name(Charles Parker) from a staffing agency named Arete Technologies. Then almost an hour later I talked with a woman with a thick Indian accent and an American name(Jane Morgan). It's a North Carolina phone number(according to caller ID). It wasn't really until today that I thought it was weird that they had thick Indian accents and full American names. The job is a warehouse job at Iron Mountain. I looked for the job on Iron Mountain's job website and I think I found it. But the job description is different than the job description the person I talked to gave and the one in the email they gave me, so maybe it isn't the same job. I called Iron Mountain and asked them if it was legit and I talked to another guy with a thick Indian accent🙄😳. I don't remember what he said his name was, but I was put on hold for a few minutes while he "checked his resources" and he gave me a phone number to call(1-800-367-5650). When I call it on my cell phone, it hangs up immediately. On a landline there's just dead air. What kind of fake phone number doesn't even work?😕

Here's the email that the first guy I talked to sent me. He asked me respond to the email confirming acceptance of the job offer and to attach my résumé. I did. Other than the last 4 digits of my social security number, I don't think he asked me for any sensitive information:

Hello Alan <last name redacted>,

I hope this message finds you well!

My name is Charles Parker, and I'm excited to inform you about a job opportunity with our client in West Palm Beach Florida 33404. They are currently seeking a Warehouse Laborer/ Heavy Industrial.

If you're interested in exploring this opportunity, please feel free to email me at charlesp@aretetechnologiesinc.com or call me at +1 (919) 447-1299, Ext. 402

 

 

 

Title: Warehouse Laborer/ Heavy Industrial

Location: 2001 Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach Florida 33404

Duration: 2+ Months (Initially)

Work shift: 07:30 AM - 04:00 PM

Pay Rate: $16.71/Hr.

 

Description:

·         Record Center Specialists have to kneel, squat, reach, and bend forward frequently throughout their shifts.

·         Their primary tasks include the moving, arranging, lifting and loading of storage boxes, bins and totes.

·         Boxes, bins and totes range in weight from 24lbs to over 100lbs.

·         Employees move boxes manually and via hand carts.

·         Protective footwear is required and shall meet ASTM F2413-11 “Standard Specification for Performance Requirements for Protective ( Safety) Toe Cap Footwear” and have a slip-resistant rating designated as “Better or Best”

 

Normal Work Schedule:

·         5 days a week, 9 hours a day including 30-minute lunch and two 15-minute breaks.

 

Description of position and job requirements:

·         Employees process orders and move boxes of files, books, binders, backup tapes and other materials.

·         The work is very physical requiring the manual lifting, carrying, and moving/arranging of boxes while standing, stooping, crawling, kneeling and twisting.

·         Employees must be able to lift and carry boxes ranging in weight from 10-100lbs on a regular basis, without assistance.

·         Employees must be able to load and safely operate hand trucks and pallet jacks while walking on uneven and concrete surfaces.

 

Essential Functions:

·         Walk, stand, kneel, squat, stoop and bend for extended periods of time

·         Work without assistance in order to grip, lift, push, pull, and carry boxes including up and down inclines, stairs, and over changes in walking surface/elevation

·         Read and write English

·         Lift and move boxes, read labels, and process incoming and outgoing orders.

·         Use the proprietary computer system to track orders and determine the location of boxes

·         Operate hand held scanner

·         Climb and balance on ladders

·         Lift and carry boxes weighing up to 100 lbs. without assistance for prolonged periods

·         Employee must be able to load, operate and move hand carts, pallet jacks and various other material handling aids

·         Load and shrink wrap pallets at ground level, or on carts

·         Load boxes onto pallets and load pallets onto trucks manually and with material handling aids

 

Best Regards,

 

Charles Parker

Recruitment Consultant


*National MBE Certified Enterprise*

 Description: Description: Description: Description: cid:image003.jpg@01D9C577.E71DF2E0

*An E-Verfied Company*

Address: 647 Peach Orchard Place, Cary, NC, 27519, USA

Contact No: +1 (919) 447 1299 Ext: - 402  

E-mail ID: Charlesp@aretetechnologiesinc.com 

Website: www.aretetechnologiesinc.com

*Arete Technologies, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer*

 

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: If you are not the intended recipient of this transmission, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy the information without making any copy or distribution thereof.  Information contained in this transmission, including any attachments, is intended only for the named addressee (and other authorized distributees) and may contain Sensitive but Unclassified (SBU) information or Privacy Act Data.  Any unauthorized review, use, or distribution is prohibited.

These are in the e-mail:
When he told me to wait for the woman, He sent me an e-mail with this in it. Apparently RTR means right to represent:

Hello Alan!

 

I got your RTR confirmation email. Thanks for  your cooperation in filling your job application.

 

I am submitting your job application to my Manager Jane Morgan. She is the one who will submit your job application to Hiring Manager.

 

She will take your 3-4 minutes approximately and will cross verify if I shared accurate details with you regarding this job opportunity. I am sharing basic details she will cross  verify with you-

1-     Project duration, Hourly rate, Shift timings .

2-     You are fine with roles and responsibilities mentioned in the job description.

3-     Availability to start the job.

4-     Availability for interview.

5-     Your work authorization.

6-     You are fine with background check and drug screen once the job will be offered to you.

 

Please make sure you will take her call in the first attempt as this call is very important. She will call you within an hour from mainline 919-447-1299

 

Once she will cross verify these details, your job application will be submitted to the Hiring Manager and the next step will be an onsite or telephonic interview with the Hiring Manager regarding that we will be calling you in the next 1-2 business days.

  


Thank you and Have a great day ahead!

I know there are foreigners with an American first name, but I've never heard of one with both. I guess I should say American/cockney name instead of just American.

The first guy I talked to said an in person interview wasn't necessary. That seems suspicious. I looked up the staffing company, but I don't think I saw anything about staffing on it's website. I think they sent me an email before they called me, but I didn't see it because it was in the spam folder. I had to look in there for the other emails they sent me. I guess the emails being in the spam folder should've been a clue, but the emails don't have the characteristics of most spam emails that I've seen. The email is a real looking email as opposed to xbdfufgig@ffhn.com.

It probably is a scam, so I'm mostly asking what the scam is. Were they trying to get sensitive information from my reśumé? There isn't any. I know Iron Mountain is a real company and the location apparently exists. Riviera Beach is right next to West Palm Beach, so it is in West Palm Beach metropolitan-wise. So I don't think that's suspicious.

I found this on the BBB scamtracker website after I was done typing this and made a report myself:
https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/lookupscam/923844

So what's the scam?

Even if it is a scam, what about what happened with the person I talked to from Iron Mountain? Coincidence?

px_eliezer_

Heat84 Arete Technologies.

Hmmm.

BBB complaints on this company:

08/13/2024
Recently received a job offer from this company. The email had details that made the entire thing seem legitimate. They called me, I spoke to two different Indian men who gave me obvious fake American names (ie *******************) and they had me fill out the entire onboarding paperwork with them on the phone. This paperwork includes my entire social security number, home address, and Direct Deposit information. They said they would call back the next day to schedule a drug test. I never got the call back. I waited another day, and I called in the afternoon. A man picked up, I explained that I'd gotten a job offer and someone was supposed to call me back but never did. He told me all of his recruiters were busy but he'd get one of them to call me back. That was yesterday. Today I decided to look this business up because I began to fear I'd been scammed. Their entire LinkedIn page is bogus- AI generated nonsense and a list of a dozen obviously fake colleges the company employees supposedly attended. I checked here on BBB and come to find out other people have had this same exact thing happen-- fake job offer, information stolen. I'm currently having to freeze my credit and go through the process of trying to block my identity being stolen. This company preys on people desperate for jobs and scams them.

https://www.bbb.org/us/nc/cary/profile/staffing-agencies/arete-technologies-inc-0593-90316198/customer-reviews

There are SEVERAL similar complaints there.

broknsymetry

/dev/null

Heat84

broknsymetry /dev/null

From now on, I'll use the final thread title instead of Under Construction and put Future Site Of A New Heat84 Post in the body of the post.😂 If it's just text, I'll type it somewhere else. I've done that before when I have alot to type and was worried about having to type it over again.

vaxvms

I've worked side by side with many people who have a heavy (Indian among others) accent.
Did you apply at this place? If not how did they get your phone number? If you've never contacted them why would they call? Did the original caller use your name or just a 'hello friend'?

Heat84

vaxvms

I've applied to a lot of jobs lately. I probably did apply to it, but I don't remember.

I don't mean to say that all Indian people are bad, but it seems like 99% of the time I talk to one on the phone, it turns out to be a scam.

I don't remember if they used my name when I first talked to them.

vaxvms

Heat84 "I've applied to a lot of jobs lately."
I wonder if your phone number being provided with lots of applications could be contributing to the deluge of spam calls you're getting. https://broadbandbulletin.com/d/763-will-the-phone-companies-ever-have-their-day-of-reckoningcontinued-from-dslr/7

broknsymetry

It would actually be nice to have a /dev/null here so people can experiment.

Heat84

They only asked me for the last four digits of my social security number. Do employers usually ask for that on applications or during interviews? I think they do during onboarding after you've been hired.

Somewhat-Reticent

Heat84 Doubtful - that's normally a #-factor criterion.

vaxvms

Heat84 NOMB but how are you finding the plethora of jobs you apply for?

px_eliezer_

Heat84

The well-respected SHRM (Society of Human Resources Managers) says this:

When requesting information on an employment application, employers should ensure that the information requested is job-related. Generally, employers should not request a Social Security Number (SSN) on an application, as it is not directly related to an applicant's ability to perform the job, and applications are often viewed by individuals who do not need to know this information.

Due to identity theft and privacy concerns, employers should avoid requesting unnecessary information and inadvertently sharing it with hiring managers or others. As a best practice, employers should request an SSN from an applicant only when absolutely necessary. For example, when conducting a background check before making an offer, an employer can collect the SSN on a separate background check authorization form rather than on the employment application.

Once an individual is hired, employers will need the employee's Social Security Number for payroll and benefit purposes. Safeguards should be in place to keep SSNs confidential, and employers should implement procedures for the safe disposal of this information. It is also important to understand state laws, as some states have specific requirements for transmitting SSNs over the Internet or printing them on information sent by mail.

https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/tools/hr-answers/can-employers-request-applicants-social-security-number-employment-application

I think it's great that you're trying to think things through, but to be blunt, I think that you need to be even MORE cautious or even downright paranoid.

For example, you could easily have checked out that company with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) which although far from perfect, is pretty useful to look at public complaints.

You're going to get burned.

You should strongly consider credit alerts, or even full freezes.

More info here on this PDF (which hopefully will not be musked away):
https://www.bulkorder.ftc.gov/system/files/publications/fraud_alert_credit_freeze_whats_the_difference.pdf

Similar info from a non-government source:
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/difference-between-fraud-alerts-and-credit-freezes

Other:

I received 8 phone calls and 2 emails from this company in less than 30 minutes about my resume and it appears to be a 3rd party employment agency. I blocked their number as they would not stop calling. Caller: Arete Tech Inc.

https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-919-447-1299

Since signing up on Monster and creating my profile I've been getting spammed day in and day out by the same 2 "recruiting" companies with the same unsuitable/bad match/lowball job offer I've had to say no to every single time and the calls keep coming. One is from "Arete Technologies" - you can look them up, they have existing reports as spammers...

https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/monster.com

A heavy Asian accent woman called me offering a job: Hello ----- This is Jasmine from Arête Technologies, I Hope you are doing great today, I was trying to reach you regarding a job opportunity for the “Foundation Coordinator” role at “9221 Corporate Boulevard, Rockville, MD” This is initially a 2+ Months contractual role an hourly rate of $20/hr. Please let me know if you are interested in this job also let me know the best time to speak with you and check your email box for job details. I will be waiting for your response (919) 447-1299 ext-428 Jasmine Ross

https://directory.youmail.com/phone/919-447-1299\

I really can't say anything more, if your eyes are not open now they never will be.

Heat84

vaxvms NOMB but how are you finding the plethora of jobs you apply for?

Indeed, Zip Recruiter, GlassDoor, Career Builder, Lensa, Adzuna, Logistics Jobsite, LinkedIn and one or two others. Some of those actually just search other jobsites. I'm working with a job coach and he got me to start checking CraigsList. I wasn't using that until now because I didn't think it was worth it because I thought the jobs ads there were mostly for temporary jobs that only lasted a day or two. But there's plenty of full-time job offers there. I applied for a few and went to the place to fill out an application and for a job interview for two of them. I know they were legit because the name was on the building and the business they claimed to be in was going on while I was there. For the second one, the person doing the hiring wasn't there when I was. But my application was just added to the pile both times, so I probably won't be hired.

Why do some companies have you fill out a paper application instead of doing it online? Why do some companies have you do both?

Heat84

px_eliezer_ You should strongly consider credit alerts, or even full freezes.

Why? They haven't asked me for that kind of information. I know that wouldn't be appropriate on a job application in an interview. That would never miss my radar.

vaxvms

Heat84 Suggestions from an old fart. Networking is your best friend. Volunteer somewhere; a library, school, senior center, a not for profit organization; while you're looking. You don't need it to be full time. Interning somewhere will spread your name and get you more knowledge. You'll meet people who can give you leads and get your name to real world opportunities. It'll also let you update your resume to show you were actually doing something not sitting on your butt.
My personal suggestion is to stay away from Craigslist and similar places. Get a job at Wal-Mart or 7-11 before using Craigslist.

Online applications can be run thru a software scanner looking for specific words/phrases before being passed on to a real person. This makes it easier for a company actually looking to fill a real job.

Do NOT have a resume more than 2 pages long or it's most likely to get tossed into a TLDR pile.

Heat84

vaxvms

Online applications can be run thru a software scanner looking for specific words/phrases before being passed on to a real person. This makes it easier for a company actually looking to fill a real job.

Some job applications ask you if you want to opt out of the software scanner(It's called something else, AI something I think). If I opt out, the employer probably won't look at my application.

Do NOT have a resume more than 2 pages long or it's most likely to get tossed into a TLDR pile.

It's one page.

Somewhat-Reticent

Heat84 If I opt out, the employer probably

Assumptions sure can be enticing.

Heat84

I just found out that social security numbers from before 2011 have a convention(Am I the only one who didn't know this?). The first 3 digits are based on what state you live in, and the next 2 are based on your birthdate. I thought it was just the older you are, the lower the number, because my parents' are in the 200's and mine is in the 500's. Also, Mr Burns on The Simpsons' social security number is 000-00-0001. Now I understand the scam. With the information I gave them, they can figure out the first 5 digits of my social security number and I already gave them the last 4.😳

broknsymetry

Heat84 I'm surprised that after the massive leak (277M) of SSNs discovered last year that the SSA has not issued new ones or lengthened current ones. Issuing new ones is probably not feasible given the pervasiveness of its use, but additional numbers could be tacked on (like SIP+4) that would essentially act as a PIN.

Blackbird

broknsymetry I'm surprised that after the massive leak (277M) of SSNs discovered last year that the SSA has not issued new ones or lengthened current ones.

Changing the length of a SSN would almost certainly have massive (and costly) impact on the universe of software at financial and governmental organizations that use SSNs to track accounts and individuals. Much of that (especially in government) is older code and doesn't lend it itself readily to such a major change in input/tracking data fields.

Heat84

broknsymetry They went to a randomization system in 2011: https://www.aarp.org/social-security/faq/how-are-numbers-assigned/
Of course that won't help people born before that unless they change theirs.

broknsymetry

Blackbird Efficiency should demand we focus on upgrading rather than downsizing.