Scammers are targeting out-of-work mortgage professionals with fake jobs, multiple sources told HousingWire.
Tina Wayman, an underwriter who lost her job at First Guaranty Mortgage Corporation when it went bankrupt in June, almost fell victim to a job scam last month. Looking for a job for the first time in almost 10 years, Wayman added her resume on CareerBuilder and Indeed hoping to get interview leads.
After a month of waiting, she heard back from Swedish lighting company Fagerhult, which was looking to fill a data entry or customer service position. Wayman went for the remote data entry position. Instead of a virtual video interview as she expected, Wayman was asked to participate in an “online screening interview with the HR department” through a designated app where she was asked to type in answers for each interview question.
It was after taking part in a four-hour interview process Wayman received an offer letter with misspellings of her position and a check that she would have to deposit to buy equipment for work. That’s when she realized something was wrong.
“There were misspellings in the offer letter and companies don’t pay you to get equipment. They pay for it and send it to you,” Wayman said.
“It’s like a punch in the stomach. I just feel overwhelmed. These are people who are taking advantage of vulnerable people in a time of need. They know that and they’re working extra hard to scam you out of your money.”
Wayman had a couple more incidents where scammers tried to trick her with similar tactics. “I feel devastated, anxious about talking to anybody,” she said. “I tell them (recruiters) the only way we are going to connect is through email, phone or a skype interview and I never hear back from them again.”
About a week ago I saw a LinkedIn thread where a loan processor fell for scammers who claimed to be recruiters from USAA.