Job scams are on the rise, even in the media world

We are in a brave new world, where scammers aren't just after your money, they want your data.

(A dark hallway evokes the feeling of anxiety that has become endemic in today’s job market. Photo by Andy Henderson on Unsplash))

In journalism, there is a saying: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. It’s an adage from J-School to promote to prospective journos everywhere to be skeptical and critical of all information that they receive.

And recently, the distrust with all the misinformation and deceit on the internet has been warranted. Think deepfakes, rugpulls, bots. It’s a lot to unpack. Paranoia isn’t just for conspiracy theorists anymore: It’s become a life hack.

Hackers and scammers have become more sophisticated; spoofing legitimate domain names, using legitimate businesses to build trust. Some will even host their own websites giving the veneer of credibility.

These fraudsters have been able to wrench out 34.5 million out of Canadians in 2024 as originally reported by Inside Halton.

This figure rose from 7.2 million in losses back in 2022. Canadians are losing real money to fake jobs.

“Fraudsters are using sophisticated technology to create scams that feel more real than ever. It’s important for Canadians to trust their instincts and question unexpected calls or messages. The more we learn about their tactics, the less chance criminals have to defraud us,” said Matthew Boswell, commissioner of competition in a news release.

CTV News previously reported a story about a woman who was left in financial dire straits after she was recruited to rate and comment on travel packages as part of a data optimization strategy for the company supposedly recruiting her.

Despite being paid in cryptocurrency, she went along with it because she had been able to take out some amount of money in the beginning.

This woman did not want to believe she was the victim of a scam and kept pouring in money to her recruiter because she had received nominal payments previously and fallen into the trap of what is called a sunk cost fallacy.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, scammers don’t just want your money, but also personal identifiable information (PII) and use information like void cheques for hiring to obtain it, knowing a lot of people won’t question hiring practices.

And that is exactly the problem. Precarious workers like myself have to not just navigate the increasing complexity of a job market, that does everything to make you jump through more and more hoops, but it’s even more troubling when ne'erdowellers set said hoop on fire.

A Personal Anecdote

Even I got gaslit into questioning a very real job interview request from my former employer.

Recently, I was contacted to be interviewed for a reporter job that I applied for months ago. However, the person requesting the interview was not known to me in any capacity, despite being employed there for two years and formerly having access to the company’s seniority list as part of the union.

This hiring manager was polite and professional, but I had never heard of her. This person contacted me, saying they were the editor-in-chief of a page that would sometimes republish my work in an adjacent market, but also did not mention the parent company by name.

So I was wary. A couple of years ago, during the pandemic, I was contacted by someone claiming to be from the B.C. based Daiya Foods Inc. for a remote content writer position.

Now, Daiya Foods Inc. is a legitimate Canadian company. I have seen their products at my local organic grocery store. However, the requests made by someone claiming to be from this company were unusual.

During COVID, they told me to deposit a cheque to my personal banking account to pay for the set-up costs for installing office equipment and they would reimburse me.

To be honest, this has made me second guess purchasing Daiya Food products, even though I realize they had no idea someone was using their brand name.

Not only is it harmful for the consumers, but brands should be aware of companies impersonating them as it dilutes their brand’s image.

It seems recently, scammers have targeted media companies. Companies like CBC, CTV and The Toronto Star have also been targeted for crypto scams recently.

When Media Becomes the Target

As someone with an understanding of how lax Canada has been historically towards financial crimes as money laundering, I was naturally curious when I came across a role for a “white collar crime reporter”.

It seemed like a great opportunity as a journalist to exercise some investigative skills. However, as I detail in the video below, it was to my vexation that the person who was trying to hire me as an investigative reporter was an alleged scammer themselves.

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As I explained in the video, I spoke to an alleged scammer by the name of Taimor Zaiman, who claims to be the owner of a company called AltFunds Global, for something he calls “alternative finance”.

Zaiman told me over the phone that he needed help telling his side of the story after being ripped off by bankers outside of the country.

Except Zaiman’s company itself raised a few red flags. For one, Zaiman claimed he was registered with the American SEC, despite the company operating in Canada which is instead governed by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA).

Also, I double-checked with the Canadian Securities Administration page and looked if perhaps I missed it, but no — AltFunds Global is not registered.

So you see, even media workers can fall prey to scammers and bad actors.

For this story, I contacted the media company Brunico Communications which had a statement on their home page about a hiring scam where they were targeted. Additionally, one of their subsidiaries Real Screen, was also targeted in Miami during a summit, where they allege that they were the target of third-parties who were trying to contact their delegates and offer up attendee lists for purchase.

I contacted a representative from the company for a request for comment, but they have not gotten back to me in time for this story.

So how do we combat these pariahs?

Solutions in the Time of Scammer Heaven

That’s where the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre comes in. An organization that like fellow independent media commentator Kyle Kulinski calls the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau the “anti-scam police,” and it is our Canadian equivalent.

Here are some tips I’ve compiled from a variety of sources:

• The human resources consulting firm Robert Half recommends being wary of job offers that seem to move too fast or hiring managers who do not want to meet in-person or video chat.

• Legal firm WilmerHale recommends companies speak out if they are being impersonated and for people to keep records and documentation.

• TD Bank states to watch for the classic spelling errors, and, of course, be wary of any job asking you to send money.

If you are a victim or know anyone who has been affected by a scam, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

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