A Solon man, 19, reported he was contacted by a female on WhatsApp. She said she was with a staffing agency called Voldex. Voldex is a video gaming company. She supplied him with a website cloned from the real Voldex website. He was told to add money to his work account so he could play video games and be paid for it. He added a total of $4,390 and now cannot access the money.
Employment Scams are On the Rise
With many looking for extra work and side gigs, employment scams are on the rise. Scammers are taking advantage of the growing audience and high open rates of text messages. According to the FTC, job-related text scams were the second most common type of hoax reported in 2024, with reported losses reaching $470 million. And, many more employment scams go unreported. Here are some ways to recognize and protect yourself from employment scams.
How They Work
Scammers pose as recruiters or employers and reach out to job seekers — often through email, text, or job boards — with fake job offers that seem real and urgent.
Here’s an employment scammer’s typical playbook:
- They Reach Out First: You didn’t apply, but suddenly you’re offered a great-sounding job. It may reference a well-known platform or company to seem legitimate.
- They Make It Sound Too Good to Be True: High pay, flexible hours, minimal experience needed — all with little effort.
- They Avoid Real Conversations: They’ll often skip interviews, dodge phone or video calls, or rush you into a decision via text or chat.
- They Ask for Personal Info or Money: Their goal is your Social Security number, bank details, or payment for “training,” “equipment,” or “background checks.”
- They Disappear After Getting What They Want: Once they get your money or data, communication stops, and you’re left exposed.
How to Know If A Job Offer is Real
At GreatWork, we build relationships with local and national employers, and every opening is thoroughly vetted. Here are ways you can verify other job listings and offers:
- If the offer is too good to be true, it’s probably not good or true.
- Look up the company and job opening with a Google, LinkedIn, or job platform search.
- Check for misspellings, redirects, or added subdomains in the website URL (example: indeed.imascammer.com is not legit!)
- Recruiter email addresses should be (recruiter)@(thecompanydomain).
- Search for the company and call their phone number to make sure you can speak to a real person
- Never give personal or financial information, or send money through text or chat. Legitimate companies use secure systems for paperwork and always conduct interviews before moving forward with onboarding.
Stay up to date with GreatWork’s verified local jobs at the best Northeast Ohio companies here.
For further protection from scams, check the Ohio Attorney General Consumer Protection site at www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/ConsumerProtection and FTC scam alerts at consumer.ftc.gov/scam-alerts for up-to-date information.