Windsor Police Service is warning residents about an online job scam that has dragged at least one local business' name through the mud.
Investigators say several people were contacted by what appear to be legitimate companies offering job opportunities. Victims are then sent a fake cheque and instructed to send a portion back to the company to pay for things like equipment, software, services, or even an overpayment of wages. Police say, when the cheque bounces, the victim is then on the hook for the money.
The Lumberjack Restaurant on the corner of Tecumseh Rd. E. and Howard Ave. was used as bait on Indeed.com by fraudsters — Rose McCann has worked at the lumberjack for 19 years and just recently noticed people applying for jobs that didn't exist
"We do not have an Indeed account, we never have, and we don't do our hiring that way at all. I asked her [the Indeed.com representative] why there's no way to protect my business, why can anybody put their ad up? She said, 'anybody can post any business they want on Indeed,’" added McCann who tells CTV Windsor she asked Indeed.com to remove the post, just to have it pop right back up again.
When the reputation of the Lumberjack was in jeopardy, she got the WPS Financial Crimes Branch involved.
"The Lumberjack has been here for 39-years. It's a trusted business … if you're using my name to go for personal information, people are applying ... trusting my business," she says.
Constable Tayla Natyshak tells CTV Windsor, when it comes to money, fraudsters will do whatever they have to and they don't care who gets hurt in the end — legitimate companies rarely provide money before work has been performed.
"These employment websites can be great tools for both the person seeking employment and the employer. An online scam can look many different ways but the point is a lot of times they're seeking one thing," says Natyshak. "If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
Job seekers shouldn’t hesitate to contact companies directly for confirmation, and should be protective of personal information until they have, added Natyshak.
McCann says Indeed has since blocked the account responsible for the posting, but she's concerned posts will just pop up from another source.
Police say the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's website and the Little Black Book of Scams are great resources to help residents stay ahead of criminals.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Windsor police or Crime Stoppers Anonymously.
— with files from CTV Windsor's Chris Campbell.