8

I was recently contacted by an employer that wanted to hire me as a Customer Service Officer. They have three ways to pay you: direct deposit, wire transfer, and cash transfer. I did the training with them and before I even started. They want me to be an online manager for the company as they want to open up an office in my state. The only difference would be to open up a business account. They don't allow personal accounts. I have been wary after hearing all this.

Could this be a scam? The supervisor told me they do W-2s at the end of the year and I don't have to worry about anything dealing with taxes they will take care of it.

Improve this question
13
  • 54
    What do you mean "open a business account"? Do they want you to be involved in opening up a bank account? This is definitely a scam. No legitimate company will involve a new hire in opening up a bank account.
    – Grade 'Eh' Bacon
    Commented Apr 24 at 16:09
  • 37
    If you have to ask "is it a scam", it probably is one.
    – keshlam
    Commented Apr 24 at 20:15
  • 8
    Step back and look at that for a moment: they're offering you a job as an "officer" and styling you a "manager" despite knowing next to nothing about you. Does that sound pukka?
    – Mark Morgan Lloyd
    Commented Apr 25 at 7:23
  • 6
    @MarkMorganLloyd: thank you. Today, I learned a new word.
    – Stephan Kolassa
    Commented Apr 25 at 8:34
  • 7
    While you are probably "weary" (tired), you likely meant that you have been "wary" (suspicious) after hearing all this. And well you should, it smells fishy all right.
    – Matthieu M.
    Commented Apr 25 at 11:36

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
44

They want me to be an online manager for the company as they want to open up an office in my state

Do you know what that means? Renting an office, hiring employees, dealing with local business licensing, contracting vendors for janitorial services, office supplies, IT, etc... Have you done that before? If not - why do you think you're the right person for this?

The supervisor told me they do W-2s at the end of the year and I don't have to worry about anything dealing with taxes they will take care of it.

Given that you mentioned State and W2, I'm assuming you're in the US. In the US your taxes are your responsibility and noone else can take care of it.

They don't allow personal accounts. I have been weary after hearing all this. Could this be a scam?

Most likely. If you're an employee - then why do they care about your personal bank account?

They're offering you a fancy position that you're unlikely to actually be qualified for, asking you to create a bank account for them, and telling you to not report it in taxes. Is it a scam? Yes, most likely.

Improve this answer
7
  • What do you mean with "why do they care about your personal bank account?"? You have to give your personal account details, so they pay you salary. Under details, I don't means password or anything similar ;)
    – BЈовић
    Commented Apr 25 at 7:01
  • 7
    @BЈовић he meant "why would they need you to have a business bank account rather than a personal one"
    – kirbby
    Commented Apr 25 at 7:44
  • Great answer ! I always take a great care when somebody says "you only have to". Especially when these matters are related to personal finances. And in this specific case if OP is not planning to become a fully functional business legal unit, then this is a no-go.
    – Agnius Vasiliauskas
    Commented Apr 25 at 14:24
  • 4
    @Amelian money laundering through the "business" account, probably.
    – littleadv
    Commented Apr 26 at 5:16
  • 11
    @Amelian - whilst it's fine to be curious, it's important to remember that you don't have to know how a scam works in order to be the victim of a scam. "you" are a comparative amateur, these people run scams 24/7.
    – Damien_The_Unbeliever
    Commented Apr 26 at 5:17
20

Absolutely everyone who asks you to open a special account somewhere is scamming you. There is no possible scenario in which someone needs you to open an account for their purposes.

If they were legitimate, they'd have ways to open their own account. Yes, even if they're out-of-state. Even if they were on the other side of the planet, a legitimate company will always be able to do their own banking, and any intermediates they might need would be lawyers or notaries.

Most likely scenario (but this is guesswork): They'll launder money through that account, and when eventually the whole operation goes belly up, their hands are clean and you're in a shitload of trouble.

Improve this answer
3
  • Is this really true in the general international case? I think you often need to be a legal resident of a country to open a bank account in it. Thus, a company might well need an agent in order to incorporate and/or open a bank account--and that is a business in some countries. These rules were imposed to prevent money-laundering. Of course, there is no reason this is required within a country, and if you are not an expert in the rules and laws, then...you are going to be left holding the bag.
    – Seth Robertson
    Commented Apr 26 at 17:55
  • 7
    @SethRobertson: If they need an agent to open an account, it will be a professional, not J. Random Non-Financial-Expert. If you have to ask here. It's a scam. If you can't explain why they are doing business with you rather than experts, it's a scam.
    – keshlam
    Commented Apr 26 at 19:16
  • 7
    @SethRobertson There are people who's whole business model is to serve as agents for others. They're usually well-established, with legal counsel, and can properly vet their customers without asking questions on a random internet Q&A site.
    – littleadv
    Commented Apr 26 at 20:12
11

In my experience, the moment somebody says "You don't need to worry about it", my spider sense starts tingling. The next question I ask is "Why not?". Another good question to ask is "Tell me about my job description in more detail?". Tell us what your training consisted of? Training is expensive: if somebody starts training you before you get the job offer, that's another red flag. Are they assuming you are so desperate (or stupid) that you will take any job?

Somebody else in this thread mentioned that if you have to ask, "Is this a scam?", then it probably is.

You were wise to bring up your question in this forum. Unless you have signed a non-disclosure agreement, I recommend you post the name of the company and their contact information. That way, if somebody looks for them using google, bing, or duckduckgo, then that person will find the story and themselves be wary.

Improve this answer
13
  • 12
    No, don't post names. Defamation suits are expensive even when frivolous.
    – littleadv
    Commented Apr 25 at 4:32
  • 4
    @littleadv it's impossible to defame someone by stating demonstrably true facts. As long as OP has a written record of all of this (@OP you do have a written record, right?) there's trivially nothing to sue over. A real company will know this and won't waste their time. A scam company obviously isn't going to sue you.
    – Brondahl
    Commented Apr 25 at 14:49
  • 13
    "A real company... won't waste their time." Lots of legitimate companies are run by stupid, malevolent, and/or highly emotional people. Frivolous lawsuits are filed by real companies quite often in the US.
    – Elezar
    Commented Apr 25 at 17:02
  • 5
    @Brondahl anyone can sue you for anything, and just proving to the court that you didn't lie is going to be expensive. It is not at all a given that you'd be able to, and even if you do - that attorney fees are going to be awarded.
    – littleadv
    Commented Apr 25 at 17:55
  • 6
    @Brondahl It is possible that the scammer has used the name, and copied the details, of A Real Company (ARC Inc). So that OP could be led to believe that she is actually working for ARC when she is actually involved with a bunch of sleazebags off-shore.
    – Simon Crase
    Commented Apr 26 at 5:41
2

Telling you that you:

don't have to worry about anything dealing with taxes they will take care of it.

should be a big reason to get away from that job. Head for the door and do not look back.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .