Once I sent it to their vendor, the money was out of my account and the check bounced three days later,” explained Alexis. “I deposited it and I was told to send it to their vendor through Zelle. “Buying the materials from their vendor would make it cheaper - was my thought.” They made it very believable,” said Alexis. “Because of the pandemic, they stated that this was a new, different way of doing things. The company sent two checks to Alexis with instructions to deposit them into her account, then use a cash app to transfer money to their chosen vendor for home office equipment. The new employer asked Alexis to undergo a job interview on Google Hangouts before offering her the position. “They knew they had a vulnerable target, somebody who was desperate for a job and just got out of school,” said Alexis. An offer to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic sounded ideal. Alexis, who asked NBC 5 Responds not to share her full name, jumped at the chance to work from home as an administrative assistant at a pharmaceutical company.Īlexis was a recent college graduate and a new mom to a preemie baby who’d spent 91 days in the NICU. In Frisco, another North Texan received a similar job offer in her email. “They're doing it and you're telling them everything because you want the job,” Rife added. She, like thousands of other North Texans looking for work in the pandemic, wanted the job to be real. Rife wasn’t out any money, but the experience left her feeling defeated. “I was humiliated and extremely upset,” said Rife. Rife reported the scam to Grapevine Police. The bank flagged the check and stopped Rife before she deposited it. Rash of violent crime tied to teens concerns community leader Rife said the new employer told her to deposit the check into her bank account, then buy home office equipment from the company’s chosen vendor. Soon, she was offered the job and received a $7,400 check in the mail. Over an online chat, Rife answered typical interview questions about her experience and goals.

The potential new employer asked Rife to log onto an online app called Wire for a job interview. “It sounded like a dream job,” said Rife. She would also be paid during a training period. Rife could work from home, making $30.55 an hour. “Immediately, I did because it sounded wonderful.” “I only had a certain amount of time to text them back,” said Rife. They turned out to be fake - costing some North Texans thousands of dollars.Īfter months of struggling to find a job, Angie Rife of Grapevine felt hopeful when an email, inviting her to apply for a position with an energy company, hit her inbox. Several viewers have reached out to NBC 5 Responds after they were hired from what appeared to be legitimate companies.

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