Recruitment Fraud. An introduction
Before I share the content from my livechat with a recruitment fraudster. Let me explain what recruitment fraud looks like.
While I have very limited knowledge on the topic. Basically, people post fake jobs, sometimes claiming to be legitimate businesses like amazon, etc. They pick entry-level roles such as data entry clerk, and they wait for the candidates to role in.
From that moment I know of two ways they are committing fraudulent activities.
They sell the data collected to a 3rd party for various future usage
They take candidates who have been successful and fill the role
However, need to buy a starter pack to start the work. They say the pack is worth $100 but the candidate pays $20. Then the scammers collect the credit card details of the candidate, and I think you know how that story goes next.
Why was I talking to one?
Ironically, we made TRAFFIT to make posting jobs and collecting candidates as easy as possible. This has made our solution attractive to some of the scammers. Luckily at first we setup a manual system to quickly shut them off, and now we have invested into automated blocking of these people.
However, every time I see a scammer try to sign up, I have this urge to talk to them, interview them. Try to get them to explain what are they really trying to do. Also to of course deter them from trying to do this anymore, and sometimes to try to annoy them a little.
Today, one of them replied and actually started to share some real reasons why they are scamming, that they would like to get out, and how they blame companies like TRAFFIT for not hiring in their country to begin with.
The discussion
In short, after some teasing back and forth with the scammer, I offered to help them get a legitimate revenue stream even as a TRAFFIT reseller in Nigeria (which was a legit offer btw) if they were willing to share with me details of the scam. How they learned about it, and what do they actually sell and to who.
Conversation with Mick Griffin
Started on June 14, 2022 at 09:21 AM Europe/Warsaw time CEST (GMT+0200)
09:21 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I have some amazing news for you!
09:22 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: From today, we are blocking all job posting without verification of accounts. PLUS! just specially for you. Every test account will be limited to 5 candidates without verification by our team 😀
09:23 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : You are a funny guy😂
09:23 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I know right 😀
09:23 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: It was great working with you all this time. But sadly, it’s over 🙂
09:25 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: The sense of turning off your accounts gave me so much pleasure over the time together. You were the least intelligent fraudster I met.
09:25 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : How am i d dumbest?
09:26 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: You use a VPN to be from a place that is in the middle of the night?
09:27 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : 😂
09:27 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Dont let me use voodoo on you
09:28 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: It’s kinda funny to think that someone who is scamming people everyday, is talking about voodoo 🙂
09:29 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: But i’m not concerned. I doubt you can tie your shoelaces, never mind use voodoo 😀
09:29 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : should we try it?
09:29 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: let’s do it! I’m ready
09:29 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Okay hold
09:29 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: oooo, i can feel something. did you start?
09:29 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: ooooo, i can feel it
09:29 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: omg, it’s working!
09:29 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : u must be a fool😂
09:30 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : funny guy
09:30 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: i feel it, its so so strong!
09:30 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : can you give me a legit work so i can stop scamming
09:30 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Lets talk possitive
09:31 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : positive*
09:31 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Sure, send me your CV
09:31 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Are you sure?
09:31 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: send to iamascammer@traffit.com
09:32 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : common
09:32 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : i am serious
09:32 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : its because of people like you we scam
09:32 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : because u guys are not ready to help
09:33 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: You are so right! OMG. I didn’t see it before. You take innocent people’s data because I didn’t hire you before right?
09:33 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Look i am sorry
09:33 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : life is hard
09:33 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : been tryna get work but no one called me back yet
09:33 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Dude, if you put your effort into legitimate business, instead of stealing. You would be earning super money.
09:34 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I’m not even joking
09:34 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Can you put me through?
09:34 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: But everything you do is a choice. It’s nobody else’s fault.
09:34 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Working for legitimate money is hard.
09:34 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: It takes time. You got to follow rules
09:35 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : i know
09:35 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : i have been trying
09:35 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Look at my situation now. How could I possibly trust you? Like seriously.
09:36 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : i am from nigeria a country were our government are corrupt
09:36 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I dont need you to give me money
09:37 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : can you give me some little works i can be doing then u can pay me?
09:37 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : something like that
09:37 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Ok, let’s talk seriously for a moment.
09:37 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I am serious sir
09:37 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: How much are you actually making from your current scamming campaign. Per month for example?
09:38 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: And is it yours? Or you work for someone else who is leading it
09:38 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : sometimes i dont make any money
09:38 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I dont work for anybody
09:38 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: How did you learn about this method of scamming?
09:39 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : online
09:39 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: If we can build some trust together. I can seriously make you a reseller of Traffit in Nigeria. For REAL businesses though.
09:39 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: And i’ll pay you a commission every month
09:39 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I am serious about this
09:39 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I’m being serious also
09:39 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Yes i can
09:39 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: You know Nigeria, you know recruitment, sadly from a illegal standpoint.
09:40 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: You can make business locally to people who really are hiring companies in Nigeria.
09:40 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: No stolen credit cards
09:40 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : No stolen credit cards
09:40 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I dont do physical scam only online scam
09:41 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: But I would like to know where you learned about this recruiting scam. I want a link to where you found it online.
09:41 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : so i dont have any credit scard
09:41 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : card*
09:41 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : its on Youtube
09:41 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I do a lot of research
09:42 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I also tried this on upwork
09:42 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: please send me actual links to the content. It’s very important to me
09:42 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : do u know upwork?
09:42 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: and in return, i’ll sign you up as an affiliate partner of Traffit.
09:43 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: you will create REAL leads and customers in Nigeria
09:44 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : are you trying to use my details to get me?
09:44 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : How do u want it to work?
09:45 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: No, i’m not trying to get you. You said you want to get serious. This is my deal.
1. I want to know everywhere you learned about the recruitment scams. Youtube, Upwork etc. I want the links.
2. In return i’ll create a legitimate way for your to make money from us as an affiliate.
09:46 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: If you bring me a legitimate client to TRAFFIT. I will give you 20% of what they spend, every month.
09:50 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I’m asking where did you learn about scamming?
09:51 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: How do you make money from scamming? You sell the data?
09:51 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : no
09:51 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : i learnt about it online too
09:52 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : everything is online
09:52 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: So I would like to know where you learned about it.
09:52 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : research
09:52 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I would like you to send me a link
09:52 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I would like to read about them myself
09:52 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : I dont know if i can get that
09:52 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : its been long
09:53 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: And how does it make you money?
09:54 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : we tell dem to send money for materials
09:54 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : Are you not from the US?
09:54 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : u should know all this
09:56 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : are u there?
09:59 AM | Fabiocruz6@Delta.com : U dont wanna help?
10:02 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Im here
10:06 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I understand the concept in many ways
10:06 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: But what I want to understand is ‘how do people learn about it’
10:09 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: If you can help me understand this
10:09 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: We can think how to work together more
At this moment, they literally created another fraud account that I deleted instantly and continued the conversation there
Conversation with Mick Griffin
Started on June 14, 2022 at 10:16 AM Europe/Warsaw time CEST (GMT+0200)
10:16 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Can we continue our conversation on your new fraud account I just deleted?
10:17 AM | 8oayz0t94o@popcornfarm7.com : Yes
10:17 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: You find me links to show where people are talking about recruitment scams. Also what data do you sell and how.
10:17 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: In return i’ll sign you up as our affiliate
10:17 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: and you will earn 20% of any accounts you sell in Nigeria
10:24 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: Dude
10:24 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: It makes no sense to open more accounts right now
10:24 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I’m wathcing everything
10:24 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: you asked me to be serious
10:25 AM | 8oayz0t94o@popcornfarm7.com : Open my account first
10:25 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I’m not opening anything. Everything will be closed and deleted
10:26 AM | 8oayz0t94o@popcornfarm7.com : Okay pay me first $30
10:27 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: You are someone who just told me that they sometimes make ZERO $0 in a month from scamming.
10:27 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: I’m talking to you about a way to earn legitimate money
10:27 AM | Mick from TRAFFIT: and you are making the wrong choice.
Wrap Up
Ultimately, I feel a small amount of sympathy for this person. I feel they have chosen this path out of poverty. Possibly, they also exist in a culture where this is more morally acceptable. However i’m not going to get into the topic of what is morally right. Luckily the entire recruitment industry is against this type of behaviour and even the FBI is working on this type of fraud.
If they come back, i’ll certainly be looking for more details into where these scams originate and also where is the marketplace for buying and selling illegal data from recruitments.
Until next time!
Mick