Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Career Network / On Fire Employment Are Complete Scams

I am not sure myself how a company like Career Network can continue to operate so many fake job websites and still be in business.

Here's an email I received today in my regular inbox. I purposely changed the URL so it does not give the company or others any sort of self identifying information but the email remains intact as written by the scam type people.

First the email and then the comments:


Hi XXXXXXXX,

I am looking for Customer Service Representatives. Job duties will include order entry, tracking shipments, account management, communicating with customers via phone and e-mail on a daily basis, project management, creating customer reports in MS Excel and tracking customer activity. This position offers $17-$20/hour plus benefits, which we can discuss at the time you decide to interview.

John, to avoid being flooded with applications and responses, I have only extended this opportunity to a few people. Your online resume caught my attention, and I would like to start the interview process as soon as I possibly can. I am eager to hear back from you today, if at all possible. By selecting the hyperlink below, you can view more information about the position, benefits offered, our company, and send in your application as an interested candidate.

I am interested in applying for the Customer Service Representative position.

I hope to have your application later today!

Best of Luck,

J. Howard
Human Resources Coordinator



If you cannot access the webpage through the hyperlink, you can copy and paste the link at the bottom of this email into your browser.

http://onfire-employment.com/cmanager3.aspx?em=CustomerServiceandCallCenter_WED




From what I've learned by fellow persons who research companies, Career Network is owned by a company called "Three Stars" with an extensive and somewhat convincing web page online about how great the company is supposed to be.

It's also full of pretty people with first name last name initial so you can supposedly get warm and cuddly with the fact they have "real" errr, fake people working for this alleged company.

Go here to read up more on this what seems to be completely fake company.

And can you believe all the company has with all this glitz and glamorous website there is no telephone number to contact them whatsoever. In my search about the company I found absolutely no person with a first and last name or email address either. That's just amazing to me and reeks of fraud right there.

Here's a link provided on the alleged company home page to contact them. Notice there's no telephone number nor physical address mentioned on the website whatsoever though it's supposedly run outside of Orlando, Florida.

I would like to know...just how can this company continue to operate with so many fake jobs as shown in some of the prior links provided about this shameful company?

I have to wonder what the motivation or drive is for this sort of scam. I realize what my goal is and that is to expose email scams and fake job companies.

What do they gain by this? People coerced into giving out lots of full information that can be used for fraud? Anyone out there have anything good to say about this company? I welcome it in comments.

Plus, please feel free to comment further as well like you've been doing. I appreciate any and call comments. I only enforce comment moderation to reduce spammers that come in here with comments off base.

I wish everyone and safe and happy week. Good luck with your personal job search as well. I know I'm still looking myself for work.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi....I have also recevied an email from the same jobsite today morning...I really dont understand why these people make fools of desperate,tired and hardworking jobseekers...............

Jared said...

I agree there is nothing more frustrating than being so desperate for a job that you turn to the craigslist ads... and after a day of revamping your resume and writing cover letters you find your inbox flooded with the exact same email sent from different people promsing excellent wages. In desperation follow a few links just to see... Immediately you know its a scam by the "click this link and fill out all the inconsequential info, then click submit or I agree" you decide to play along a few screens to try and see who is behind it filling out fake info. Soon you realize that this worthless individuals have stolen time from you that could be better spent finding a "REAL" job... Just think of the consequences that could've happened if you hadn't had the sense to realize that it was a scam, and so you skulk back into despair wondering if you will ever find a way to support yourself in these trying times.

Anonymous said...

Yes, thanks for this. I received an email from them today, as well, and was half inclined to fill out the application but momma didn't raise no fool.

Let's face it: there are few jobs out there and the odds of one just getting plopped in your lap by an email are about nil. I have been very careful about where I send my resume and I know exactly where these turkeys got my email from, as well. I suspect the majority of job postings on the web are BS at this point and the few that aren't are getting flooded with applicants.

Tamara said...

I agree with the person above.. it's so sad and not a nice 'prank' to pull during such harsh economic times...

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this. I received this email as well.

Jennifer said...

I recieved an email that was similar to this just yesterday and when I replied to the email, they did not respond. This really gets on my nerves because I am seriously looking for employment and carrer-network is sending crap like that to me!

ritz_curry said...

I have received numerous e-mail from these people, with no response back. I finally figured out what is going on. At the bottom of the "Career Network " page there are 3 radio buttons:

To assist individuals interested in pursuing higher education we provide free information about education opportunities in various fields and locations.
I have no interest in furthering my education at this time.
I may have an interest in furthering my education, but I would like additional information first.
I am interested in furthering my education in the near future.

I always click the first stating I AM NOT interested in furthering my education. When you procede to the next page, you have 3 more radio buttons pushing "work at home" opportunities...and again I click NO.

Then the phone calls start..."I understand you are looking to further your education"? or "We have a great work at home opportunity for you"

So it seems to me that's the scam..get your phone number and try to push education or work from home. Anyone else getting these phone calls?

Anonymous said...

I have just received the 2nd email in the last 3 days from two so called jobs that noticed my resume online. I filled out an application online and prompted to answer- if I was interested in furthering my education while working. Stupidly I answered YES and very quickly realized and tried to click back but now I am being bombarded with phone calls from this educational company that apparently wants to help me further my education. Is it possible that they are running this website? But still I dont understand how anyone is benefiting from this or making any profit.

Anonymous said...

I received an email from them as well. They pulled my info from Dice. It's funny, though - they send me a "job oppty" for an admin assistant, and I'm a computer programmer. So, it was pretty apparent right away that it was a scam. Googled them anyway, and found this website. Just wanted to confirm that I was right - it's definitely a scam.

Unknown said...

I fully agree. I did go to what I was emailed was an interview at Three Stars in Central Florida. They have applicants coming in every 5 minutes and it turned out it was for a "skills" assessment test, not an interview, and they request to take your picture "to match up with the resume". I have been in HR for years and know that requesting a photo before one is hired is illegal in most cases and gives the a pretty strong impression of age and/or gender discrimination. I say in most cases because it is legal if the position applied for is one where a certain look/age, etc. is required such as modeling or an acting role, the position I applied for was an admin assistant not a model.

Robyn said...

I agree with this being a scam, i have spent several days getting emails and sending in my resume in hopes to find a good job, instead i have had to change my phone number and block these stupid people from contacting me about there so called scam of an operation.The only thing that i will be glad to see is if someone can stop these people from being able to continue to send out emails and wasting our time trying to get a real job...good luck

LeAnn said...

good morning~ also received the same email and others like it. this is probably my own fault as was desperate enough to check out the work from home gig and DID click on the education button. remorse quickly set in as it occurred to me that if they HAD seen my resume why would i need to fill all that info out again? but am glad to say only one phone call...so far. have been selling on ebay for a long time and did well enough to cover all my bills & extras but that has slowed wayyyy down. not many legit ways out there to make money from home but ebay (amazon, melaleuca etc) IS safe so sticking to that. with things the way they are am figuring it's up to me to create my own job as best i can. good luck to all out there~

OlderButWiser said...

Thank you for posting this! I, too, received an email for a position as an Office Assistant . . . the error they made was that they put a dollar an hour amount into the email.

Well, I've been at this career for over 18 years (most of it working for VP's in a Fortune 500 company) and what they offered was $15.00 less an hour than what I get now! If they actually read my resume, they would not have put such an insulting wage in the email.

So I decided to do some research on the "company" and found your blog.

I was about to "sign up" just to tell them that they need to actually read resumes and not just send out arbitrary emails, but your blog stopped me from doing that.

Thank you!

Anonymous said...

I began getting these emails and phone calls after I registered at Career Builder. I was also bombarded with form emails offering various employment-related services.

Anonymous said...

Thank you very very much for posting this helpful information. I received my second email today regarding a human resources assistant position. I was very skeptical about repling because what are the odds I post my resume and the next day I get a response with the position and pay I'm looking for. So I too looked up On Fire Employment and saw this blog and I am glad I did. Well so much for thinking your information was safe on what I thought was a secure place to post my resume and not get scammed.

Thank you all!

Anonymous said...

Quite a convincing scam; I'm afraid my story is quite like the others on here.

It'll be interesting to see what, if any, response Three Stars will make to these comments.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I've been receiving these emails too. I wish there was a way we could track these jerks down. I'd like to spam their inbox and see how they like it!

It's just pathetic that these individuals are so desperate that they're willing to go after people who are already down on their luck (as if that makes us stupid enough to fall for their silly ploys). I wish the FBI would get on the ball and get these guys. Or careerbuilders.com for that matter. I thought Career Builders was a reputable job search engine, but I will never use it again, and I will be telling everyone I know to stay away from careerbuilders.com. They're shooting themselves in the foot by not weeding out these scam artists.

Anonymous said...

I also fell for the trap. I found an ad on Craigslist and sent an email to inquire. Sure enough I was immediately directed to a website to fill out my application online. Yesterday I got a phone call to "verify" the information I had filled out online. I asked the lady on the phone what company the ad was for and she said she couldn't tell me. She said that she didn't have access to the company name, but that she would "approve" my application and send it in to them. I got online to search and see if it was a scam. Sure enough! So now they have my address and phone number!

Anonymous said...

This sucks!!! I feel completely foolish, but please see my reasoning. I am part of Phi Kappa Phi, and their career center listed opportunities from this company... WTF!! I pay national dues to be a part of Phi Kappa Phi, which has a reputation of being the nations most selective all-discipline Greek organization... ugh... I guess they must be desperate for cash too these days.

Anonymous said...

I have been unemployed for going on three Months. I too made the mistake of submitting my resume on craigslist. As an ex-cop I can tell you these people are among the lowest of the low, right next to predators. put the cuffs on them really hard and crank em down tight.

Anonymous said...

It just happened to me and right after clicking submit, I knew something was more than wrong. I should have questioned more why they are asking me about life, health ins, universities, etc. I am hoping that the worst is simply receiving telemarketing calls. I'm a sucker!

Anonymous said...

Thanks you all for confirming this is a great blog and my wife and I found it helpful in determining what these emails are about. Screw these stupid agencies that do this sort of thing to people.

Thanks again.

. said...

A person recently posted the BBB of Orlando, Florida changed the grade for the company Three Stars Incorporated from an "F" to a "C-" which does not help the credibility of this alleged organization. But I did feel it worthy to note that this company did have a new score with the Better Business Bureau now.

Anonymous said...

Using Career Builder has caused many phone calls from 1-800# about school but I did get them to stop by flat out telling them I changed my mind and take my number off there list.
However, the email telling me they have a Warehouse job open for $15/hr keeps coming like I am about to miss my very important job.
I think Career Builder was one site that requested a lot of information including emails for references. I guess they are hitting them up too. I really hate know some low class place now has all my personal information the I put on resumes and applications.

Anonymous said...

I have always believed that when it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. In the case of this one, I assume that they sell your information once you fill out their "employment form." There should be a law to protect job seekers from these "ripoff artists!"

Anonymous said...

See my take on the Three Stars AKA Career Network interview process here : http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/three-stars-media-c177469.html (scroll down on the page to My Three Stars SCAM experience ) So disappointing. Such a TOTAL SCAM.

Anonymous said...

Hey, How do you think I feel. The agents from my Workers comp insurance carrier are applying for jobs on my behalf, applying to anything and everything that is available in clerical. I don't even know what they are doing. Is this system wrong or what? I got a call too from 202-591-2220. Maybe this will help. I am not calling back.

Patricia said...

A friend living in a foreign country emailed me asking whether I'd requested a reference from her. She did not wish to write one without my consent.

I had not, but she wrote back, with details that it was On Fire Employment that had requested the reference. If this is a scam of sorts, why is someone checking up on backgrounds?

Anonymous said...

I think that I too am a sucker! I received a voice-mail this morning from 646-360-1692. This was an automated message from a "Jessica" stating that they wanted to "verify" the information I had recently put on an online application. You would think that I would have questioned being left an automated message regarding a possible interview, but....no, I didn't. I called the place back and reached the same automated voice of "Jessica" stating that a "verrification specialist" would help me shortly. Upon reaching a live person, the first thing they did was ask my phone number - to pull up my application...what?! Finally the red flags were VERY clear. The gentleman asked me about five questions, the last of which being if I planned to further my education. Upon stating that if I did it would be quite some time down the road, he hung up on me....Seriously!!

I have since done just a minimal amount of research on this "company" and have found scam warning after scam warning! It made me feel sick to my stomach. After a little contemplation, I called the place back, and reached a different person who asked me the same exact questions! This time when they asked if I planned to further my education, I asked them what that had to do with getting a job interview....and the schpeel of trying to convince me that this was not a scam started.

Unfortunately, they already have all of my personal information. I just pray that I don't have to changed my e-mail address, or phone number...or worse, worry about identity theft!!

Traci said...

Despite the assertion in a previous comment on this blog (posted June 23, 2009 10:21 a.m.), please know that Phi Kappa Phi is NOT affiliated with Career Network or its parent company Three Stars. Phi Kappa Phi has partnered with a company called Experience to manage its job board and mentor match program. This benefit is promoted as a "Career Connection Center" on the Society’s Web site and in printed materials. It has proven to be a valuable benefit for many members over the years.
-Traci Navarre, Director of Marketing and Member Benefits for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi