Kingston Police issue warning about ‘work at home’ job scam

Scammers are taking advantage of the current work-from-home climate COVID-19 has imposed on many households. The current scam, as reported by Kingston Police, has victims applying to “Work at Home” positions on online job boards.

The job seekers are told they are hired after an interview process, usually through text messaging or a messenger app, and are then sent money via cheque to set up their at-home office. They are then instructed to transfer that money (by e-transfer) to specific wholesalers who, they are told, the employer holds contracts with.

After sending the money, the victims find out the cheques are fraudulent, and are then out-of-pocket for these expenses.

By applying to these jobs, the victims also share their personal information with the scammers, which can allow further fraudulent activity to be carried out in their names.

Police are urging the public to be extremely careful with any on-line transactions or dealings, and to not send money for anything you cannot confirm is real.