Advanced Standards Inc Account Manager Web Design Scam

Over the last 3+ years or so, scammers has been stealing the credentials of legitimate web design or web development businesses and registering fake business websites in these business names to implement their scam which involves recruiting unsuspecting job seekers for a money mule operation under the disguise of a client manager or account manager job.

They steal credentials of some companies that are still in business and some that are not- although they may still appear to be in business, many times found with conflicting or vague information in a google search. Then the scammers send out recruiting emails to job seekers who has resumes posted on job sites promising them high paying- too good to be true -work from home positions for a so-called established web design or web development, printing/graphics, or digital media company.

Advanced Standards Inc is just the latest in a string of legitimate business names the scammers has chosen to target. They have just created 2 new websites, AdvancedStandardsInc.com and AdvancedStandardsNY.com and registered them both under the name Elliott Keen, using one of the legitimate business addresses we found for this company name, 19 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036 as well as the phone # 2123023366. However, the phone # shown on both of the websites, (which is currently showing under maintenance), is (347) 695-2066!

The vague information we found on Advanced Standards Inc on google was simply unverified information and unclaimed business on various business directories like yelp, yellow pages etc indicating it was once either a travel business or a computer software business. So beware! Below is a screenshot of the website. This website template was last used with the scam for Web5Designs we warned our readers about back in October 2015.

And Here’s the website template they used with the Web5Design scam below:

The Recruiting Email

Below is an example of one of the recruiting emails these scammers send out to prospective employees they search and find on job sites such as Careerbuilder or Monster (among others) after they get a response requesting more information from the initial email they will send out. They just change the company name and state to suit the current web design business scam they are recruiting for.

Dear Job Seeker,
We appreciate your interest in the Account Manager position available with our company, (Company Name)! We’re a team of IT specialists located in (State) providing a wide range of web design and web development services. We’ve always been a progressive employer, which is why 75 percent of our team members work remotely, from their homes: with all expenses we save on office rent, we can afford to pay our employees��� salaries that are higher than the average ones in this market. Join our team and make a career in a developing company with a growing client base, proven technology and strong market demand!
Here’s a brief overview of what Account Managers are responsible for:
– Representing the Company before our new and existing customers;
– Submitting and monitoring the status of customer orders and projects;
– Communicating customer questions, requests and concerns to the developers;
– Managing documentation and billing for assigned customers and other contractors.
Account Managers are NOT responsible for:
– Bringing new customers: this is a task for our sales managers, you will be working with our existing customers only.
– Programming or designing for web: this is a task for our technical staff, your role is customer support and management.
You can work from home anywhere in the United States as long as you have the access to the Internet; you would also need a laptop/tablet/PC with a web browser and basic Office programs installed. No need to purchase any special software or equipment: your performance will be monitored at the corporate web server which you will be clocking in daily. A typical day will start with logging into the corporate website, checking for messages and tasks and getting in touch with the supervisor. Typical tasks can include approving the project specification with the customer, arranging a meeting with a team, confirming and processing a payment on a project, etc. At the end of the day each Account Manager sends a daily report to the supervisor and logs off.
There are part-time and full-time shifts to choose from: you can devote 4 to 8 hours to the job daily, Monday to Friday (we are closed on weekends and federal holidays). All Account Managers are assigned to supervisors based in our PA headquarters, who will be responsible for their initial training and support: we offer a short online training course with a lot of materials to read to all new Account Managers for free.
We offer permanent employment with W2 job contracts. The base monthly salary is $3850 before taxes paid twice a month, plus all Account Managers receive incentive bonuses based on individual performance and client feedback monthly. After the first 2 months of work, you will be eligible for a 3-week vacation, 401k and a corporate health insurance program.
To apply for the Account Manager opening, please reply to this email, and we will forward you our employment package for review with additional information on your pay, schedule and other job related details. Please note that our company never requests any payments from applicants in order to secure the positions!
—

How The Scam Works

They require the “employees” bank account supposedly to deposit the employees paycheck (of course the employee never receives) but actually as they tell you later, a checking account is required so the employee can receive funds from “customer orders” and then send the funds to their “out of country programmers” to begin work on the customers order.

The employee’s task is to withdraw the deposited funds, go to Western Union or Money Gram, document and wire the funds to the programmer in another country which is usually several thousand dollars! However, the funds the scammers deposited in the employees bank account is stolen of course and the “out of country” programmer the employee wired the cash to, is actually the criminals who then vanish, leaving the “employee” holding the bag to repay the stolen funds out of their own pocket or possibly face prosecution once the stolen funds has been traced back to the employees bank account.

Don’t be a money mule! If you receive an email claiming to be from a representative of Advanced Standards Inc in New York, do not respond or provide any sensitive or personal information to them.

What To Do If You Are A Victim

If you have fell victim to an employment scam like this, you need to contact your bank immediately and close your account IF you have provided your account information to the scammers. Next file a police report with your local authorities and then file a complaint with the FBI’s internet crime center at http://www.ic3.gov/

If you provided your personal information like ss # birthdate etc , you need to contact the 3 credit bureaus- TransUnion, Equifax and Experian,  and place a fraud alert on your report. These criminals can steal your identity and may try and obtain credit in your name. Doing this will alert you for at least 90 days about any suspicious activity.

In the hands of a thief, just your name, address, Social Security number or date of birth, can be used over and over months- even years down the road to:

Click here-With UShip just Create a Free listing and watch feedback-rated carriers submit competing quotes for your shipment

Open new lines of credit
Seek medical attention
Drain savings and retirement accounts
Provide an alias when arrested
Get a job or file false tax returns
Get Payday Loans in your name
Obtain service agreements for cellular service or utilities
Obtain Government Documents such as a drivers license or passport
And MORE!

That’s why I highly recommend you get some sort of ongoing identity theft protection such as the services offered through companies like LifeLock-Visit Their Website Here or Identity Force-visit their website here! LifeLock and Identity Force are both reputable companies that monitors your accounts and alerts and protects you from identity theft.

Have you received a suspicious email offering you a “job” with Advanced Standards New York or other work at home “client manager” or “operator” job that you never applied for? Feel free to copy and paste the email in the comments so we can help alert and prevent others from becoming victims.

You Can Also Help Us Alert Others By Sharing This Post! And Be Sure To Like Our NEW Page On Facebook!