Beware Of A Suspicious Website At KitchenHelpService.Com
Beware of a suspicious website just registered June 13 2016 for 1 year only located at KitchenHelpService.com. The site is registered to someone named Ghalib Khoury, 4586 Lindale Avenue, Berkeley Ca. 94707, Email: samson.rice@italymail.com. On the surface it appears to simply be an information site for buying Cooking stoves, but based on some of the information provided, we suspect this website is possibly being used as a decoy for a money mule employment scam going on behind the scenes via email correspondence. Below is a screenshot of the website:
The Red Flags
The first red flag is the business address listed on the website which is 17888 67th Court North
Loxahatchee, FL 33470, which appears to be a private residence and was once connected to 2 legitimate businesses both still registered with the state of Florida: 1) INCORP SERVICES, INC (LIVING ABOVE THE NOISE, INC) which appears to be a victims advocacy organization/group and 2) W F Greenberg & Co, a business that offers a wide variety of litigation support services nationally to the legal and non legal community.
However kitchenhelpservice.com is using the business name Kitchen Help LLC. A search on the State Of Florida reveals NO LLC entity registered by this name and no other connection to that business address other than what is listed on the website. A similar entity by the name “Kitchen Helper LLC” in Jupiter Fl. was registered in July 2013, however that business never got off the ground and was dissolved 6 months later in Jan 2014 and is now inactive.
There are also quite a few spelling/grammar errors found on the site which is a sign that the site was created in a hurry and possibly by someone whose english is not very fluent but claims they were “Developed by the experts at Better Homes and Gardens”. The website also emphasizes several times that the focus is on European brands and products that can only be found in the European market.
A search for “Kaisers Stove Shop” turns up nothing other than a HVAC company specializing in wood stoves and fireplaces. Also the screenshot above states they will provide brands and top quality orders in 1 to 15 days however there are NO outbound links anywhere on the site that will direct customers to Kaisers Stove Shop or a site or page where those ” easy-to-use interactive tools, clear visuals, step-by-step instructions, and money-saving suggestions” can be found.
There is also nothing on this site that is intended to attract “customers”! No business hours, No invitation to visit a showroom or store and no links. Just a Contact page that says “Have any questions or suggestions on how to improve the site? We want to hear from you” with just an address and phone number: (813) 699-3903.
So what would be the purpose of a Kitchen Stove website ESPECIALLY if there are NO advertisements or product links there that would generate revenue for the websites owner?…We’re pretty confident that..it’s only purpose is that it was created only to fool potential job seekers into believing Kitchen Help LLC is a legitimate business and are more than likely sending out recruiting emails for high paying, work from home “Territory Managers”, “Sales Representatives” or “Client Managers” etc. So BEWARE and do your research on ANY unsolicited job offer appearing to come from a staffing agency or an HR manager claiming to represent a company!
How These Scams Work
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 a third party or their “out of country suppliers or contractors” to complete 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 third party (possibly the Czech Republic or Germany) which is usually several thousand dollars! However, the funds the scammers deposited in the employees bank account is stolen of course and the third party “out of country” supplier 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.
Instead of bank deposit, the scammers could instead send the employee a counterfeit check sometimes instructed to be used to purchase office equipment etc that may be much more than the cost of the equipment or perhaps payroll and request the check be cashed and the over payment wired back to the scammer before the check is discovered to be fake by the bank. Once it bounces, and they always do..you will have to cover the full amount out of your own pocket.
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:
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 Kitchen Help LLC, Kaisers Stove Shop or other work at home “Territory Manager” or “Client Manager” job etc 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.
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