QPS Employment Group-Web5designs.com Scam Alert!
Beware! Someone using the name John Lucas is sending out emails claiming to be a recruiter for QPS Employment Group looking for victims interested in working as a Client Manager for a web developer. QPS Employment Group is a legitimate employment agency based in Milwaukee, WI and the legitimate web address is www.qpsemployment.com.
This John Lucas character was sending his emails using the the web address qps-employment.com (notice the hyphen) and could also be sending out recruiting emails using the web address employmentbyqps.com. These addresses are NOT owned by the legitimate business!
A representative for the Legitimate company QPS Employment Group has confirmed there is no one by that name employed by their company! Below is a copy of the email he is sending to job seekers:
From: QPS Employment Group <johnlucas@qps-employment.com via auth.ccsend.com>
reply-to: johnlucas@qps-employment.comYou receive this job announcement based on your information posted in online public sources. If you are no longer looking for employment, please ignore this message.
A web developer is currently looking for Client Managers to join their team working remotely. Client Manager’s role is to process feedback from our customers and offer them excellent customer service using our web-based software and electronic communication. No sales, advertising or cold calls will be involved! All new contractors will receive a free online training course and support from assigned supervisors.The starting salary for Client Managers is $3850 per month plus monthly bonuses for performance. We offer permanent job contracts with full-time and part-time schedules available and a decent benefits package. Please note that though is a work-from-home job opportunity, we accept applications from candidates currently based in the United States only. Relocation or travel will not be required for this position; we do not provide any visa sponsorship either.
If you are interested and would like to apply for the Client Manager position, please reply to this message and we will send you detailed information on the job and the application process. This position is available now, and we are interested in people who can start immediately or no later than in 1-2 weeks.Best regards,
John Lucas
Senior Recruiter
If you request more information, several days later they send the email below from the web address web5designs.com! Also here is a current screenshot of the website:
Subject: Client Manager: Reply to Your Request
From: Irene Levinski <careers@web5designs.com>Morning,
Thank you for your interest in the Client Manager position with our company, Web 5 Design! We are a web design team based in New York City; our services include, but aren’t limited to web design and development, system administration and SEO. We’re setting trends in the IT industry and keeping up with the latest innovations, which is why 3/4 of our staff work remotely. All expenses we save on office rent are invested in the salaries we offer our employees. Join our team and start a career in a developing company with an expanding client base and a strong market demand!
As our Client Manager you will be responsible for:
– Representing the company before our existing clients;
– Submitting and monitoring the statuses of client requests and orders;
– Communicating clients’ questions, requests and concerns to the developers;
– Managing documentation and billing for assigned clients and other contractors.Two things you will NOT be responsible for:
– Searching for new clients: this is a task for our Sales and Marketing departments, you will be working with our existing clients 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 any location in the United States as long as you are able to be online during the selected work hours. 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, except weekends and holidays. Unfortunately, working in the evenings is not an option. All you need to start is a laptop with a web browser, any PDF viewer and basic Office programs installed. You don’t have to purchase any special software or equipment: your performance will be tracked at our corporate website which you will be logging in daily. The company doesn’t provide employees with any laptops either, as our website can be reached with any electronic device, including tablets and smartphones.
Your typical day will start with checking into the corporate website, acquiring new messages and tasks, and contacting your supervising manager. Tasks can include approving the project specification with the client, arranging a meeting with a team, confirming and processing a payment on a project, etc. At the end of the day every Client Manager must submit a daily report to your supervisor and log off. You will be assigned to a supervisor based in our NYC head office, who will be responsible for your initial training and support. We also offer a short online training course with a lot of materials to read to all new Client Managers for free.
We offer permanent employment with W2 job contracts. The base monthly salary is $3,850 before taxes paid twice a month, however, all Client Managers receive incentive bonuses based on individual performance and client feedback, so it is possible to double your income if you work hard and keep the clients satisfied. And 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 Client Manager position with us, please reply to this email, and I will forward you our standard employment package with additional information on your pay, schedule and other job related information for review. Please note that we never request any payments from applicants in order to secure the positions!
—
Best regards,
Irene Levinski
Web 5 Design LLC
Phone: (347) 281-7973
Stolen Business Identity!
Web 5 Design LLC is a legitimate web development company in New York that builds enterprise Web applications, Drupal Content Management Systems, & other cloud software for global organizations. Their web address is Web5design.com (notice NO “s” at the end) and has been registered with Dreamhost in California since 2008! Their phone number is (212) 675-7573 NOT (347) 281-7973.
Web5designs.com was just registered in China in Sept for one year and they even used the legitimate company’s CEO- James Tunick’s name as the registrant however it was registered using the fake phone number, (347) 281-7973!
Don’t be fooled! Scammers often use the credentials of the legitimate business to dupe potential victims! This is not a legitimate job, it is nothing more than a money mule operation in order to get their hands on stolen money..that will end up coming out of YOUR pocket to pay back once the funds you wired overseas are discovered to be stolen or fake! You could even be prosecuted!
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! LifeLock is a reputable company that monitors your accounts and alerts and protects you from identity theft.
Have you received a suspicious email offering you a “job” 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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Disclosure** We get paid a commission when you purchase from LifeLock using one of our links.
Well they got me too! I actually received a check, cashed it at the originating bank (funds were verified), deposited it and Money Gram’d it to someone in the Czech Republic. My dumb-ass has actually been waiting to get paid! Good gawd I am stupid!!!! Any idea what I can expect now? I have the envelope the check came in and the Money Gram receipt. I feel like such a fool!!!!!!!! Why didn’t I see this site sooner, at least 60 hours wasted being logged into the account waiting for “tasks”….FFS!
I’m so sorry this happened to you. I always try my best when I find these scams to get a post out about it ASAP. Sometimes google indexes it right away and sometimes it takes them a few days. Of course finding it depends on the search terms you use also.
Unfortunately since you cashed the check, you will be responsible for covering it. That’s what makes these scams so horrible. These criminals are literally stealing thousands of dollars from people who are unemployed, and most likely does not have that kind of money to cover it! Many can be prosecuted for cashing bad checks and then end up with a felony record. The ramifications can be devastating to say the least!
My advice is to file a police report right away and file a complaint on the ic3.gov website, put an alert on your credit report especially if the scammers has your personal information. You may also want to get identity theft protection as well. I always recommend Lifelock, the link is in the post above and there’s a banner in the sidebar also.
I received the same email and reached out to the real company. They stated no one in their database has a John Lucas name and the email I received is a scam! Then they asked me to send them the original email and they will handle it from there. I stopped after someone told me to do further research on this company and Irene Levinski. Not only did I receive her email I received two more emails for similar work from home positions. Today was the latest one. Read this:
Dear Job Seeker,
We appreciate your interest in the Account Manager position available with our company, Custom Tech Solutions! We’re a team of IT specialists located in Pennsylvania 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!
—
Best regards,
Ryan Greene
Custom Tech Solutions, Inc.
Call us: (610) 440-3827
Same offer letter as Irene/John Lucas. Just a little bit change in the wording. I almost filled out the W-4 when I realized the link she sent was broken and not actually from the irs.gov website. Be careful out there!!!!!!
Thank you for the information. I am aware of the latest scam with Custom Tech Solutions and will be posting more info about it shortly.
Good afternoon,
I was contacted by Irene Levinski about a job opportunity as well. I have been searching for employment and have posted my resume on several job search sites which did not make me question the validity of this position. After several emails about job duties/contracts/w-4’s/ i’ve actually registered to an online software program where I have my daily “tasks” to do.
I simply cannot believe this is happening! The only time there was a red flag was when I was going through the “training manual” and it said that one of my duties as a client manager is to receive checks from paid clients and cash it, then wire it via MoneyGram or Western Union.
Do you have any additional information on this?
Thanks
Jon O
Sorry that you have fell victim to these criminals. Unfortunately you are not alone, there are many other job seekers out there that this has happened to. Many never realized they had been scammed until it was too late and they got a call from the bank! Also they don’t always realize right away that the scammers has their personal information and their identity can be stolen and their credit ruined!
What you just mentioned about the red flag is always their method of operation. The ONLY “task” you will be asked to do will be to receive checks (or a direct deposit) from “FAKE” clients and cash it or withdraw the funds, then wire it via MoneyGram or Western Union overseas where it is untraceable once they pick it up! YOU will be held responsible for covering the bogus check or deposit once the bank realizes it was fake.. not the scammer! Trust me, you can read all the previous comments past victims has posted on many of our past scam alerts that validates this fact.
So if they send you a check, do NOT cash it, if they deposit money in your bank account, do NOT withdraw it! Cease all communication with them, file a complaint at ic3.gov, file a police report and give the check to the police and notify the bank and close your account immediately if they deposited money in it. They can withdraw as easily as they deposited! And then get some identity theft protection, your peace of mind is worth it.
Here’s some more clues..
NO legitimate business would EVER require employees to cash clients/customer checks or use their own personal bank account or open a bank account to conduct company business! Nor would a legitimate company EVER hire someone to handle monetary transactions for the company without a face to face interview, background check or drug screen! Think about it.. Why would they trust just any Joe Blow with their customers money? They wouldn’t and they DON’T!
As the saying goes..if it sounds too good to be true..it most always is. These criminals has become very good at what they do..they hook their victims with the idea of working at home, a nice “guaranteed” monthly salary, big bonuses and a benefit package that even the biggest corporations wouldn’t offer to a potential employee with a degree and years of experience!
But sometimes they get in such a hurry to steal their victims money that they do make mistakes..if you go to the fake website @ web5designs.com scroll down to the bottom and click the link that says “Online Software Development”. Then halfway down that page you’ll see it shows the information for the last scam they operated at thecreative7webdesign.com. They messed up and neglected to change that information to their current scam. Guess they figured nobody would notice ;-).
Same here. Looking for job posted resume in career builder, this Irene Levinski for me to send in my personal info on Tuesday but I have not heard back so far. Now I’m very concerned!! I just filed a complaint with ICR.gov. what else can I do to keep my identity from being stolen and tarnished?
Jacky
Like I mentioned in the article above, I would advise getting identity theft protection. I always recommend Lifelock. Depending on what level of protection you choose, they will monitor your bank accounts, credit card accounts, credit reports and alert you about other suspicious activity in your name and your protected for up to a million dollars and more. The link to their website is at the bottom of the post above and there’s also a banner on the top right. I’ve bought protection with them myself and they are really good. Like I’ve mentioned before just having that peace of mind is well worth the cost which isn’t bad at all. Plus you can save 15% right now.
Yes I do get a small commission if you order from the links on this website, however keep in mind any commissions I receive from the ads on this site helps cover the ongoing expenses it costs to keep this website online helping to get the word out warning potential victims about these scams.
Thanks for your feedback.
I’m sure you’re aware of how sophisticated this potential scam really is. They actually sent me a background check consent release form. What really hooked me was the fact that I would be speaking to clients and maintain their portfolios, address any questions/concerns. Non of this would make you think scam, unless of course you’ve dealt with situations like this in the past.
Incredible, I am in complete disbelief
Oh yes, you are right, I’m very much aware. I know because I fell for a scam myself last year, they almost got me for nearly $5000! What’s frightening is they keep getting better and more sophisticated as they go. Like setting up a separate website pretending to be a recruiter for a legitimate employment agency for the initial contact and, like you just mentioned, they now provide a fake background check release form in the mix. And they will continue doing whatever they can to appear even more legitimate to unsuspecting job seekers..at least until they get caught which I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
Can you provide the link to the web panel or software they had you register at to get your “tasks”?
I almost got scammed by the same people.The supervisor that I am supposed to be working for her name is Laura Jones. She left me a message from #848-404-1561 New Jersey? She is supposed to be located in New York, New York. A supposed client sent me a check in the mail. It looked weird because it was all grey No color to the check except for the signature also it was a payroll check? The company is supposed to be in Michigan but it was mailed from Sacramento, CA. Also the check was dated before I started working for Web5designs. I took the check to my banker he looked at it and then called the bank and described the check w/check #. The other bank said no way it is a fraud. So I did not put it in my bank. The most scary thing is that they have all my information. I already purchased LifeLock the largest pkg available.
Please let me know if there is something else I should do. I’ve already filed a police report.
Hi Sonya, sounds like you have done everything you can do for now. I’m so glad you didn’t cash that check or wire these criminals any money! Thank you for the information it will certainly help warn others.