SCAM ALERT! Lead Billing Assistant- Toyota Motor East Japan!
NOTE: Scroll down for additional new “Toyota” job scam updates towards the bottom of this post!
Another email recruiting scheme for a fake work from home/telecommute Job scam has been making its rounds to job seekers over the last few weeks. This time it is coming from someone going by the name Rebecca Thornton using the email addresses: cyymgv@archinect.com and RebeccaThornton@housemail.com and also Sonia J. Wilder (as it’s recently been reported to us) claiming to represent Toyota Motor East Japan proposing an opportunity as a Lead Billing Assistant after “supposedly” reviewing the prospective candidates resume without stating how or where they accessed the resume.
So What’s The Opportunity Ms Thornton Is Offering?
She starts off with the bait by sending this vague email with the subject:
I know you are busy, but please free up 30 minutes for this opportunity!
From: Rebecca Thornton <cyymgv@archinect.com>
“I have tried to contact you through email recently, after reviewing your resume.I am sure you are very busy, but I didn’t hear back from you about my proposal.
I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.”
Of course there wasn’t any previous contact attempt, she’s just fishing for a response so she can then send this email:
TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN Careers
From: Rebecca Thornton <RebeccaThornton@housemail.com>
After the end of our October Human Resources campaign our recruiting team singled out your resume as a potential fit for one of our current openings. In conclusion it is my pleasure to extend to you an invitation to extend to you an invitation to apply for the post of Billing/AR Assistant currently available with TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN.
Our application process for the post of Billing/AR Assistant will be starting this week and we would be glad if you would agree to take part in this process. To better bring you up to date with the requirements and benefits of this post please take a look at attached documentation.
We look forward to reading your thoughts about our offer.
In the word document attached to the email, it starts out with a brief introduction about the company which was copied from the actual company website here: http://www.toyota-ej.co.jp/english/company/principle.html
Then it goes on to describe the position offered:
TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN CAREERS
TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN is looking for a Lead Billing Assistant.
Available: United States (nationwide) in both part time and full time formats.
Position Summary
Under minimal supervision, performs general business functions that may include some or all of the following: billing and AR submissions; accepts payments for due and over due accounts; prepares payments for bank deposits; account verification; counseling customers on account and payment issues; follows-up on assigned accounts. Uses collection techniques to keep accounts current including monitoring for delinquent payments. May orient, train, and assign the work of lower level employees, may be designated as the lead employee.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
High School Diploma or equivalent required. The perfect candidate will be organized and dependable and will have a “Can do” attitude and the ability to adapt to changing conditions.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Requires vision and hearing corrected to normal ranges.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
As a COMPANY employee, you can expect the highest level of support. We have a long-standing tradition of developing lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with our employees. Our benefits packages include but are not limited to: Health, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO.
This position will pay up to $86,800.00 depending on experience.
APPLY TODAY
This job offer was probably provided to you by one of our HR representatives. Simply contact the representative that informed you about this COMPANY opening for immediate consideration. Get in touch with us today!
For a faster reply from our online representatives please add this code to your query:
TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN, INC. is an Equal Opportunity Employer
..And Then Comes The YOU’RE HIRED Email!
Just like all the previous job scams we have published over the years, if you respond to the offer email perhaps with just a simple question, it’s assumed by the sender (scammer) that you are interested and accepts your email response as a formal application without ever addressing you by name or even providing an application or asking for an interview!
Toyota Motor East Japan Applications
From: Rebecca Thornton <RebeccaThornton@housemail.com>Offer ID: #####
Toyota Motor East Japan Corporation
I would like to start this message by thanking you for your interest in TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN. I wanted to get back to you last week but I did not have a definitive offer from Human Resources at that time, the offer finally came in last night and I am now pleased to offer you the position of Lead Billing Assistant with TOYOTA MOTOR EAST JAPAN, INCORPORATED. If you choose to accept this offer you will receive an annual salary of $85,995.00, paid on a monthly or biweekly basis. In addition to the salary you will be eligible to enroll in our standard benefits programs.
Employment in the Lead Billing Assistant post will be governed by the terms and conditions stipulated in the attached legal documentation.
If you accept this offer you will start on Monday (Date).
If you are not able to start on our proposed date please inform us at your earliest convenience.
Your new position does not require you to be present our physical location.
Please express your acceptance of this offer by returning a signed copy of the attached legal documentation.
The Legal document that is attached is the usual fake “employment agreement” that is typically used in all of these job scams and can appear to be legitimate to an unsuspecting victim even though they ONLY require a name, mailing address and email address. They ask the employee to sign and return the agreement with urgency to start right away.
BE AWARE- This offer is in NO WAY associated with or is coming from the legitimate company Toyota Motor East Japan!
DON’T Become A Victim Of Yet Another Check Fraud Scam!
Scammers ALWAYS entice their potential victims with an offer that sounds too good to be true. In this case it’s annual salary of $85,995.00, paid on a monthly or biweekly basis with FULL benefits, full or part time hours working from home with NO experience. They typically steal the credentials of an actual real company, usually based overseas in order to appear legitimate to their potential “employee”. They may or may not ask for personal info like SS# or birthdate such as the info required on tax forms.
UPDATED 11/28/18! However, as many victims soon discover after accepting these fake positions, that they will be sent checks from fake customers that appear to be real as payments the employee will be expected to process for the company. They will be instructed to deposit these checks into their personal bank account or set up a business checking account to deposit these checks into. These checks are actually written against legitimate bank accounts whose account owners is an unsuspecting victim of identity theft. Therefore the bank that deposits the check into your account will not have any way of knowing this at the time.
Then the scammers will instruct the employee to withdraw all or a portion of that deposit as soon as the deposit shows as available (usually 24 hours) and then convert the cash to Bitcoin at a Bitcoin ATM in the employees area and send it to a bitcoin wallet ID which belongs to the scammer. The scammer even sweetens the pot with a “haste bonus” up to $700 if the employee can complete the withdrawal and bitcoin transaction within 24-72 hrs! This is to entice the employee into completing the task as quickly as possible to avoid the chance of the fraud being discovered before the bitcoin transaction is initiated.
Unfortunately the employee’s bank may not discover the check was fraudulent until weeks later after the account holder of the stolen check discovers the theft and reports the fraud leaving the employee responsible for the amount withdrawn. Which in the case of one of our readers who contacted us, the check amounts was written for OVER $2800! By that time the scammers will be long gone with the “employees” money! There is no way to trace a Bitcoin transaction or get it back once it has been confirmed on the blockchain!
UPDATE 12/27/2019 New Scam: Tochigi Toyota Motor
We were just notified that scammers are now sending a fake job offer for “Tochigi Toyota Motor” to job seekers using the email address gabriellethompson@corpenterprisejp.com. Our reader informed us the email stated that they were hired and the email was accompanied by 8 pages of the usual “official looking documents” with the Toyota logos. As usual they offered a salary of $85,000(approximately) with bonuses, paid time off and all of the other attractive job benefits that is obviously way too good to be true. Always be suspicious of offers like this and do your research! Stay safe folks!
UPDATE 1/10/2020 New Scam: Toyota Mobility Tokyo
The scammers just keep trying folks! We were just notified of yet another “Toyota” fake job offer making the rounds. This one is a Regional Operations Account Manager for Toyota Mobility Tokyo coming from several “recruiters” going by the name Elspeth Hutchcroft using the email address elspethhutchcroft@
The reader received this email which is their typical follow up they always send even though the reader never applied for any position with this company:
On behalf of our team here at Toyota Mobility Tokyo, I am pleased to offer you the Regional Operations Account Manager position. The position will have direct reporting responsibility your appointed group supervisor. This offer of employment is summarized as follows:
We are offering you an annual salary of 84,500.00. This amount shall be paid by default, on a monthly basis. On request, we can pay you semi-monthly. In addition Toyota Mobility Tokyo provides a variety of excellent employee benefits, including health care coverage, retirement plans, and paid leave time as described in the enclosed Legal 91RA Toyota Mobility Tokyo documentation.
We anticipate a start date of January 13, 2020.
This offer is contingent on your acceptance of the full terms outlined in the enclosed Legal R5V documentation.
Please indicate your acceptance of this offer by signing and returning a signed copy of the enclosed legal documentation to me via email by Friday, January 10.
We are sincerely committed to your success and will partner with you in every way possible to meet the goals and objectives outlined in this offer. We look forward to working with you in this role.
If you have any questions about this offer please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
A potential victim of this scam just informed us that they accepted this job offer and received 2 checks in the mail made out for over $1000 each but thank goodness realized something was fishy and called the bank they were drawn on and is filing a police report.
Update 1/17/2020 New Scam: Saitama Toyota Motor Company
Another reader just notified us with this message:
Received multiple step by step emails from Saitama Toyota Motor Company for job offer as a National management specialist, thought it was real but was suspicious because no direct phone no or address and and Toyota not listed in email address
Sydneedaugherty@retailcorporatejp.com
We checked and found that retailcorporatejp.com was just registered on 1/8/2020!
Update 1/27/2020 New Scam: Fukuoka Toyota Motor Company
Another reader just let us know that someone going by the name Doria Aklog sent them a suspicious job offer for a “Territory Billing & Account Manager at the salary of 86,060.00 per year” for Fukuoka Toyota Motor Company! After receiving the usual follow up recruiting emails similar to the ones we already shared, when the reader questioned them about the legitimacy of the offer, as usual the scammer responded as though the reader was already hired and they were forwarded on to their HR dept for payroll registration!
The scammer also stated with assurances to their potential victim that “everything related to this offer is perfectly legitimate, Fukuoka Toyota Motor does not get involved or for that matter even condone illegal activities. Our management strongly encourages to review the supporting legal paperwork I sent you with the assistance of your attorney at law.”
Luckily this suspicious reader wasn’t convinced by this response and decided to do some research, found our website and informed us about this scam, however the reader did not provide the scammers email address or a website url.
Beware job seekers and always keep your guard up! It appears they just keep fraudulently using the Toyota name again and again in an attempt to find new unsuspecting victims to scam out of their money!
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/
Also if you received any checks that you have not deposited, turn those checks over to the police as well so that the account holder can be contacted. The account holder was likely a victim of a data breach and their bank account details was stolen in the breach.
If you provided your personal information like a W-9 or tax form with your social security # 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, sell your personal details on the dark web who 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, bank account details or date of birth, can be used over and over months- even years down the road to:
Open new lines of credit
Write fraudulent checks against your bank account
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 Job offer from Toyota Motor East Japan or other work at home “Lead Billing Assistant, Billing/AR Assistant or Financial Manager” job that seems suspicious? Feel free to contact us and let us know or leave a comment below so we can help alert and prevent others from becoming victims.
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