Here is what happened:
Two weeks ago my wife matched with a company on AngelList. She had applied for the HR Generalist position. https://angel.co/company/danpullo-construction
They claim that the company is founded by one of the wealthiest person in Africa, Baba Ahmadou Danpullo
At first, they requested further information, such as recommendation letters, references, and contact information. A few days after, they called via phone (USA number: +1559 468 6633), without any notice, and the interview took place. Interview questions were highly professional, and the English level of the interviewer was at a native level. And this morning, my wife received an email that the position was granted for her.
So it was time to take it seriously since the compensation ( $130/hour) was very tempting.
But something was wrong because they asked us to book a place to stay in Yaounde, for at least one month as part of a requirement for employment VISA. They needed that in 3 days so they can start the application immediately. They even suggested using www.bastos-apartments.com. Guess what? You have to pay 50% of the booking fee in front.
A company that pays over $5000 a week would not ask you to pay $300 or so for a booking.
The whole thing was looking like a scam from the beginning, but the booking request made it 100% that this was a SCAM.
- They offer a tremendous amount as compensation.
- Their website, http://danpulloconstruction.com, is not professional at all.
- They do not much effort into the hiring process, considering they would pay $130 per hour. (Over $20K monthly)
- The interview was over the phone, with no video calling.
- The booking site they suggest is a SCAM; they use pictures from another hotel in Cape Town. Check it out:
- Fraud Site
- Original Pictures
No matter how good they prepare and manage the process, fraud activities always make mistakes. The most common scam alert is simple: THEY ASK FOR MONEY!
Job Boards are full of these people. Be aware and DO NOT PAY even a cent to get employed. You will be just throwing out the money.
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