Currently Empty: $0.00
Imagine this: You’re sitting around one day just minding your business, and you suddenly get a text message from a random email address. Now curious, you open the text message, and it starts with “Hi, my name is Jessica. I’m a recruiter at VM Agency.” This sparks your interest for multiple reasons. For one, who is Jessica at the VM Agency? And how in the world did she even get my number?
You keep reading, and you see words like “flexible”, “work from home”, and “no restrictions”. However, what really jumps out to you is the “Salary ranges from at least $200 to $1080 per day”. As we all know, the economy is funky right now, so this sounds really appealing. But you start to question, “Is this actually legit”?
Therefore, you exit the text conversation and head to Google, where you type in something like “Jessica VM Agency” and lo and behold, you see “Jess | Virtual Assistant Advisor + VA Agency Owner“. Could this be her? After all, this profile seems pretty legit. So you decide to message her, inquiring about the text message from Jessica and if the job is available.
Does this sound familiar? If so, keep reading! If not, read anyway because there are some tips you don’t want to miss.
Table of Contents
Jessica at the VM Agency Revealed
In mid-June, I started receiving messages on Instagram from individuals stating that I’d texted them about a job post. However, I was utterly flabbergasted lol. While I had a job post open for my VA Agency, I hadn’t texted anyone about it. Texting isn’t really a part of my hiring process. We only email candidates who apply to our projects. So, imagine how confused I was the first time I received this Instagram message.
The first person who contacted me sent me a screenshot of the message they received, and I thought right away: This is a scam. I informed them, but it didn’t stop there.
For several weeks, I went on explaining to multiple people that I was not Jessica at the VM Agency and that they should be careful.
Truthfully, I don’t know who Jessica at the VM Agency is, but I know she’s NOT me. In addition, I looked on Google, and there actually is a VM Agency. However, they do Artist Development; they’re legit and not affiliated with whoever sent those job offers.
But, How Did They Get Your Information?
This is a question I’ve wondered, too. If I had to guess, I’d say they pulled it from LinkedIn, Indeed.com, or some other job website.
If I Receive The Message, What Should I Do?
If you get a message from the fake VM Agency, ignore it. They’ll likely ask for your social security number, birth certificate, and/or other important information if you respond. Once they gather those details, they’ll likely file fraudulent stuff in your name, which is identity theft.
Keep This In Mind Moving Forward
If myself or someone from my virtual assistant agency contacts you, it won’t come from a gmail or yahoo email address. It’ll come from our official domain names (@imperativeva.com or @imperativeconcierge.com). In addition, we wouldn’t ask that you use WhatsApp to communicate with us. That is not a platform we use for recruitment or business in general.
How To Spot A Scam
Today, many people are interested in work-from-home opportunities and are eager to make money. And sadly, scammers prey on people’s vulnerabilities. However, here’s what you should look for to protect yourself from scams:
- If the opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is. (e.g. earn $1080 per day)
- You’re pressured to act quickly, and the process seems rushed
- They ask you to pay for something on their behalf using Bitcoin or another digital currency
- Someone shares a sad story, trying to convince you to help them by sending money
- They claim to be a legitimate company but use suspicious email addresses inconsistent with the official company’s domain name. For example, we wouldn’t use ijdlksjdlksjlsd@gmail.com to contact you.
Be Careful Navigating These VA Streets
I’ve been in the virtual assistant industry for almost ten years and have seen and heard of several scams. Therefore, as you move through your virtual assistant journey, stay on the lookout for suspicious activity.
My goal as a Virtual Assistant Advisor is to help those who want to work remotely launch and grow their businesses confidently. I was genuinely upset when I learned about the scam discussed above for multiple reasons. Not only was my common name associated with it, but this scam puts people at risk for identity theft. The latter can cause people to experience financial peril, and we’re all already going through enough.
So, please, please, please be careful. I seriously don’t want you all to be scammed on your journey to building a business.
Lastly, thank you to those who contacted me about it. While I didn’t like that my name was associated with a scam, I am glad that it brought people to my Instagram page, where they could be informed about virtual assisting best practices.
Want to learn more about building a virtual assistant business? Buy my 300+ eBook here!
