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  • Report:  #1137080

Complaint Review: Kelly Lightman - Internet

Reported By:
V.M.L. - Granada Hills, California,
Submitted:
Updated:

Kelly Lightman
Internet, USA
Phone:
516-945-9604
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?

 

This email was sent to my university email address:

********Virtual Customer Service Rep Position*******

Rakuten LinkShare Corporation® <[email protected]> Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 3:31 PM
To: [my university email]
Good Day,

  We are hiring a representative to fill the position of a Customer Service Rep.Do get back to us with your interest by emailing your cell phone number and alternative email, so we can review for approval.We will be glad to get back to you with the full description of the position .Check your email box regularly for more updates and procedures.

Thanks for your co-operation.

Regards,

Kelly Lightman(Recruiter)

HR(Department)

Rakuten LinkShare Corporation®

Stupid me replied with my name and phone number. I then recieved this text message from the phone number 1-516-945-9604:

This is from Kelly lightman, Rakuten LinkShare Corporation,We are getting back to you regarding the Virtual Customer Service Rep position,do check your personal email of alternative email for the full description of the position, we will be expecting your response, Rakuten LinkShare Corporation¿

Later, I was sent this email:

Rakuten Linkshare Corporation® <[email protected]> Mon, Apr 7, 2014 at 2:33 PM
To: [my university email]

Dear Applicant,

 

       Thanks for getting back to us On time,sorry for the late response. My Name is 
Kelly Lightman ,Raukuten LinkShare Corporation,we link suppliers who have been personally tested to buyers and can stand for 100% .Raukuten LinkShare Corporation provides ecommerce businesses with a wide range of online marketing services including Search Marketing (SEM), Lead Generation and Affiliate Marketing. Advertisers can increase their online sales by leveraging LinkShare's massive performance marketing network, along with expert consultative services and patented technology. Superior service combined with technology innovation allows advertisers and publishers to acquire and retain new customers, increase revenue and drive results.Raukuten LinkShare clients include Fortune 500 and other prominent and emerging companies doing business online, including J.C. Penney,1-800-Flowers.com, American Express, and Avon Products. Raukuten LinkShare was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco, Chicago, Tampa, London and Tokyo. We source for buyers and suppliers at the same time so we can link them to make profit. On every actual purchase made, we have a profit of 20% .We source for buyers and suppliers within and outside the United States of America. We are constantly on the move organizing seminars to bring buyers and suppliers together. We need someone that can complete billings, invoicing and payments on our behalf and get them to the vendors, as well as being capable to receive payments from my buyers from time to time, so the linking is effective and immediate. The only way we are entitled to the 20% payment is if the actual deal is concluded through us.. When suppliers and buyers go head to head, we are at a loss as they can transact directly with one another without my knowledge. This position offers you 10%, you're offered a very good pay as transactions are steady, continuous and constant. An average transaction is for $2,000.00 and over and you can handle as many as 3 transactions in a week as most payments are made in installment. The pay is good enough to encourage you to work hard and be efficient while it's more than enough for me to stay in business while encouraging me to source harder and link more suppliers. I travel a lot and when buyers want to make any purchase, when i'm on company errand, he\she has to hold-on till I return, to place an order, on the long term. The effect is our customers start sourcing for suppliers on their own, so having an assistant/representative easily reachable has its numerous advantages. We have lost too many deals due to this and we are trying to put an end to it.

 

 The best form of payment used are business checks and wire transfers which they are readily available and confirmed on the spot, they are not the only means used but they are the best for our process. Most of the buyers we work with are those we've previously handled successful transactions with in the past, new buyers are verified and confirmed before the linking process occurs. You have nothing to worry about. The mode of operation is as follows; you receive the payment directly from the individual buyer, in your mail, usually via ups and have them cashed. You send the payment to our suppliers/vendors when I need you to, or directly to the company and your pay is 10% of the amount sent to you.  All charges during cashing, sending of payments and transaction completion will be deducted from the balance after you have deducted your pay and not deducted from your own money so your pay is fixed on the amount cashed per transaction. You can handle as many as 3 or more transactions per week, but you'll be handling one (1) initially to see how efficiently and how quickly you can carry out the completion.

 

On 3 transactions you're sure of nothing less than $600 weekly. The hours are flexible and you can decide when you want to work as what you'll be doing initially is cashing the payments and completing the transaction to the supplier. I don't need you online 24/7, just to be online on a daily basis and at least check your e-mail regularly. Working with me will also not disturb your other jobs, (If you have any) as I require that applicant only have easy access to the internet, be reachable easily and respond/carry out instructions sent as soon as possible.

 

 

 

Please show your continued interest in this position by sending me the following info.

 

First Name:   

Last Name: 

Mailing Address,city,State and Zip Code {No P o box}: 

Mobile Phone #: 

Contact Phone #: 

Contact e-mail address: 

Alternative Contact e-mail address: 

 

 

Kelly Lightman

Raukuten Linkshare Corporation

(516) 945-9604

I replied back with my name, mailing address, phone number, and email address. However, I did a thorough online search and found this message on the (real) Rakuten Linkshare website:

LinkShare has no “secret shopper” or “mystery shopper” program or employment positions of this kind and we never have.  Similarly, we do not have any employment positions that require you to send or exchange money as a condition for employment.  We list all of our open positions on our website. If you are approached about such an opportunity in conjunction with the LinkShare name, please know that it is not a legitimate enterprise. The LinkShare brand and name is being misrepresented and illegally used in these cases and our legal department has notified the appropriate governmental authorities. We have reason to believe that the secret/mystery shopper emails are illegal phishing scams, identity theft scams and/or advance fee schemes.  If you feel that you have been a victim of any secret/mystery shopper scams, you should contact your local police department and report the incident to IC3.gov.com.

(Source)

From reading that, I realized that I was getting duped! I soon sent a polite email to "Kelly" declining the opportunity "she" was offering me.

I should have known early on that these were scam emails. Kelly's messages had many grammar errors and even mispelled the company name. It was also dumb of me to still believe Kelly's emails even after I did some research on the actual company, thinking "she" was legit. I guess I should have looked harder on Rakuten LinkShare's careers website before I sent "her" my contact information. Thank goodness I didn't send my credit card or bank account information!

It's very unfortunate that this person preyed on my university email, knowing that there are lots of job-hungry college students and graduates out there who are vulnerable to these scams.



2 Updates & Rebuttals

None

Kansas,
Wow I'm so happy that I saw the posts above

#2General Comment

Thu, October 02, 2014

Wow, I'm SO happy that I found these disputes.. Surprisingly, when I received this 'job interview invitation', the first thing that I did was vividly search this company and to the best of my power find out if it was what my gut (and common sense) was telling me that it was, a scam, and I found nothing. UNTIL I found this.. Unfortunately after I told them that I was interested and gave them my information (name, etc, NOT BANK ACCOUNT THANK GOD).

I'm REALLY shocked to see that this is the only thing that i've found so far in my searches that call this out for what it is, a scam.. It's pretty scary actually, how they haven't been blasted all over the web or that there hasn't been more coverage on this.. I'm really happy that I found this and I'm going to do all that I can to help stop these... *******...

 

 


AMY

Dearborn Heights,
Michigan,
Rakuten LinkShare Corporation

#3REBUTTAL Owner of company

Tue, September 09, 2014

I too was duped by this supposed organization. I also received an email and followed the instructions. I was hesitant and should have followed my gut feelings. I went as far as receiving a check from this scam company. The chack was from a company in Indiana. I do believe the company is legitimate but not sure if they are aware that their company name is being used but I will try and contact them to make them aware.

The check was written from B&B Molders, LLC. 58471 FLR Road (South) Mishawaka, IN 48544.

I received the check and deposited into my account. In the mean time I consistently receiced emails and text messages inquiring when I would be forwarding the funds. They instructed the check should clear within three days. I checked my account online and it did appear to have cleared however it was a weekend so I could not do anything until Monday (yesterday). I withdrew the funds and went to my local CVS who has MoneyGram, keep in mind I was suspicious. To side with my inner feeling I called my bank to ensure the check had cleared and they did not simply provide money becuase I had funds to cover it. The bank indicated the check clearded so I went into CVS to transfer funds but still had that feeling something was wrong after listening to the automated message from MoneyGram. I went back to my bank and told them of the situation and suspicions. The banker informed of many scams, which I had suspected this whole business deals was and decided to wait it out. He stated to wait an additional week because payment on the check could always be stopped. I thank God that I listened to my suspicions because when I went to the bank today (I just arrived home) I was informed the check was fraudulent!!!!!!! I am so upset right now because I wonder how many innocent people have fallen for this scam?

So her is the information I know: THE ORGANIZATION IS CLAIMING TO BE RUKUTEN LINKSHARE (516) 945-9604 EMAIL IS [email protected]. THEY SENT CONFIRMATION OF PAYMENT VIA EMAIL: Payment will arrive via US Postal service with the tracking #(947010169932XXXXXXXXX) WHICH I DID RECEIVE AND I WAS INSTRUCTED TO WIRE PAYMENT IMMEDIATELY TO:

REMIT FUNDS TO :
NAME: Alice Hamilton Williams
ADDRESS: 21610 77th Ave
CITY: Upper Malboro
STATE: MD
ZIP CODE: 20772


I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF REPORTING THIS TO THE AUTHORITIES HOWEVER THEY MAY HAVE CHANGED INFORMATION BECASUE IN MY ANGER I DID INFORM THAT I WAS AWARE THEY WERE A SCAM.

PLEASE DO NOT BE TAKEN BY THESE UNETHICAL PEOPLE! LISTEN TO YOUR GUT! IF I HAD NOT I WOULD BE OUT $1,947.32!

IF ANYONE HAS ALREADY STARTED AN INVESTIGATION I WILL GLADLY PARTICIPATE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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