Nurse for Hire Scam

How the scam works:

Finding employment in a tight economy can be difficult, to say the least. The healthcare field has long been known as a secure profession because people will always require healthcare, regardless of the economy. However, even in a secure profession like the healthcare industry there are scammers trying to take advantage of unemployed people who only want employment to enable them to care for their families.

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The nurse for hire scam is especially heinous as the scammers obviously have done their homework to make their scam appear as legitimate as possible. The scam begins with an email being sent to job seekers in the healthcare field.

The email states that the applicant has been chosen for a position with a well-regarded healthcare facility. The applicant is offered free airfare and lodging as well as a work visa during a two-day employment seminar; the only requirement to the applicant is they pay a sum equivalent tp $90 in any currency to reserve a slot at the seminar, with payment being made through Western Union.

The applicant is then advised that processing their payment and obtaining their work visa will take two to four weeks at which time they will be contacted regarding dates for the seminar; of course, a follow up email never comes and they are out their hard-earned (and much needed) money.

Basically, the scammers claim to be representatives of real clinics and medical organization. Furthermore, they even use the real names, but ask for the payments to be sent to via Western Union to ‘an acountant'.

Below is an actual email received by a victim in Philippines from somebody claiming to be the HR manager of a clinic in Canada.

Sun, Sep 15, 2013 at 1:28 PMSun, 1:28 PM
Message starred
re: Cleveland Clinic
from cleveland_canada to 1 recipient
Show Details
From
cleveland_canada

To
[email protected]

REMINDER: Please READ & UNDERSTAND our email message before making any call or text inquiries, it is advisable for you to PRINT it. After evaluation of your resume thru online job posting, we are pleased to tell you that you were chosen for the position of a Staff Nurse (Philippine Board licensed) and/or Caregiver (unlicensed Nurse & medical allied course graduate) for Cleveland Clinic in Canada. Cleveland Clinic employees have been putting patients first since 1921 and we continue that tradition here at Cleveland Clinic Canada.
We look for enthusiastic and skilled applicants who are able to provide outstanding service in a dynamic team environment. All candidates should possess a passion for quality care and innovation. Our expectations are high for those individuals we hire, but in return we provide an exceptional employment experience in a leading healthcare organization. We offer an enriching work environment in downtown Toronto, exciting professional growth opportunities, competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package. We continually seek clinical experts to meet the medical needs of our diverse patient population and to add to our growing roster of physicians, specialists and medical professionals. We are Growing – and Hiring!

NOTE: No experience required because there is a FREE ON THE JOB TRAINING (OJT) with salary & FREE board & lodging within the contract period at Cleveland Clinic – Canada. Registration with the Canadian Nursing Board & National ITE Certificate in Nursing will be processed by our employers, no need to take exams. We are offering work permit visa NOT student visa.
You must attend the FIRST & LAST Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching for the year 2013 on September 21 & 22, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday) from 9:00AM-5:00PM. Canadian Trainers together with the employers are now here in the Philippines since September 11, 2013 (Wednesday).

Call us for inquiries strictly from 9:00am-5:00pm Monday-Sunday (12:00-1:00PM Lunch Break/3:00-3:30PM Coffee Break) WE ARE OPEN DURING SATURDAY & SUNDAY:
Landline no..: (02) 500-3489
Cellular No.: 0927-701-0866 (Company Mobile Phone)

We will start accepting inquiries starting September 11, 2013 (Wednesday) – September 19, 2013 (Thursday) strictly from 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. only (12:00-1:00PM Lunch Break/3:00-3:30PM Coffee Break).

NO HIDDEN CHARGES! Airfare, work permit & working visa will be shouldered by the employer, the only expenses that you are going to shoulder is the medical exam fee & Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching fee because this is on a DIRECT/NAME HIRE BASIS.

To better understand the process, we provide you with our application procedure:
Application Procedure:

Sending of resume thru online job posting for Pre-qualification (done)

Once selected, you will receive an e-mail message & a text message from us telling you that you are selected for the position & we will ask you to prepare the necessary requirements listed below (done)

We will send an e-mail message requiring you to attend a 2-day Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching which is a requirement by the employer (done)

After receiving our e-mail message, you can call us for inquiries or pay anytime the Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching at our accredited payment center (Western Union) for SLOT RESERVATION (first step).

Attend the 2-day Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching on September 21 & 22, 2013 Saturday & Sunday from 9am-5pm), get the required certificate, orientation with the employer ( September 21, 2013 Saturday from 9:00-10:00 AM) & signing of employment contract with interview with the employer (September 22, 2013 Sunday from 4:00-5:00 PM)

After finishing the 2 day Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching, receiving the required certificate, orientation with the employer & signing of employment contract, you can now submit the necessary requirements.

While the documents are still on process you have to get an endorsement letter for medical examination (your choice of clinic/hospital as long as it is accredited by DOH, POEA & MARINA).

After we received your documents (max. of 2 weeks after mailing the documents), we will start processing your work permit (max. of 4 weeks processing).

After the approval of your work permit, we will start processing your working visa (max. of 4 weeks processing).

After the approval of your working visa, schedule for Pre- departure orientation seminar (PDOS), interview in the embassy for visa stamping & securing of pre-paid ticket advice

Deployment Date will be anytime in January 2014 if no problem with the results of your Medical Exam & NBI Clearance and there should be No Fake Requirements. Next batch for coaching will be on September 2014 if you are not going to avail this batch Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching BUT you have to re-apply again under least priority and wait for our hiring advertisement.

Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching fee is 3,888.00 (Philippine Peso), 100% refundable (no deductions) if not satisfied with the employment package. Refunds are process at our office after the orientation on September 21, 2013 Saturday at 10:00 A.M. Employment package will be discuss during the orientation. NO OTHER HIDDEN CHARGES (No placement fee, No processing fee, No salary deduction & No show money required).

Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching will be conducted at our office at:
Cleveland Consultancy
1 Juno St.
Cor. Makati Avenue
Makati City
Landline no.: (02) 500-3489
Cellular No.: 0927-701-0866 (Company Mobile Phone)

TAKE NOTE: Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching that you are going to attend are purely training & exercises, NO EXAMS REQUIRED, nobody fails the training.

We will only accept those selected applicants who paid on or before September 19, 2013 (Thursday) until 12:00 P.M. Lunchtime only UPON SLOT AVAILABILITY! We are only allowed to deploy 20 APPLICANTS per year because we are doing DIRECT HIRING. PLEASE TEXT US FIRST BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT TO CHECK SLOT AVAILABILITY. We will automatically replace those who did not comply.

REMINDER: PLEASE BRING YOUR ID with Picture DURING PAYMENT.
You can pay thru any WESTERN UNION Branches Nationwide, WESTERN UNION Branches are open during Saturday & Sunday Nationwide. You can ask somebody to pay for you if you are not available in the country or busy with your work. Please ask for the TO SEND MONEY FORM & just follow the format below:
Destination: Makati City
1 Juno St.
Cor. Makati Avenue
Makati City
Amount (in words): Three Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Eight Pesos
Amount: 3,888.00

RECEIVER:
First Name: AMBER
Middle Name: S.
Last Name: HANSEN

SENDER:
First Name:
Middle Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Nationality:
Telephone No.:
Mobile No.:
Present Address:
Permanent Address:
Occupation/Nature of Work/Business: (if applicable)
Name of Employer/Business: (if applicable)
TIN or SSS or GSIS No.: (if applicable)
The receiver is my: Friend

After payment, please text us the following information at 0927-701-0866 (Company Mobile Phone) for slot reservation:
MTCN (Money Transfer Control No.):
Sender's name with complete middle name:
Applicant's name with complete middle name:
Name of Employer: AMBER S. HANSEN
City/State/Province of Western Union you made the payment:
Date & Time of payment:

Example: 1468-906-899 / Juan Santos De la Cruz / AMBER S. HANSEN / Western Union SM Hypermarket- Makati City / September 11, 2013 (Wednesday) / 10:00AM

After texting us the payment details, we will verify the validity of payment online and we will text you back VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION & reserve your work slot. Maps & Directions will be sent thru email to PAID & RESERVED Applicants together with the draft of the employment contract. TAKE NOTE: RESERVATION OF SLOT IS DONE AFTER WE RECEIVED THE PAYMENT DETAILS. We will start receiving payment details for slot reservation starting September 11, 2013 (Wednesday)

We offer FREE FOOD & ACCOMMODATION to those selected applicants coming from the province starting September 20, 2013 (Friday) 6:00 P.M. ends September 23, 2013 (Monday) 6:00 P.M. . We reimburse transportation expenses just present to us the OFFICIAL RECEIPTS/TRAVEL TICKETS of your travel expenses on Saturday September 21, 2013 10:00AM. Please call us for free shuttle service from the airport or terminal.

As a company policy, all payments should be made at any Western Union Branches NATIONWIDE. Please bring the proof of payment with you on the training dates so that we will accommodate you. No payments will be accepted during training days & we will not entertain walk-in applicants who are not yet paid & didn't follow the payment procedure. Names of paid applicants are forwarded to the Information desk/guard on duty for them to easily identify who are allowed to enter office premises & attend the training.
Schedule of Activities on September 21 & 22, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday)
September 21, 2013 (Saturday)
Attire: Smart Casual
9:00-10:00 a.m.: Employment Contract Orientation (you can bring your parents, nearest relative or your husband/wife)
10:00-12:00 p.m.: Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching
12:00-1:00 p.m.: FREE Lunch
1:00-3:30 p.m.: Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching
3:30-4:00 p.m.: FREE Snack
4:00-5:00 p.m.: Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching

September 22, 2013 (Sunday)
Attire: Semi-Formal
9:00-12:00 p.m.: Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching
12:00-1:00 p.m.: FREE Lunch
1:00-3:30 p.m.: Cleveland Work Permit Visa Coaching
3:30- 4:00 p.m.: FREE Snack
4:00-5:00 p.m.: Interview with the employer & Signing of Employment Contract (you can bring your parents, nearest relative or your husband/wife)

FREE Training Materials will be provided such as Original DVD copy of the training, plastic/brown envelope, pencil, eraser, ballpen, etc.

Here are the list of requirements to be submitted during training
days if available on hand, TO FOLLOW IF NOT AVAILABLE 1 set all photocopied:

1. Updated Resume with or without picture
2. 4pcs. Passport size picture (white background)
3. Valid passport (if available, only needed during Embassy interview)
4. Employment Certificates (if applicable)
5. Diploma or training certificate
6. Transcript of records
7. Birth Certificate (NSO)
8. NBI Clearance (Abroad) (if available, only needed during Embassy interview)

We, Employers will be leaving by September 23, 2013 (Monday) to immediately process your work permit.

Sincerely yours,
Amber S. Hansen
HR Manager
Cleveland Clinic – CANADA
181 Bay Street, 30th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2T3
my.clevelandclinic.org/Canada

How to avoid:

There are a couple of red flags in the email that victims should look for if they are suspicious of the offer being too good to be true. The first sign that something is amiss is the requirement of sending money for payment through Western Union. No legitimate company is going to use a wire transfer service as the primary – or worse yet, only – source of payment for seat reservations. The next flag can be found in the signature line. While the name and position used are correct – probably swiped from the healthcare facility's website by the scammers for legitimacy – the email address is not a legitimate email address from the healthcare provider's network. Any communication from a possible employer will come from their actual workplace email.

Unemployment is never fun for anyone, but being scammed of money while looking for a job is even worse. If a job offer seems too good to be true and you are being asked to pay money for the privilege of working for any company, be wary. You are likely being taken for a costly ride.