My friend had been telling me about this not-so-new trend that was in vogue, and I paid nearly no attention until it happened to me recently.
Before I go further, do calm your horses. The little money I have to my name is still quite intact. Lol.
Anyway, if you’ve been following my articles, you’ll recall that I've decided to go back to working full-time. So, I've been searching the internet for new and better opportunities.
In the course of my search, I came across one that was just too good to pass up, so I applied. It was for a customer service executive role, fully remote, the pay was good, and everything else appeared to be in order.
I was well-qualified for the position since I had previous experience working in the customer service department; I even headed one at a time. It wasn’t exactly the job I was searching for, but I took it nonetheless since I believed it was decent enough, plus the pay was good.
I’m not the one to just send my résumé the next instant without first conducting thorough research on the company via Google, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. But this time, I didn't do my due diligence and instead applied right away. I sent my curriculum vitae and cover letter.
Barely 24 hours after applying, I received an email stating that they had received my application and were impressed with my background.
I was elated. The email further stated that I should download a certain online banking app because I would be paid through the account I created on the app. It also stated that I was to send a reply with my new account number after installing the app.
Out of excitement, I did as instructed barely ten minutes after I received the mail. I responded with my new account number and also stated that I was looking forward to the interview.
Dear readers and concerned hivers, it was the last I heard of them. It wasn’t until I did proper research that I realized it was just an avenue to direct unsuspecting job applicants to download their app, and perhaps drive traffic or something.
There’s no proper description of their business. I mean, I did look up the firm name on Google. Except for a lousy Facebook page that hasn't been updated since 2020, there are no genuine business pages. It's been over a month and I still haven't received a response to my three emails.
The thing is, I understand you want your project to be successful, but is it reasonable to establish it at the expense of unsuspecting job applicants? Is it?
I’d mention the app I was directed to download and the company here, but that’s also giving them publicity, innit? Where I come from, bad publicity is also publicity after all.
I’m still trying to understand the idea behind promoting a brand through cheap deceit. Y’all stay vigilant out there. At least these ones didn’t ask me to pay money so they’d organize my documents(this is a story for another day!).
