calheart

Yea, he told me that he was living with his parents. He refused to do a Facetime interview. He even refused a phone call. He wanted my address and $200 so he could Uber from an hour away for the interview.

Yes, this guy got me for money as well a few months ago. Do not send money to him whatever you do.

Thanks Ivanhoe. I certainly was not intending to chase that $80.00! LOL. I figure if he needed $80.00 bad enough to put in the time he did to get it, then he needed it more than I did! Anyway, your answer about it varying state to state is good information. I was merely putting up a topic for conversation that I thought others who had lost more might be interested in. Thanks

Thank you for that advice, Michael. That is definitely one option. However, the original question was regarding legal recourse against scammers, or better yet, advice on how to proceed through the process of advancing funds for relocation for a professional position. I know that companies regularly provide travel assistance for interviewing potential new employees, and that they also provide minimum advance funds for relocation, with the balance being paid as a reimbursement. If a company like Microsoft, for instance, were to provide advance funds for interviewing and/or relocation, how do they handle the process? And if a new-hire was to abscond with the funds and not make the trip or the move, how would it be handled? There has be to some kind of statutes at the State or Federal level that provide protection from such actions. It might be covered under fraud statutes, or perhaps embezzlement. Either way, I have no reason to believe that hiring a person to work in your home should be any different. I'm assuming that a interviewee or new-hire should provide the employer with a verifiable social security number, address, and references. I include a job description and contract with any employee I hire, whether it be for admin staff or house-person. So, if anyone out there has legal answers, I would like to hear them. Please, no advice on the obvious, just legal advice. Thanks!

just wondering if there is legal action that can be taken against scammers that take money and do not follow up on the commitment? I for one have only been scammed once. The potential employee was sent and agreed to a written job description agreement, which included the amount of relocation reimbursement I was offering. I handled the job offer as professionally as I would any job offer from my company, yet was still taken for the $80.00 advance I sent. Not a large amount, but I read where some here are taken for much more. Is there any legal statute that exists that if known in advance, potential employers could follow to ensure that they are not scammed? I know the perfect advice would be to "never send money", but the truth is, some people really do need the assistance up front to relocate. I would like to hear from others as to how to protect ourselves from the scammers, but still be fair to the men that need the help. Without passion and drama, if at all possible, please.

"justin" did the same thing to me. I was offering a non-sexual position. After several days of discussion, we came to an agreement that included sending $80.00 to cover gas for his driving down for his interview. I only sent the money because it was only $80.00. I sent an employment agreement covering all the details we discussed. The employment agreement included paying a total of almost $1,000.00 toward his relocation should he decide to take the job once he got here and passed the interview. I called his references. One was a restaurant he worked out and it seem legit. The other, however, was the voice mail of some girl that sounded like she was drunk when she made the recording. Justin was to arrive at 11 a.m., but he didn't with no call until 8 p.m. which was from a restricted number. He left a message saying he was at a gas station in Alabama...I assumed he was going to ask for more money. I left a message at his home in Ohio and the cell phone number he had given me was not working. All in all, he got me for $80.00, which I will not complain about. But, this should serve as a warning to anyone who might possibly be taken for more. Good luck!