Bold Business is a legitimate media and technology services company. However, last week, a recent college graduate went viral on TikTok after uploading a video sharing her story about being scammed out of $2,400 by individuals falsely impersonating the legitimate company on LinkedIn. Read on for more info and to learn how to stay safe from job scams.

Bold Business Scam

In her TikTok video, Jenn (who goes by @lolleavemyspamalone on the platform) is seen holding back tears throughout as she explains how the remote job scam unfolded.   

Jenn explained how she was contacted on LinkedIn by a company that — although she didn’t realize it at the time — was impersonating Bold Business, regarding a remote job as a social media specialist. According to Jenn, the company insisted on using a video conferencing app called Wired, instead of one of the larger video conferencing apps, such as Zoom. Although she was initially suspicious of this, she went ahead with the interview process anyway, which she described as “very simple, very short.” 

After the interview process was complete, Jenn outlined how she was given a “really, really good offer,” complete with an official offer letter and employment contract. As part of her onboarding process, Jenn explained how the scammers sent her a check for $2,400 which she was told to deposit into her account. After doing so, she was instructed to transfer the $2,400 via Zelle to someone who would use the money to order her a work laptop, phone, and printer. 

Jenn followed the scammers’ instructions; however, after receiving an email from her bank informing her of insufficient funds in her account, Jenn quickly realized it was all a scam. She said in her video that although the check was initially deposited into her account with no issue, ultimately it bounced, and the $2,400 transferred via Zelle was her money instead. 

Additional job scams

Although it was Bold Business whose name was unfortunately misused by scammers this time, many other legitimate companies have also been victims of this, including:

• Corrib Capital Management
• Upstream Rehabilitation
• Enoch Capital

Also, it’s important to note that even though the scammers used LinkedIn to reach out to Jenn, they’ve been known to use many other platforms and methods to try to find victims. 

Response from Bold Business & Scam Safety 

As mentioned, Bold Business is a legitimate company and had no involvement in the scam that Jenn fell victim to. Nevertheless, likely in response to the viral video, the company has posted an infographic on its site explaining how its hiring process works. The infographic will no doubt help others avoid being deceived by scammers falsely impersonating Bold Business. 

Tips to Avoid Job Scams

When it comes to avoiding job scams, it’s important never to take a link you see or a job offer you receive on social media at face value. Additionally, when it comes to detecting fake job websites — of which there are plenty out there — there’s no easier way than with our free browser extension: Trend Micro ID Protection . 

ID Protection  can shield you against scams, fake and malware-infected websites, dangerous emails, phishing links, and lots more! If you come across something dangerous online, you’ll be alerted in real time so you’ll know to stay well clear.        

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