Apitope
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Victim Location 60473
Type of a scam Employment
I recently uploaded my resume to ziprecruiter.com and a few days after, received an invitation via email from a Michael Woodward to interview with Heather Reigns for a freelance copywriting/proofreading position with Apitope. After doing my own independent research after my "interview," and using the ScamPulse.com’s Scam Tracker, I was able to see someone else had an extremely similar experience in June and realized I too was being set up for a scam. Below is my correspondence with the scammer(s):
Hello Heather,
I’m [insert name here] (interview reference code: Z***)
I’m looking forward to our scheduled conversation this Tuesday at 9 AM CST.
Hello [insert name here]
Interview Reference Code Z*** has been accessed, verified and approved open for your interview today. How are you doing today?
Hello [insert name here]
Hello Heather!
I’m sorry I didn’t see your first message until now
How are you doing today?
I’m doing well, how about yourself?
I’m fine, thank you. The interview consist of three phases i.e " Introduction to the Company, Questionnaire Phase, Job Briefings, Description and Pay scale" So I’ll begin by introducing you properly to the Company, provide you with the necessary information/details you need to know about us after which we would proceed with the questionnaire and job briefings.
Sounds good to me.
To begin, I need you to type manually the companies website on your browser at www.apitope.com, read about the Company’s History, Vision, What We Do, familiarize yourself generally with the Company, you have 7 minutes to do this when you are done alert me.
Ok.
I’ve had a chance to look at the website.
Sounds good, I do believe you have a better comprehension about the Company now. We shall also provide you with all other necessary information that you need to know about the position, job details, pay etc. I also need you to know that this is strictly a Copywriter/Editor and Proofreading position where there are no form of phone calls involved as we are not hiring for Customer Service. All duties/responsibilities will be emailed to you accordingly.
Ok
I’m Heather Reigns and I go by Heath, the Senior Chief Human Resources Officer of APITOPE TECHNOLOGY assigned to conduct your interview. This is Our On-line platform for all remote workers/freelancers working directly from the comfort of their homes handling duties such as Copy-writing and Proofreading duties. Introduce yourself, your Full-name, Location and briefly discuss in details your primary and secondary goals in your chosen career?
Hi Heath,
I’m [insert name here] from [insert town here]
At this stage in my career, I want to be able to use my ability to write to further the mission of organizations like Apitope, as well as continuing to develop my general knowledge of marketing communications.
Do you have a prior experience working remotely/freelancing from home and are you currently employed either part time or full time?
Yes I do have experience working remotely. At this time, I am unemployed.
Just for clarification, will we be video chatting at any point during this interview?
NO
That’s understandable, below is the questionnaire for this interview, you’re required to answer all questions below within 25 minutes time. Good-luck as you proceed.
Explain in details the 3 (three) major qualities of a good proofreader?
As a technical proofreader what would be your approach to problem solving when editing a write up?
Give three expectations of a creative copywriter?
How do you talk about a dry or technical subject without relying on buzzwords?
What do you do to make your writing more SEO-friendly?
How do you maintain interest in the routine or even mundane parts of editing, such as source checking, proofreading, and indexing?
In scale of 10 how would you rate yourself in regards to time management skills if there is work overload?
The Company’s Official Banks are US Bank and Citi Bank, you get paid via checks and direct deposit, what is the name of your bank?
If you have a 300-page document that’s a rush job and you must edit it by the end of the day, how would you approach the task?
Full-time starts 9 am to 5 pm and part time starts 10 am to 2 pm, do you intend to work full time or part time?
3 Major qualities of a good proofreader:
1. They have to have a strong command of grammar. Proofreading is all about ensuring that there are no errors in a piece of writing. So any proofreader first and foremost must understand the grammar rules they are enforcing.
2. They have to be observant. The tiniest error cannot go unnoticed and so it is important that proofreaders have an eye for catching mistakes.
3. They have to be thorough. You never know who will be looking at the document that you are proofreading. Therefore, you must be thorough to ensure that there are no mistakes. Even when you are confident you checked everything, you need to check one more time.
Problem solving approach:
I would have a guidebook on hand to answer any technical questions I might have about grammar usage if something seems off in the document.
3 Expectations of a Creative Copywriter
1. They must have fresh ideas
2. They must be willing to push the envelope
3. They must remember to not make things complicated. i.e. simplicity is key
How do I make my writing more SEO-friendly?
I have a list of keywords at hand that are popular for the given subject and ensure that where appropriate, I substitute them in as much as possible.
How do I maintain interest?
I’ve developed a personal habit of finding errors in anything I read. So many times have I read a company’s blog post and found grammatical errors in them that distracted me from what I was actually looking forward to learn from the piece. Just having that innate habit ensures that the “mundane” parts of editing never become a true burden.
Time management
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give myself an 8
My primary bank is [insert bank here]
300 page document
I would approach the task by skimming for cosmetic errors first. Then going through and making sure that grammatical rules are upheld, and finally ensure that any stylistic rules are enforced.
I’m looking for full-time work, so I would work from 9 am to 5 pm.
I wrote all of my answers in a separate document and just pasted them here. I believe I answered all of the questions.
Answers received, kindly give me approximately 20-25 minutes to go through your answers and also discuss with the Human Resources Board of the Company, will talk to you shortly…remain right here.
Sounds good, Heath.
YOU HAVE PASSED THE INTERVIEW AND YOU WILL BE OFFERED EMPLOYMENT WITH THE COMPANY AS A COPYWRITER CONGRATULATIONS [insert name here]. You’ll be getting paid $45/HR for training and $50/HR after training. You get paid for the one-week training and after the one week training your pay comes in bi weekly. This position is for immediate employment because the Company currently has an ongoing project that you will proofread some of it’s contents. Employment & Obligation Paper works will be sent to you today by 6 pm October 9, 2019.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much Heath!!
I’ll like you to pay detailed attention to the details I’ll provide to you henceforth as I’ll be taking you through your job details, the duties and every other thing that you need to know about this position.
I’m excited for the opportunity!
DAILY DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
Reviews final manuscript in Word, including confirming/implementing styles, reviewing formatting, and finalizing all project materials for composition.
Work collaboratively with the curriculum developers during the page reviewing stages, facilitating resolutions to any conflicts in style, content, and design, and communicates any changes that result to the editorial and production team members.
Utilizing the Document Management System (DMS) to retrieve and print documents.
Read copy against client-supplied copy to ensure that final output is accurate and complete.
Read for errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar
Mark up copy and designs using traditional proofreader marks to indicate to typesetters, designers and programmers any changes or corrections that are needed.
Review content, fact-check information and raise flags about questionable/inconsistent information
Proof print work, PowerPoint presentations as well as interactive multimedia projects.
Measure dimensions, spacing and positioning of page elements to verify adherence to specifications and check for color accuracy.
Check revised proofs to ensure that all corrections/changes have been made.
Interface with project managers, typesetters and designers to ensure all copy is clean and formatting/designs are compliant with client brand standards and/or client style guides.
I do believe you can handle these duties effectively with minimal supervision right?
Correct
Sounds good
THERE ARE TWO SECTIONS OF THE COMPANY’S HIRING PROCEDURES.
1. Setting Up of the required Mini Office Equipment’s.
2. Training.
Before you begin working with the Company you will undergo a probation of 1 week, this training consists of different kinds of task to enable you have strong understanding and confidence about your daily task.
Do you have the following items at home • Macbook Pro laptop (14") with 2.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor and 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 memory (OSX 10.6.8)
• HP Color Laserjet CP 2025 laser printer
• Epson Perfection 3200 Photo flatbed scanner
• Brother Intellifax 1270 plain paper fax machine
• AP style 2019 and Grammarly 2018 Softwares?
I’m afraid I do not have any of those items
The Company will be setting up a new home office for you that matches with the specified items listed above. The total cost of the home office set up i.e (Hardware’s & Software’s) will be handled by the Company’s Finance Department. You’ll receive a check which will cover the cost of the home office materials, further guidelines and instructions will be provided accordingly during the course of training.
Will I need those items in order to complete the training?
No, but your home office will be set up during the training.
After the completion of the one week training period, when your home office is fully set up. There will be a scheduled appointment with the Company’s Representative. The Rep. will bring with her other paperwork’s such as the Tax form, W-2, Benefits document etc. You will be required to endorse these paperwork’s where necessary and keep a copy of all paperwork’s for yourself. This will happen immediately the one week probation period is successfully completed.
Ok, sounds great.
I do have a couple of questions though.
I need you to email the following: Your Full-name, Home Contact Address and Phone Number. Have it sent to ([email protected]) so that my Assistant can enlist your details for the forthcoming training.
Ok
Is this your email address?
Yes
Ok
I sent the email to you.
Received, the Company will send you an Email with the Employment & Obligation Paper-works today by 5 pm your time. You are required to go through the letters….complete the Obligation Letter and return back to us via Email for official trainee documentation before we can commence training October 10, 2019 at 10 am. This brings us to the conclusion of your successful interview. Ensure you are logged on here at 10 am tomorrow (October 10, 2019) to commence training.
Before you go
I have a couple of questions
Are there other copywriters/proofreaders I can connect with and possibly collaborate with?
Yes
And to confirm, the company will be covering the costs of all the items I will need to do the job? Laptop and all?
Yes, all of it.
Ok. Well, I look forward to receiving the official documents and looking them over.
Sounds good
I’m sorry, I have another quick question.
What are the hours for training?
10am – 1pm
Perfect, thanks!
Although I did not give away private financial information, I’m confident had I gone through with the scam, they would’ve tried to get money from me. Lesson learned: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS!
Thank you for posting this! These guys texted me yesterday and attempted to set up a in interview through Google Hangouts today. They looked shady from the start, so I googled and googled and googled them until I came across your post. These scammer are getting pretty creative.
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