Job seekers should be aware of a scam operating in Acadiana.
A pop-up warning on the Schlumberger Oil and Gas website informs consumers against recruitment scams.
Here’s the text of the warning:
“Beware – recruitment scams on the increase!
Fraudsters pretending to represent Schlumberger are sending e-mails, letters and texts offering employment to prospective employees. These offers often look legitimate and include job description, salary, and benefit details.
These fraudsters then ask for payment to obtain visas or to process immigration documents.
We never ask for payment to process documents, we never refer you to a third party to process applications or visas, and we never ask you to pay costs.
Never send money or pass on personal details to anyone suggesting they can provide employment with Schlumberger, and never reply to an email address that does not end in @slb.com.”
Here’s a more detailed notice on the Schlumberger website, including tips for avoiding entanglement with fraudsters:
Recruitment fraud from groups pretending to be Schlumberger—or claiming to represent Schlumberger—may be sent in a variety of formats, including e-mail, text, and letter.
Most often, an e-mail is sent offering employment with Schlumberger. These e-mails often look legitimate and will include details of the employment supposedly on offer, such as job description, salary, and benefits. They usually request payment from prospective employees to obtain visas or immigration documents. You may be referred to an organization that requests fees for processing the documents. In some cases you may be told you will be reimbursed for all the costs.
Please be vigilant to fraudulent activity if you receive a communication or e-mail regarding potential employment, or an invitation to submit applications to a public email address, supposedly from Schlumberger.
Please do not send money or pass any personal details to anyone suggesting they can provide employment with Schlumberger. If you have applied for a position through a legitimate channel, we will have the information needed.
If you are unsure a communication you have received is genuine, please review the guidance below:
We never make job offers without performing a formal interview process.
Prospective employees are always invited to an interview with Schlumberger personnel before any offer of employment is made. The location of the interview is always provided to candidates either by phone, or e-mail from a verifiable Schlumberger e-mail account.
Do not send money. No money transfers or payments of any kind will ever be requested by Schlumberger as part of the recruitment process, for immigration documents, insurance, or any other purpose.
Schlumberger website pages always include http://www.slb.com. Any other format is not genuine. Schlumberger will never request a prospective applicant to visit a website with any address that does not include http://www.slb.com.
Verify the email address. Schlumberger e-mails always end in “@slb.com”. Any e-mail styled with the Schlumberger logo but using a different e-mail format is not genuine. Schlumberger will never request a prospective applicant to e-mail information to an e-mail address not ending in “@slb.com”; regardless of the origin of the e-mail, you should always question the authenticity of any unsolicited e-mails seeking money or personal details, irrespective of the e-mail address.
Should you believe you have received a fraudulent communication, please forward it to: Report-Job-Scam@slb.com. Schlumberger will strive to investigate the situation and take corrective action.
A press release from the Better Business Bureau states that several citizens have contacted that company about people claiming to work for a company called “Mamta Amer Technology” that they say is working with Schlumberger.
The candidate posts their resume on a job seeking website and they are contacted from Mamta Amer Technology stating that they are contacting them on behalf of Schlumberger – Oil & Gas. This company does call and text to correspond, the BBB press release states.
Here are some tips from the BBB to avoid scams:
- Some positions are more likely to be scams. Always be wary of work-from-home or secret shopper positions, or any job with a generic title such as caregiver, administrative assistant, or customer service rep. Positions that don’t require special training or licensing appeal to a wide range of applicants. Scammers know this and use these otherwise legitimate titles in their fake ads. If the job posting is for a well-known brand, check the real company’s job page to see if the position is posted there. Look online; if the job comes up in other cities with the exact same post, it’s likely a scam.
- Different procedures should raise your suspicion. Watch out for on-the-spot job offers. You may be an excellent candidate for the job, but beware of offers made without an interview. A real company will want to talk to a candidate before hiring. Don’t fall for an overpayment scam. No legitimate job would ever overpay an employee and ask for money to be wired elsewhere. This is a common trick used by scammers. And be cautious sharing personal information or any kind of pre-payment. Be careful if a company promises you great opportunities or big income as long as you pay for coaching, training, certifications or directories.
- Government agencies post all jobs publicly and freely. The U.S. and Canadian federal governments and the U.S. Postal Service/Canada Postal Service never charge for information about jobs or applications for jobs. Be wary of any offer to give you special access or guarantee you a job for a fee – if you are paying for the promise of a job, it’s probably a scam.
- Get all details and contracts in writing. A legitimate recruiter will provide you with a complete contract for their services with cost, what you get, who pays (you or the employer), and what happens if you do not find a job.
- If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
