Jeff Haller/Keyhole Photo/Corbis
Job scams taking advantage of the oil-inundated Gulf Coast? That’s just low.
Hundreds of job seekers from the Yakama Nation tribe in Toppenish, Wash. fell victim to what allegedly was an extortion ploy in June, orchestrated by a group claiming to be associated with organizations such as BBB (the Better Business Bureau) and even BP.
Tribe members were promised jobs in clean up efforts in the Gulf that would pay $40 an hour and would provide for them room, board, and transportation. They were also instructed that they’d need to purchase training in order to fulfill the necessary job qualifications. Needless to say, there were no jobs.
Tribe officials offered no comment apart from an initial press release in which they stated this scam represented efforts “targeting the vulnerable and impoverished Yakama community” Since this information has been released, BP and BBB have warned job seekers against falling victim to job scams such as this. (via MSNBC)