# Falsely representing legitimate companies



## 19230492 (Jul 20, 2013)

This is probably a tough question since rules in the Middle East are quite confusing and sometimes a bit unexpected but I am currently job hunting through sites such as dubizzle, where most of the time the companies name is withheld so when your called in for an interview you can't actually be sure if you did apply for the job with that certain company.

Most calls or emails I received have been legitimate, and it has been fairly easy to tell if it is illegitimate. But several times I have been contacted via email representing a company and offering a position, but as I was unsure I research the company and found a legitimate contact for them and inquired about the person who originally contacted me and the job position itself. They have always responded to say it has not come from their company.

Today I have received a whatsapp message from the "Middle East Marketing Manager for Microsoft" - I do not believe the real Marketing Manager would could contact anyone via whatsapp. So I replied requesting that I be emailed from the work email to confirm legitimacy. In reply I was told this is not a professional way to talk to someone and proof is not needed. However I have contacted Microsoft to inform them of this and have confirmation. 

I can look past the emails I receive but being contacted on my personal mobile number I do not appreciate especially from people falsely representing such companies offering interviews where had I not taken the initiative to follow up in the ways I have, I consider it slightly dangerous especially as a female to attend such interviews. Is there any way to report the number with proof of the conversation?

I have lived in Saudi Arabia and UAE my whole life and I know sometimes when making such reports it could actually come back on me and I will be the one getting into trouble. Would it be wise to pursue this and if so what are my options?


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## Stevesolar (Dec 21, 2012)

19230492 said:


> This is probably a tough question since rules in the Middle East are quite confusing and sometimes a bit unexpected but I am currently job hunting through sites such as dubizzle, where most of the time the companies name is withheld so when your called in for an interview you can't actually be sure if you did apply for the job with that certain company.
> 
> Most calls or emails I received have been legitimate, and it has been fairly easy to tell if it is illegitimate. But several times I have been contacted via email representing a company and offering a position, but as I was unsure I research the company and found a legitimate contact for them and inquired about the person who originally contacted me and the job position itself. They have always responded to say it has not come from their company.
> 
> ...


I too received dodgy calls and emails, once I put my CV on recruitment websites.

There are plenty of leeches out there trying to suck money out of unsuspecting jobseekers - who are looking for a better life for themselves and their families.

You really need to keep your wits about you, not pay money to get hired and check out the credentials of people who are responding to your CV (much like you are obviously doing now).

Reputable companies will reply using proper email addresses (not googlemail, Hotmail etc) and they wont be expecting you to pay anything towards the hiring process (visas, interviews, registration fees etc.)

Scammers can actually be residing in any country - so difficult to track down (and probably therefore pointless to report)

As usual - if it seems too good to be true - it probably is!

Cheers

Steve


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