How to Spot and Avoid Job Scams: A Note from FORTUNE Marketing
How to Spot and Avoid Job Scams: A Note from FORTUNE Marketing
At FORTUNE Marketing, we value the trust of our community and take the safety of our audience seriously. Recently, scammers have been impersonating our company, offering fake job opportunities, and deceiving individuals into making payments. We want to address this directly to protect you and others from falling victim to these fraudulent schemes.
What Happened?
We have been made aware of a scam where individuals posing as representatives of FORTUNE Marketing offer online job opportunities. These scammers have even gone so far as to create fake websites designed to mimic our brand, such as fortunemarking.cc, fortunemarketing-apps.com, and others. Please note that our official website is fortunemarketing.com. Any other website claiming to represent us is fraudulent.
Additionally, some scammers have left misleading reviews on various platforms, attempting to further exploit those who have already been targeted. Be aware that anyone suggesting they can help you recoup lost funds is also attempting to scam you. These follow-up scams prey on those already affected, offering false promises of recovery. If you see suspicious comments or reviews promising refunds or additional job opportunities, do not engage with them—they are likely part of the same scam.
How Scammers Are Reaching Out
We’ve learned that scammers are using various methods to contact potential victims, including but not limited to:
- WhatsApp messages posing as recruiters or representatives of FORTUNE Marketing.
- Emails and social media messages that appear official but come from suspicious addresses.
- In some cases, scammers falsely claim to work for Randstad or partner organizations to seem more credible.
FORTUNE Marketing does not recruit individuals or work with any recruiters and will never reach out to you about employment opportunities.
Screenshots from cases where people have been scammed
How We’re Responding
As soon as we were notified—both by individuals affected and a law enforcement agency investigating a case—we took immediate action:
- Posted warnings on our LinkedIn and Instagram accounts.
- Placed clear banners on our homepage and careers page, alerting visitors about the scam.
- Responded to every inquiry submitted through our website’s contact form, advising individuals not to engage with suspicious communications.
While these steps help raise awareness, the best protection comes from being able to recognize and avoid scams.
How to Identify a Job Scam
- Unprofessional Communication: Reputable companies use official channels and professional communication. Scams often involve poorly written emails, Whatsapp communications or messages from generic addresses.
- Requests for Payment: Legitimate employers will never ask you to pay for training, software, or any other part of the hiring process.
- Too Good to Be True Offers: If a job offer seems too good to be true, with high pay for minimal work and no formal hiring process, it’s likely a scam.
- Suspicious Websites: Double-check URLs. Our official site is fortunemarketing.com. Scammers often use similar domains (like fortunemarking.cc) to trick people.
What to Do If You’ve Been Targeted
If you believe you’ve been scammed, we recommend these immediate actions:
- Stop all communication with the scammers. Do not respond to emails, calls, or messages.
- File a police report at your local police station or by calling the non-emergency number. Reporting these crimes is crucial to supporting law enforcement investigations.
- Contact your financial institution immediately. Your bank may have options to recover your funds or prevent further losses.
- Report the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. While this may not guarantee recovery of funds, it helps authorities track and investigate scams.
A Personal Note from Our Founder
“At FORTUNE Marketing, we’re committed to doing everything possible to prevent others from falling victim to this scam. That’s why we’re working hard to raise awareness and share the facts. I know firsthand how it feels to be scammed—I’ve been there. The embarrassment of wondering how you fell for it and the sinking realization that you’ve lost money is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. You’re not alone. We’re here to support anyone navigating this difficult experience and are committed to assisting law enforcement in their investigations.”
— Shawn Fortune, Founder, FORTUNE Marketing