Beware, scammers are advertising for fake jobs at Sony video game developer Naughty Dog and it could cost you thousands!
As covered by The Gamer, scammers are advertising for fake job listings at Naughty Dog which could be costing their victims over $3,000 in fees. Most of us by now are no strangers to scam emails. In my own experience, I get multiple a day and some do not get automatically directed to my spam box.
In most cases spotting a scam email can be quite simple, but some are far more sophisticated than others. This appears to be the case with the fake Naughty Dog job listings.
If something seems too good to be true, it probably is
A Twitter user and digital artist named DOXO shared their experience with their followers in the hope that others will not fall victim to the scam. DOXO even shared an email from the scammers which referenced their artwork and portfolio.
“I might be a cryptid living under a rock, but I just had an interaction with a really convincing fake Naughty Dog ‘recruiter’. It’s common to get these emails if you have an Artstation Portfolio, but this one was very convincing;” said DOXO in a tweet.
I might be a cryptid living under a rock, but I just had an interaction with a really convincing fake Naughty Dog ‘recruiter’. It’s common to get these emails if you have an Artstation Portfolio, but this one was very convincing; pic.twitter.com/ffw9tRcUJ8
— DOXO♥ (@doxolove) June 2, 2021
In a series of tweets, DOXO explained their experience with the scammers. The scammers even went as far as interviewing the artist for the non-existent job.
what followed was a 2 hour interview with some general questions, but a lot were very specific to my tailored job position. I wouldn’t think anyone would go in depth to ask me about monitor calibration and design essentials, it felt very real.
— DOXO♥ (@doxolove) June 2, 2021
Following the two-hour “interview”, the scammers then requested that DOXO pay $3,400 towards equipment needed for the alleged job. This is when alarm bells started to ring.
the next day they started dropping lists of essentials, equipment, and that I would be referred to their art director to start training the next week. The red flag here was they wanted me to DEPOSIT a printed check they emailed me to receive funds to buy equipment ($3,400USD) pic.twitter.com/9uHxiNtW1F
— DOXO♥ (@doxolove) June 2, 2021
Be cautious
Growing very suspicious, when DOXO asked the scammers to confirm their social accounts as they did not appear on Twitter or LinkedIn, they instantly deleted the chat conversation.
“Most of these emails are too good to be true, so stay safe,” said DOXO. “It costs you 0$ to not be a prude on a cautionary tales topic.”
It costs you 0$ to not be a prude on a cautionary tales topic.
— DOXO♥ (@doxolove) June 3, 2021
Share a lesson or fact, share precaution tips that haven’t been discussed!
So, in a nutshell, as enticing as an opportunity might seem, if something seems too good to be true, follow your gut instinct and investigate.
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Featured Image Credit: Naughty Dog