Have you received a robocall from someone claiming to be with an organization called WN Positions? Job-seekers throughout the US have been receiving unsolicited calls from this company, but WN Positions isn’t an employment agency.
According to Scambook complaints, WN Positions seems to be a telemarketing program designed to trick consumers into giving out personal information such as phone numbers and email addresses. It’s misleading and very annoying.
While scammers can’t necessarily steal your money just by acquiring your phone number, it’s still very risky to share your personal information with someone you don’t know. A company like WN Positions may share your information with affiliate marketing groups, which can lead to more unsolicited phone calls, texts, or spam email from third parties.
How the WN Positions Alleged Scam Works
Here’s how WN Positions works. You get an automated phone call asking about an online survey you’ve supposedly taken, then asked a series of questions.
According to Scambook users who complained about WN Positions, they never actually filled out any online survey associated with this company:
I have been called several times indicating that I had filled out a survey indicating I was looking for a job. I did no such thing and they would not tell me when I filled it out or where online. [source]
I received a call from a male individual who said he was from WN Positions. He said he contacted me because of a survey I took online regarding employment opportunities. I never completed any such survey. [source]
They call from a California number (408) 419-1876. They leave no message. The number they called is a private cell which is never given out. When called back a recording identifies the caller as “WN Positions” and claims I requested information from them (which is not true). The voicemail then tries to get me to enter information about myself. [source]
If you complete the process, you’ll be connected with an actual, live operator. This individual will then verifies all the information that you gave to the automated system.
It’s at this point that you learn the real purpose of the call: to connect you with an “education specialist” who will put you in touch with a for-profit school so that you can further your education.
Since the call’s script is so vague, there’s really no way to tell exactly how WN Positions is getting consumers’ phone numbers in the first place or how they’re going to use the information they collect from you.
If you receive a phone call asking for your personal information, be very sure that you know the organization asking for it.
Most people are smart enough to realize that something strange is going on, and hang up before actually giving out more information.
The recorded voice asks a series of questions, prompting recipients of the call to provide a name, address, date of birth, phone number, and email address. While no credit card or Social Security information is ever a part of the process, this is still enough personal information to cause alarm.
Keep Your Information Private
Use caution if you think that a phone call sounds like it might be less than legitimate.
While this scam isn’t trying to bilk anyone out of incredibly sensitive personal information, it’s still cause for concern. Information like your address and phone number can be sold to third parties for marketing purposes.
Remember, always be on guard when an unsolicited caller (automated or not) asks for your personal information. Trust your gut. When something seems suspicious, it probably is.
Click here to check out our video on bogus job scams, How to Avoid Fake Jobs on Craigslist, LinkedIn, and Careerbuilder.
Have you gotten any bogus phone calls like this one?
Let us know in the comments!
See Also
A Revolutionary New Way to Block Robocalls and Telemarketing Scams?
Lawsuit Shuts Down More Annoying Robocall Telemarketing Scams
Stop the Robocall Epidemic and Help the FTC
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