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Elle Marie
Forums Member
Joined: 16 May 2012
Posts: 1
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#1 · Posted: 16 May 2012 14:48
I received this email and am trying to determine if it is legitimate. I can't find much online about the company, other than a listing on manta and on the BBB website. I just find it strange that a company that provides "web solutions, such as websites" does not have a company website! I found another company by the same name in WV, but this company is in CO.
Dear Job Seeker,
Thank you for your interest in the Customer Service Rep position, which has recently become available with our company. Here at Web Concepts, we have gathered web professionals with the total experience of developing web solutions, such as websites, web design, applications and software for businesses and individuals over 20 years. We have always been proud to be a progressive employer, which is the reason why more than 80% of our staff work remotely, over the Internet; and that allows us to save on office supplies and rent in order to offer our team members the most decent salaries compared to the average ones on the IT market. Today you have a chance to join our team and help us service and support the recently expanded list of our customers. This is a unique opportunity to get on the ground floor of a boosting team of IT professionals with a growing customer base, proven technology and strong market demand.
Job Description
This is a permanent remote full-time position, which means you will be working from your home. Your performance will be tracked online at our corporate server, which you will be able to log into over the Internet. No additional software or equipment is required for purchase, only a PC with a stable Internet connection and a working cell phone or a landline, so that you could be easily reached by the customers and your supervisor. All new employees start working with an assigned supervisor, who provides additional information on daily tasks and overall support. We also supply free manuals and an online training course, which takes about a day or two.
As for work hours, you can choose between 2 shifts: 8am-4pm or 9am-5pm (your time zone), Monday to Friday (we are usually closed on weekends and US federal holidays). Relocation or travel is not required, as this role is performed out of your home.
Position Duties
Customer Service Rep duties do NOT include direct sales, active search for new customers, cold calling or advertising activities. Your main functions will be the following:
- Serving as the main contact point for the customers;
- Providing feedback to web developers on the projects ordered by the customers;
- Submitting and monitoring the status of customer requests, updating customers on them;
- Obtaining additional information and/or materials from the customers;
- Monitoring and assisting with customer billing procedures;
- Maintaining project records, submitting regular progress reports.
Daily Routine
Your typical day will start with logging into the system, checking your messages and tasks, and contacting your supervisor. As soon as you get your tasks for the day (they may include looking for the contact information on a business, reviewing the documentation of a contract, confirming and processing a payment on an order, answering the client's questions, updating the client on the project progress, etc.), you start working on them. Sometimes it can take a couple of days before you get a new task, however, you must stay logged in during your work hours, waiting for the updates. At the end of the day you send a report on the completed tasks to your supervisorr, inform him/her on your progress and log off.
Compensation & Benefits
We offer a base salary of $2,900 per month paid in 2 parts every 2 weeks since the actual start date. There is also a system of incentive bonuses based on the number of projects you take for support, as well as on your evaluation score based on the customer feedback received upon completing of each project. The average amount of bonuses added to your paycheck monthly can make up to 50% of your base pay, if you manage to take at least 2-3 projects for support. Since the taxes will be deducted from your salary, you will need to fill out a W-4 form, which will be included into the employment package. After the first 6 months of work, you will be eligible for a 3-week vacation and our health insurance program.
Special Offer for Business Owners
Since we work with both individuals, and corporations, we invite business owners to sign a partnership agreement between our companies. Being our partner grants new opportunities: first of all, you get the access to large corporate customers, and the bonuses for supporting them are usually higher, up to several thousand dollars. Plus, there is an increased monthly base pay of $5,000; we also provide our partners with individual assistance, sponsored business trips to Europe, free web services & support, etc.
How to Get Started
If you are interested in the Customer Service Rep position, please reply to my message and let me know, which opportunity would suit you: individual employment or partnership. I will follow up with the employment documentation package for review. Just to remind you: the partnership option is available for business owners only! If you don't have a business running, you are eligible for the individual employment option only.
Please note that neither our company, nor our affiliates ever demand any startup fees, investments or other payments in order to ensure the employment! Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them as well: you can reach me by email anytime, directly at the number below tomorrow or any day next week.
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Best regards,
Stephanie Van Helden
Web Concepts LLC
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sthom373
Forums Member
Joined: 17 May 2012
Posts: 1
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#2 · Posted: 17 May 2012 09:36
Elle Marie
I think this company is a scam, I receive the same message. There is a number listed under the person name, but when I call no one picks up.
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takiyamck17
Forums Member
Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 1
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#3 · Posted: 18 May 2012 14:39
I received this email also. The company website is teamwebconcepts.com. Im going to try it. She sent me the employment info
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freesiia
Forums Member
Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 2
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#4 · Posted: 18 May 2012 18:21
Hello,
I received the same email. I replied to it asking for more information. The website is www.teamwebconcepts.com, but I couldn't find a rating of the company by the bbb. I find the company, but no rating.
I am reviewing the 'employment agreement' that they sent me. I am hoping to find out some info on the company other than what is on the website.
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Scam Hunter
Forums Member
Joined: 19 May 2012
Posts: 1
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#5 · Posted: 19 May 2012 05:10
I received the exact same email response from the same person, Stephanie. I sent her a response saying I am interested in the position. She sent me back a reply saying that after I fill out my Employment Agreement and W4, then she will send me a Bank Application to fill out my Bank Checking account information because I would have to receive and handle payments for their Customers using my personal Checking Account. Why would I be PAYING THEIR TEAMS? This is part of their response not included in the first email below:
You will start working under my personal supervision during the first
2 months of work. I will supply you with online training materials and guidance with each task, as well as answer your questions and provide additional information, if necessary.
As soon as I receive your signed employments papers, I will send
you a Bank Account form to fill out. The reason for providing a
checking account is quite simple: as our company's policy is the
personal approach to the customers, you will be working directly with them, which would entail receiving the fees for the projects ordered by the company, and paying the teams working on such projects. These would be your responsibilities as well. Plus, we would need your bank account information in order to deposit your payroll, as we don't usually send out paper checks, since there are too many risks connected with them.
All information about our company and services we offer can be found at our website: http://www.teamwebconcepts.com. Should you have any questions, please feel free to address them to me. This position is available immediately, so we can get you started as soon as this week.
My response is: They never said anything about handling money in their first response to my interest. If they were any kind of REAL company, they would have a company BUSINESS account and handle payments and money from their customers THEMSELVES, not from your PERSONAL CHECKING ACCCOUNT !!! I spoke to a lady about a year ago that answered an ad like this and received a fake check or bank draft into her account, and the rest of her own actual money was stolen out of her acccount. Somehow information given about the company was False, address, not there, and no one answered the phone. IF THIS IS NOT A SCAM, THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. No one needs your checking account information for a customer service job. Yes they say they want to direct deposit your check, but why would I have to handle money from Customers? ANY Legit company would handle their own money from customers with a certified business account set up at a bank in the company name, not your PRIVATE CHECKING ACCOUNT? I personally use a Netspend card that is an actual Bank for payments from work at home jobs I do, not my real Bank Account!! This sounds like a SCAM !! But make your own decision, personally I wouldn't send every stranger on the net my W4 with my personal information, address, phone, bank account numbers for direct deposit until I had checked out the company thoroughly. ANYONE can construct a FAKE Website in a matter of a day or two BEWARE!!
__________________
Scam Hunter
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MSKoolKat1
Forums Member
Joined: 19 May 2012
Posts: 5
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#6 · Posted: 19 May 2012 08:17
I also recieved this same information. I was excited about it until I read that money would be going through my account. A huge red flag came up in my mind. Especially when they said Moneygram and other bank fees would be reimbursed. takiyamck17 if you give it a shot, please follow up with us all so we will know. I am still thinking I need to turn this over to my local authorities because it seems fraudulant. They will have your drivers license info, you ssn, your checking acct info, and all your other personal information. Sounds like a ponzi scheme to me. I looked up the phone number on multiple places. One place said it was an apartment building in Colorado....I would be cautious!!!!!
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MSKoolKat1
Forums Member
Joined: 19 May 2012
Posts: 5
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#7 · Posted: 21 May 2012 15:35
Elle Marie,
I also sent another email to the lady asking for clarification on the checking account and money funneling through it. This was three days ago. Guess what??? Still no reply. She was sending me emails like crazy and now all the sudden, they have stopped. hmmmmmm
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freesiia
Forums Member
Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 2
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#8 · Posted: 21 May 2012 16:52
I flat out responded that I declined the employment offer and told them that what they were doing was very borderline illegal. No legitimate company would ask an employee to funnel receipts through a personal checking account. This is a scam and I would be terrified for them to have my bank information.
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MSKoolKat1
Forums Member
Joined: 19 May 2012
Posts: 5
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#9 · Posted: 21 May 2012 18:46
That is what I was thinking freesiia....Plus if they were legitimate, someone would answer the phone when you call.
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MSKoolKat1
Forums Member
Joined: 19 May 2012
Posts: 5
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#10 · Posted: 22 May 2012 12:00
Hey everyone!! I send out an email to the lady asking why the money has to come through my account. She never really directly answered the question. Here is the response I got from her:
As a Customer Service Rep, you will be responsible for liaisoning with both new customers, and our staff. We provide you with the list of our customers, who are willing to order a project with us: it could be a web page, some video or database, web design templates, etc. Since we believe in a personal approach, you will be the main point of contact and the person representing the company for the customers. Thus, your responsibilities will include:
a) managing the business correspondence with customers,
b) managing the paperwork for the projects they order,
c) receiving payments for them and delivering them directly to the teams who will work on the ordered projects,
d) providing customers with the updates on their projects and requesting additional information/materials/budget if necessary, and
e) following up on the completed orders to see if any other services provided by our company may be needed.
All your assignments will be given and monitored through our secure web panel located at our corporate server. No special equipment or software is needed in order to access it,you will simply log in over the Internet. As for the pay, we direct deposit it every 2 weeks since the actual start date.
Your usual day will start with logging into the web panel, getting updates on your assignments and contacting your supervising manager with any questions or topics for discussion. Upon receiving your daily assignments (such as getting the details on a project, gathering funds from the clients, submitting a report on the recently completed projects, etc.), you start working on them. At the end of the day you contact your supervisor, inform him/her on your progress and log off.
The reason for opening a checking account is quite simple: as our company's policy is the personal approach to the customers, you will be working directly with them, which would entail receiving the fees for the projects ordered by the company, and paying the teams working on such projects. These would be your responsibilities as well. Plus, we would need your bank account information in order to deposit your payroll, as we don't usually send out paper checks, since there are too many risks connected with them.
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scam alert
Forums Member
Joined: 4 Jun 2012
Posts: 1
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#11 · Posted: 4 Jun 2012 22:56
All,
I am the original owner of Web Concepts LLC in Castle Rock CO. That company name was in use until about 5 years ago.
Someone took that name and my personal information and started a website called www.teamwebconcepts.com on 05/15/2012, registering that domain through Nicline/Arsys in Spain and fraudulently using my personal information as the registered owner.
As stated above, this is not my domain however I am listed as the registered owner with all domain contact info listing as my information, which is in direct violation of NicLine domain use policy and no fewer than 7 requests have been made to both Arsys and NicLine for immediate cancellation of teamwebconcepts.com, and the removal of my information from the whois registry information for that domain.
However I have yet to receive even a single response from either company, (they are one and the same), and the rigistry whois continues to incorrectly show me as the registered owner of that domain.
The website and the domain registry Whois also lists my personal information and has forced me to file a police report to alert Douglas County Sheriff.
It was a few days after my report to ICANN informing them of the circumstances regarding this domain , that the website was no longer available.
I do not know if that is a result of the criminals pulling the site down, or ICANN, Google, FBI, IC3, making it unavailable.
The Denver BBB has been contacted and has offered full cooperation regarding what information is viewable by the public, as well as creating an alert stating that the listing for Web Concepts is not to be confused with teamwebconcepts.com.
A complaint has been filed with the Federal Trade Commission-Complaint Ref #37841795.
A report has also been made wih the Douglas County Sheriffs Office. Case #2012-00800173
A report has been made to the FBI field office in Denver and IC3.
A report has been made to IC3 Complaint Id: I1205241540512212
I have received over 30 calls from people inquiring about the validity of the company. I instruct each caller to cease all communications and notify their bank and the authorities if they have already faxed or mailed personal information to anyone.
The phone numbers are Skype Phone numbers routed through Level 3 communications.
I have yet to receive any response from SKYPE legal regarding the numbers.
NEVER SEND PERSONAL/BANKING INFORMATION TO ANYONE!!
Always Beware.
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