[Tags: scam, craiglist, business]
Thanks goes to Monica Fornaro for sending in this scam.
In a subsequent email Susan Chambers had me order the MCAS kit and it turned out to be from Video Professor. It was ordered through the internet and I was charged $9.95, however when the kit came it was $198.99. I called their customer service and was told I had only 10 days to return or I would be charged the full amount. I immediately sent it back certified. I don't know how Adaptive Tech is connected with Video Professor, but this is definitely a scam. If this company wanted a certified employee they would test them during the interview, she says in the email that she will send a kit, but the next email she sends me has the link to Video Professor.
My guess is this scam is probably requiring new "hires" to purchase the "Video Professor" teaching software and profiting off the affiliate fee paid when somebody purchases the software. You will not get a job from this offer but an overpriced video professor kit.
Adaptive Tech Co may be a real company, however, this job offer is a definite scam. These scams often use real companies to try and appear real. Do not respond to any job emails from "Adaptive Tech Co" or "Susan Chambers".
If you received another job scam featuring another company please forward the email to
(This email address does not accept attachments for security purposes)
How do I spot a job scam?
- The message is for a position that you did not apply for
- The message is from or asking for a reply to an email address from a free email provider (ie: @aol.com, @yahoo.com, @gmail.com, @rocketmail.com)
- The position is for a work at home job. Let's get real here most of these positions are hard to come by.
- The message provides no phone and/or no mailing address
- You are "hired" for the position with no actual real life interview.
- The company does not have a website or the website was created in the last year. Do a whois lookup to see when a domain was created.
- The job list few or no qualifications
- The message is written with poor English
- A Google search for the company finds little or no history for the company
- The email fails to mention you by name. Starts off with generic opening (ie: Dear job seeker, Dear applicant).
- The work at home position involves receiving payments, money transfers, or check cashing.
What should I do if I provided my information to scammers?
- Do not respond to further communications.
- Do not cash any checks you received from fraudulent offer.
- Do not direct wire any money to addresses provided.
- If you sent bank Information: Call your bank immediately and tell them what happened. They should be able to change your account number or cancel your account.
- If you are still concerned you might want to enroll in credit monitoring such as LifeLock Identity Theft Prevention
- You can also file a claim with The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). They are probably overloaded with these types of claim though, so I would not expect an individual response. You can also contact the Better Business Bureau or your states attorney general's office
- Post a comment below with any information you have on this scam to inform other people to try and avoid any future victims. Post the email you received with exact wording if different from original posted so when people search for terms they find this warning.
Copy of Original Scam Email
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:38:10 -0500
Subject: Re: Administrative Assistant Position-1385165783
From: susanchambers@adaptivetechco.com
To: [[address removed]]
Hello Monica,
Thank you for your interest in becoming a member at Adaptive Tech Co.
The exact position that you are replying in reference to has been filled; however, we do have different office assistant position available.
Your main responsiblities will be record keeping and data entry. You will need to be able to use Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Power Point, Access, and Excel.
The position is either full or part time. The full time position requires 40 hours a week; Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm. The part time position requires 25 hours a week; Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm. We are looking to fill both positions in 2 weeks. Pay is $16/hour and benefits will be discussed during the in person interview.
In order to qualify for this postion, you must possess your Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) certification. If you already have this certificate, please bring it with you during the interview.
If you do not yet have your certificate, we will provide material for you to learn and take the test. The learning kit will cover Microsoft Office 2007, and once you finish with the kit, a test will be provided at the end for you to earn your MCAS.
If you are interested in the full time or part time position, please submit your job application and include your resume at the following link. Note: To speed the interview process up, we are checking for your background online via the link. You will make an account, and able to also check your own records.
http://www.adaptivetechco.com/apply
We here at Adaptive Tech Co. look forward to meeting and further discuss this postion with you.
Susan Chambers
Adaptive Tech Co
Follup - Email #2
To: [[address removed]]
Subject: Adaptive Tech Co. Application Followup
From: susanchambers@adaptivetechco.com
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 16:27:04 -0400
Hello Monica,
We have reviewed your application, and you have all the credentials and attributes to fill the position. We will setup a meeting with you at the most readily available time, and will call you shortly. Please bring your MCAS certification. If you do not have one yet, dont be alarm.
We have a DVD learning kit that will let you take the MCAS test with ease. In it will include the exam to earn your MCAS certification. You can get the kit from our source at
http://adaptivetechco.com/video-professor-ms-office/?mn=6891
Please select the Microsoft Office Integration kit. There might be a slight shipping charge, but you will be compensated for at the interview. You will be scheduled for an interview after we receive word that you received the MCAS certification from our neighboring company.
We here at Adaptive Tech Co. look forward to meeting and further discussing this position with you. Feel free to ask any questions.
Susan Chambers
Adaptive Tech Co.
If you receive this scam and found this post helpful please post a comment so I know these warnings are being read! Thanks!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Tuesday October 13, 2009 @ 07:05 PM
Thanks so much for that review. I've applied for so many jobs lately, I often can't remember who I sent resumes to. My letter from Susan Chambers was almost identical to yours. When I researched Adaptive Tech Co., the website I found stated that there headquarters are in Westminster, Co which is about 10 miles away from where I live. Thinking it was legitimate, I filled out the info at the 'apply' page before I decided to do further research, specifically 'Susan Chambers, Adaptive Tech'. Thanks for the info, it's sad to get your hopes up after not having a job for awhile but it's better to know it's a scam before you get too involved!
Wednesday October 14, 2009 @ 04:42 PM
OMG you know wat I had the exact same letter as above and I was wondering what was going on and I tried to look for the company it was nothing and I try to look her up and still nothing. Susan Chambers and adaptive techcnology need to quit donig the scams getting peoples hopes up thinking there going to get a JOB. this is to u susan and adaptive tech *uck u!!!!! u scammers
Wednesday October 14, 2009 @ 09:40 PM
Thank you so much for posting this! I got the same email a couple of hours ago from Susan Chambers and filled out the online application. I thought it was a real job opportunity from Craigslist. I am so glad you had this information available so I know the truth now. I don't know how these people sleep at night when they are trying to trick people who are desperate for jobs in this economy. It is sick.
Thursday October 15, 2009 @ 02:00 PM
I received the same email as everyone else and I have to say I am appalled at the nerve of scammers these days. I'm glad there are sites such as yours that can warn people before they are taken for a ride!
Thursday October 15, 2009 @ 06:24 PM
I received the same email few minutes back and when I googled Adaptive Tech Co. I found this post. Thank you very much.
Thursday October 15, 2009 @ 08:29 PM
Thank you for all of your postings and this website. I received the same email today from Susan Chambers and it actually sounded legit. I applied for the job in Tulsa and could not find a company by that name here on a google search. It is really frustrating and sad that when you're a job seeker going through a tough time and applying for 100's of jobs that someone would want to scam you and get money out of you. I hope these people get caught. Thanks again, this information was very helpful!
Friday October 16, 2009 @ 01:15 PM
Wow, I received all the letters from a "Susan Chambers," my suspicions started to arise when I read the email that I needed to be MCAS certified, and I needed to pay. I was like no way this is a scam! I started researching and I am glad I did because I found this helpful information thanks guys!!
Friday October 16, 2009 @ 07:45 PM
I recieved the same exact letter, thanks so much for posting this.
Saturday October 17, 2009 @ 07:00 PM
I too, recieved this email, and many thanks for exposing it for what it is.
Tuesday October 20, 2009 @ 06:25 PM
Thanks so much. I received and e-mail from her today and was told to follow a link and fill out the application information, but I choose to look the company up instead and found you. When I saw susan Chambers I knew you knew what you were tlking about. That $16.00 looked good after 1 year of unemployment. LOL
Tuesday October 20, 2009 @ 09:57 PM
I just received the same letter as well... Thank you for posting this...
Thursday October 22, 2009 @ 09:23 AM
I used VP before and the same thing happened. When you sign up you can return the disk at no charge. When you dont you are automatically signed up to receive more disks of your choice.. the 198 dollars was not just for the disks you purchased it was also for the next 4 or 5 you could have gotten. Its similar to BMG. Ultimately you could have called up paid the 19 dollars kept the original disks and told them you didnt want the ones they indented to send next. Its not a scam its a membership. You just have to read the fine print. I was pissed too but when I actually used the product it was a pretty good deal.
Thursday October 22, 2009 @ 09:14 PM
I had the same issue with this company. Good thing I called VP.
Saturday October 24, 2009 @ 09:05 PM
I am so called I decided to look for information on this company before I ordered the cd, My letter is identical to to Monica's and I am so glad I found this, they shoud be ashamed of themselves! I hope they get what's coming to them.
Tuesday October 27, 2009 @ 12:45 PM
Susan Chambers got me too! I ALMOST bought the kit.. thank god I didn't! This is ridiculous!
Tuesday October 27, 2009 @ 02:40 PM
Just received my letter from Susan Chambers. I have been scammed so many times before that I started researching this company before I responded back to her. Thank goodness I found all these postings. Like the old saying goes, if sounds too good to be true, then it probably is!!! Thanks guys!!!
Tuesday October 27, 2009 @ 04:43 PM
I got both the same e-mails....thanks for the heads up. It definitely didn't seem right and the grammatical errors also made me question the "job" offer.
Tuesday October 27, 2009 @ 07:45 PM
I had the same exact emails from Susan Chambers. Its a shame that there are people who will stoop that low and try to scam people. I paid 9.95 shipping with my debit card. I went to my bank today and cancelled my debit card and ordered a new one, I dont want them to charge me 189.95!!! When I called Video Professor they said they are unable to refund the 9.95 fee, and would cancel any future shipments that were to come in the mail.
I did do an online check when they sent me the end email, but it was before this link was posted. I am going to contact my bank tomorrow to start a fraud claim to get my 9.95 back. Talk about a lesson learned!!!
Thursday October 29, 2009 @ 02:15 PM
I received the email today and showed they are in Tyler, TX thanks to all for posting their info...what goes around comes around, SCAMmers!!!
Tuesday October 13, 2009 @ 11:34 AM
We have no commercial connection to this company. Our legal department is investigating who is behind this "offer" of which we have no knowledge.
Video Professor, Inc.