info about scam verblio job postings

We've become aware that a person or persons have been using our company name and some of our employees' names to run a scam on various hiring platforms. We are working with the platforms on which these conversations are taking place and are doing everything within our power to shut this activity down.

If you are not applying for one of Verblio's official open positions directly through our Careers page, it’s a scam. Likewise, any customer-facing page that is not hosted on verblio.com (not .live, .org, etc.) is not legitimate.

Red flags

Don't become a victim. We're aware that the scammers are doing the following:

Scheduling interviews over third party apps

Conducting interviews and sharing info via chat or text messages

Asking for payment via third-party platforms like ApplePay

Using false domain names like verbllo.com and/or contacting you via non-Verblio email

What we do and don’t do during the hiring process

In an effort to protect candidates from applying to any scam Verblio job postings, here are the things we do and don’t do in the hiring process for both full-time salaried positions and for freelance writer positions.

Activity	Fulltime Salaried Position	Freelance Writer
Multiple interviews in-person and/or via video	Always – you will usually speak to our head of HR, hiring manager, and several others	Never – we do not interview prospective writers
Ask for a W9 or W4	W4 Always, but directly through Verblio's secure payroll provider	W9 Always, but through a form on app.verblio.com. We never ask for a W9 via email.
Ask for any type of payment	Never	Never
Conduct chat-based interviews	Never – our interviews are through Zoom and any written correspondence is through email from a Verblio.com email address	Never – we do not interview prospective writers
Advertise position	Always – open positions will always appear on our Careers page and may be posted on other sites	Sometimes – we don’t advertise for writers hardly ever & when we do, it’s for a small, target audience like a law school

If you think you may have been involved in a Verblio scam posting or interview process, please reach out to support@verblio.com to verify that the role is real and accurate.

About the scam

We were recently contacted by individuals not affiliated with Verblio who fell victim to scam job postings on various hiring platforms, including Indeed.com and LinkedIn. The scam involved the following steps:

One or more job listings were posted for roles, such as Verblio proofreader, Verblio editor, or Verblio data entry.
After applying to the job, the applicant was sent a text message or contacted via chat asking if they are still interested, and if so, with a prompt to setup an interview over a third-party platform like Skype, Microsoft Teams, etc. (Verblio will never contact you via text, chat, etc.)
The victim then met with the scammer online (we have requested additional information on any identifying information about the scammer from these video interview sessions).
In a follow-up to the interview, the scammer emailed the applicant using a domain name very similar to ours, but subtly different: “verbllo.com” (the “i” being replaced with an “l”, which at first glance appears identical). In other cases, applicants were contacted via a non-Verblio email address, such as a Gmail or Outlook address. This email contained:
1. A PDF offer letter on fabricated Verblio letterhead
2. A blank IRS form W4
3. A request to provide in response:
  1. Signed copy of the offer letter
  2. Completed W4 with social security number
  3. Copy of driver's license or other form of identification
After receiving the requested information, the scammer instructs the applicant to send payment. In some cases, this individual was named “Denise Pass” and wanted payment ApplePay to cover the cost of equipment and/or services. They state that this will be reimbursed subsequently.
The scammer then emails the applicant a fabricated check as a form of reimbursement, with instructions to print it out, sign it, and deposit it using their bank’s mobile deposit app. The check, being invalid, is subsequently rejected by the bank. The victim is now out the money they paid via ApplePay.

Additional Information

Names of real Verblio employees that have appeared in the offer letter include Maddie Basch, Zoe Treeson, Steve Pockross, and Alexa Baray. Additionally, at least one victim reports the scammer using the name Max Harris, who is a real person who used to be an employee at Verblio.
Victims report also interacting with the following supposed people, who are not real Verblio employees:
- Albert Edward
- Albert Holub
- Denise Pass
- Lauren Anderson
In some cases, the scammers claim Verblio is a subsidiary of “Dover,” which is not accurate nor a company we are familiar with.
Some correspondence between scammers and victims was conducted via an email service called “Telegram.” We have never utilized Telegram.