'Something Was Not Right': Chicago Area Teen Warns Of Job Scam Seeking Personal Information

CHICAGO (CBS) -- She is a teen looking for a job.

But instead, she got scammed.

CBS 2's Marissa Parra has her cautionary tale.

A hardworking student, Elisa Chavez wanted to help pay for her college tuition. So she got a job.

Or so she thought.

Her story begins with the job hunt, signing up for every job listing she found.

"I'd get emails, every day, looking through the emails," Chavez said.

So when she got this text a month later, It said:

"Hi Elisa. Are you available tomorrow to take an interview for a remote admin position?"

It seemed too good to be true, so Elisa did her homework.

A quick Google search showed the names of her supposed recruiters. They matched the names of real employees at a real company, healthcare company Medline.

"They wanted to conduct the interview on Fleep. We did the interview and it lasted maybe an hour, they said they'd get back to me in a day," she said.

They sent her an official letter with what looked like an official job offer.

So when they asked for private info for the onboarding process, her ID cards, her bank account info, her Social Security number, she handed them over ready to get started.

"And after a few days there's nothing," Chavez said. "Just felt queasy like something was not right."

Her texts became a wall of green: unanswered.

The Fleep messaging account she was interviewed on was deleted.

She went online to email the career center for Medline and spotted perhaps the most telling red flag:

All the  legitimate emails listed were "@medline.com." The one she'd been recruited by was "@medlinejobs.com."

The real Medline confirmed what she already knew.

"They said 'sorry, this was a scam,'" lamented Chavez.

Disappointed and still out of a summer job, she hopes her story on the elaborate scam spares someone else the same heartache.

Medline got back to CBS 2 and said this is an ongoing social media hiring scam.

The Chicago Better Business Bureau said Chavez is among the lucky ones to have spotted the scammers before they were able to take her money.

The organization reminds viewers that scammers can pay for job ads.

If it's a remote position, contact the company directly to verify it's a real offer. And don't give away your personal information until you've started your first day.

Below are other tips from the Chicago Better Business Bureau on what to do with an online job search:

*Never pay to get started.

*Never give away your banking information (or Social Security number.) Often, first thing asked for so they can deposit future checks. This and your other information are all scammers need to clean you out. Or sell on the dark web.

*Never purchase materials to get you started. The reimbursement checks will be fraudulent.

*Always do research on the company and talk to them to confirm your not dealing with a scammer.

Know that scammers can buy fake job ads.

A statement from the Chicago BBB added:

Yes, we have several reports just recently locally, all mentioning different companies. So well known and some not that well known.

Our operations did run across one Medline mention in a employment scam down in Louisiana, but no other reports locally.

Medline released a statement to CBS 2:

This ongoing social media hiring scam has been reported to Facebook and LinkedIn. We take this very seriously.

We have made them aware of users falsely claiming to represent Medline on numerous occasions when we learn of the misrepresentation in our name. We also report all instances of this to the social media platforms and the victim when we are made aware of them.

Medline never uses social media or chat tools to conduct formal interviews, collect personal information from candidates, or make job offers. If you are concerned about a virtual interaction you've had with a purported Medline recruiter, please contact us immediately at employment@medline.com.