GUELPH -- A Guelph woman who said she thought she landed a new job ended up being a target of a scam.

Jeniffer Lagman had been looking for extra work and came across a personal assistant job posting on Facebook.

The job was a work-from-home position with part-time hours and paid up to $1,200 per week.

Lagman applied for the job and the employer told her to download an app called Telegram to do the interview.

“At first I was thinking of calling her since it's an interview, but she rejected my call,” Lagman said.

The interview was done entirely through text message.

“The type of questions that you’re supposed to be asking in an interview, like, do you have any conflict, if you have any conflict with customers, how will you handle them,” she said.

Lagman got the job and was sent an acceptance letter.

The next day, her new boss asked her to send emails to clients who they claim were neglected.

“She said ‘oh, and then I’ll be compensating some of my clients through gift cards’,” Lagman said.

Her employer told Lagman to purchase $500 worth of gift cards for the clients.

“That rings a warning bell inside me," Lagman said.

Lagman realized she was getting scammed and confronted the fraudster, who immediately disconnected and deleted all social media accounts.

“I felt embarrassed and disappointed. Like how could I fall for this,” Lagman said.

Luckily, she didn’t lose any money.

She reported the scam to Guelph police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Scott Tracey, a spokesperson for Guelph police said it is difficult to investigate these types of crimes.

“Typically these people are operating in other countries, they’re using fake names and spoofed phone numbers,” Tracey said.

To avoid falling victim, police said it’s important to know the warning signs of a scammer, including:

  • The scammer has a strange email address
  • They refuse to meet in person or talk on the phone
  • They request money or ask you to purchase supplies on their behalf

“The people who are doing these scams, that is their job,” Tracey said. “They are becoming increasingly good at it. They’ll really rely on anything they can to get people to fall for their tricks.

Lagman said she learned her lesson and is now sharing her story to help prevent others from falling victim.

“Just don’t send money to people you don’t know," she said.