“Hamza” from North Africa

Hamza, an asylum seeker from North Africa, worked as a “quality inspector,” in which he was responsible for unpacking boxes, repackaging them, and shipping them elsewhere. After discussing the job with him, our Director of Employment Services helped him understand it was a scam and explained the possible implications, including possible legal challenges due to stolen items or the possibility of not receiving pay. He went to his bank and took all the money out of the account he gave the scammers for direct deposit. Just days later, the employer attempted to make a withdrawal from Hamza’s account. Fortunately, because he removed the money, they were unable to access it. He closed the account and told the company not to send him more boxes. 

Following that job, he shared in his 1-on-1 coaching session that he interviewed for a new role. As he described, our Director of Employment Services realized he was discussing a multi-level marketing scheme (MLM). She explained how rarely people make money this way and shared the video AsylumWorks made on MLMs, now included in the employment learning modules. As a result of the conversation, he stopped pursuing the opportunity. Thanks to our Employment Program, Hamza was protected from not one but two scams.