An Indian origin woman who graduated at the top of her college class found herself the target of a job scam that cost her $4,300, as reported by Business Insider. Two years after completing her studies with a 4.0 GPA, 26-year-old Amisha Datta could not believe she had fallen prey to fraudsters through a LinkedIn listing.
In 2023, while living in Detroit and working in seasonal film production, Datta was searching for part-time remote work. She came across an advertisement on LinkedIn for a transcription job with Five Star InterLocal Cooperative, a contractor for an Oklahoma school district. The role appeared genuine, and after verifying the website, Google Maps office listing, and reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed, she applied. “It seemed a very wholesome place to work,” she recalled.
The recruitment process that looked real
Shortly after applying, Datta received an email from someone posing as a recruiter. The email address mimicked the co-op’s domain but used hyphens instead of periods, which she brushed off as “an Oklahoma thing.” The recruiter asked her to complete interview questions and later offered her the role.
The employment contract looked authentic and even her mother, who reviewed it, found nothing amiss. As part of onboarding, Datta was asked to verify her identity through ID.me, a legitimate service. Soon after, she was instructed to buy a laptop with specific software using a $4,300 cheque sent by the recruiter.
Believing the funds had cleared after seeing them in her account, she wired the money to a vendor. The laptop never arrived. Days later, her bank reversed the deposit after discovering the cheque was fraudulent, leaving her out of pocket. “It was shock that faded quickly into anger that went quickly to shame and humiliation,” she said.
Aftermath and identity theft
When Datta contacted the Oklahoma co-op, staff confirmed that others across the country had reported similar scams. Although LinkedIn removed the listing, the damage had been done. Months later, the Internal Revenue Service alerted her that fraudsters had filed tax returns in her name. “These people not only took money from me, but they were attempting to steal my identity,” she said.
Her attempt to retrieve a police report failed as the officer had never filed it, leaving her without guidance. “I was very fortunate that my family could help me out,” she added.
A catalyst for change
Despite the ordeal, Datta turned the experience into motivation. Last month, she enrolled at Texas A&M University’s School of Law. “This was my catalyst to go to law school,” she said.
According to Business Insider, citing Federal Trade Commission data, between 2020 and 2024 consumer reports of job scams tripled, with reported losses surging from $90 million to $501 million.