Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

EMPLOYMENT

Scam artist targets English-speaking jobseekers

An experienced scam artist has been targeting English speaking jobseekers in Sweden, luring them with promises of non-existent jobs, police say.

Published: 23 September 2008 19:07 CEST

Detectives are currently conducting a series of investigations involving a large number of victims around Sweden, mainly in Stockholm and Gothenburg. Magnus Schildt, the officer in charge of tracking down the alleged scam artist, indicated the investigation was significant: “We are talking about a large sum of money and many fraudulently employed people.”

The losses sustained by the victims far exceed what the scam artist could gain in profit for himself. His victims work without pay for weeks or even months. Others, like advertisers, service providers, landlords and web designers are left with unpaid invoices for goods or services rendered. Genuine job seekers lose time and large amounts of money on travel and relocation costs.

It all begins with an advertisement, like this one on Swedish job site Jobsafari.se: “2 Assistants required for finance and law firm.”

The firm, Parker & Wilde, gives a Gothenburg address on the advertisements. But the doors of the Gothenburg office are locked and none of the utilities are connected. Neither the company nor the jobs exist in reality.

Jobs which do not require more than English are coveted by the English-speaking community in Sweden who need work but have not yet managed to master Swedish. These two advertised positions should equate to two golden tickets to newly landed immigrants.

Nelson Mendonca, a 37-year-old from India, applied for one of the jobs in August. He was thrilled when the CEO, Michael Parker, requested he travel to Gothenburg for an interview.

Mendonca turned to the employment agency, Arbetsförmedingen, to pay for the train ticket, which it routinely does for unemployed jobseekers. The first warning sign came when the agency was unable to find Parker and Wilde in its registry of companies.

But experienced scam artists know how to get around the system and managed to get the agency to issue a customer identification number.

“They had a website and we spoke to someone in the company,” said Eva Hansson Törngren, from the agency’s Kalmar office.

Back from his interview, Mendonca received word he had got the job.

“I was so happy to get a foot in [Swedish] society and the job market.”

Almost immediately, Mendonca received instructions that he was to start working as soon as possible. Eager to make a positive impression, he rushed his relocation, rented accommodation in Gothenburg and reported to work.

He found another new employee also waiting and wondering why the company’s doors were locked and the lights were off.

It was also at this time that three other existing employees (two Swedes and one immigrant from the UK) got word that Michael Parker was a bogus name, Parker & Wilde was a meticulously invented entity and no one would ever see an income payment.

Eva Hansson Törngren added a warning to job seekers: “Unfortunately there are always dubious companies advertising. It’s important for job applicants to look at a potential employer very carefully.”

None of the victims of ‘Michael Parker’ understands the motivation to fool them. While all of them lost promised income and other expenses, no one actually lost money directly to Parker. What was in it for him?

The scammer lives on a pyramid of victims, each in turn lending credibility and aiding the scam artist. The eager, non Swedish-speaking applicant is certainly more vulnerable to deception and fraud. Michael Parker does not seem exclusively interested in financial gain, but also the thrill of pulling off the scam.

Another victim, John (not his real name) – originally from Scotland – believed that one reason he was chosen was specifically that he could not understand Swedish. “Michael was always on the phone in Swedish. I never knew what he was talking about.”

The only financial gain for Michael Parker seems to come through acquiring computers bought on credit for the fake company, Parker and Wilde. John was instructed to arrange the purchase of over 30 laptop computers.

John, who also found his job from the Job Safari site, became the cornerstone of the deceit for other job hopefuls. Promised an incredible monthly salary of 47,000 kronor ($6,900), John burned the midnight oil for Michael Parker as his assistant and office manager. In the five weeks John thought he was on the clock he took only two days off.

During John’s five-week intense employment as Parker’s right hand man, he witnessed many peculiarities. He thought it odd that despite a significant number of planned meetings with clients, no clients ever showed up.

“Michael always gave an excuse for what had happened to [the clients],” John explained. “Either they had missed their flight or they had some other unforeseen detour.”

Today John can look back and recount a long list of signals which he described as “dodgy”. Yet, John decided to override his instincts: “When you’ve been trying to get a job for a long time you don’t question [things]”

Håkan Benjaminsson of Snabb Design, designer of the Parker and Wilde website, can only repeat that Michael Parker seemed credible and trustworthy. Even background and peripheral details rounded out the picture of authenticity. “Any time I called, an English-speaking receptionist answered the phone, it all seemed too believable.”

The website is indeed believable. Snabb Design put together a sleek and snazzy website in just 72 hours. Unfortunately though, Snabb Design was never paid.

Despite the ongoing police investigation for crimes of fraud, much of the damage caused is not legally criminal. This is how Michael Parker flies under the radar. Many of the complaints against him are civil and not criminal. It’s easier for victims to scurry away with their tails tucked between legs then file a complaint.

One person who did try to pursue the matter is Anders Malm of SLD Foto. He only lost his fee and a laptop. However, he has recorded and archived a series of Michael Parker’s events since he was fooled by him. Anders gladly provides Michael Parker’s real name, his photo and any other available information.

Mari Möllerborg at Job Safari confirmed that there is an outstanding unpaid balance of 57,960 kronor for Parker and Wilde. Despite the debt and awareness of the background, the ad was still up when this article was published. And the Parker and Wilde website is still on line.

The last sighting of Michael Parker confirmed by The Local was on August 21st, when Parker and John were returning from a meeting in Copenhagen. Originally, Parker was supposed to change trains in Malmö and continue to Stockholm. Instead, he stood as the train pulled in to Kastrup and announced he would take a flight instead.

There is reason to believe he may be operating in Copenhagen and still targeting English speakers in southern Sweden.

There has been no answer at the listed corporate telephone numbers, emails have not been answered and neither Michael Parker nor any other representative of Parker and Wilde were available for comment.

For members

READER INSIGHTS

How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who’ve been there, done that

The Swedish job market poses unique challenges for newcomers. The Local's readers share their best tips for cracking the career code.

Published: 10 April 2024 11:32 CEST
Updated: 13 April 2024 15:50 CEST
How to find a job in Sweden: Five tips from those who've been there, done that

Network, network, network!

A statistic that often gets tossed around is that seven out of ten jobs in Sweden are obtained through personal connections, and there’s no doubt that a good network is crucial to your job hunt, making the labour market extra challenging for newcomers to the country.

In fact, networking was the main tip mentioned by The Local’s readers.

“The job market is quite hot in Sweden, and talent is in short supply. People hiring do not have a lot of time to find the right talent, and tips from friends, colleagues and former colleagues are the way to first, find out organisations are hiring, and secondly, get your CV on the short list,” said Kyle, a Canadian reader who works in innovation management in Gothenburg.

“If you are going for a major employer like Volvo, network gets you in the door, as HR does not have much to do with hiring… the hiring managers do all of it and have no time, due to the insane number of consensus meetings. If you are looking for smaller organisations, they have even less time to find people, and networking is their primary way to find talent,” he added.

NETWORKING IN SWEDEN:

Some of the networking tips readers mentioned were going to job fairs, getting an internship to help you establish connections in your preferred field, joining clubs (this could be anything from your local gardening association to meetups for coders, but focus on clubs that may be popular among people working in your chosen field), and drawing on your organic network of friends, neighbours and others.

Don’t neglect the groundwork

The saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” is getting worn out (and people may look at you funny if you turn up to interviews in a Batman suit), but there’s truth to the notion of making sure you know what you want – and preparing for it.

In other words, don’t wait for a job ad to appear before you start to customise your CV and figure out what skill set you need. Create your CV now so that you’re ready to tweak it to your dream job – you could even have a general look at job ads in your field to see what requirements are needed. And don’t forget to spruce up your LinkedIn profile so that it fits with your career goals.

“I believe that several factors contribute to successfully landing a desirable job in Sweden. It’s essential to prepare to meet the requirements beyond just having a university degree. Many individuals realise these requirements only after completing their studies when they start searching for a job, which can be too late,” said Adnan Aslam from Pakistan, who works as a food inspector.

“I recommend identifying the job advertisements for positions you aspire to hold in the future and then preparing for those requirements during your studies. For me, acquiring a basic level of proficiency in the Swedish language and obtaining a Swedish driving licence were crucial. I pursued these goals during my studies and was able to secure a desirable job before graduating,” he added.

READ ALSO:

Felipe Cabral even has a GPT assistant trained on his own CVs and old cover letters, and said the set-up only takes ten minutes if you already have your documents. “With that in place, you can give instructions like: Read this job description and create a tailored version of my CV and letter for it. (…) Remember to always review and ask it not to create data aside from your documents.”

Be flexible and ready to adapt

Moving to a new place inevitably means having to learn not just the practicalities such as how to write a CV or which websites to use to look for job openings, but also learning how to navigate a new culture with all its unspoken expectations.

Swedish workplaces are generally less hierarchical than many other countries, but that doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want whenever you want without anyone raising an eyebrow. Swedes are usually direct, but be careful of being too abrasive or boastful: raising your voice, even during a spirited argument, or banging your own drum to show off your skills may not go down well.

“Talk, deliberate, complain like a Swede and you’ll come across like you know what the job entails, so your trustworthiness increases,” said an Indian data analyst who preferred to remain anonymous.

“Office politics are just as strong in Sweden as anywhere else. The flat hierarchy is deceiving as social hierarchy is enforced quite a bit in that lack of formal hierarchy. Take your time in learning these dynamics wherever you work before revealing your talent and capabilities. Expect those internal politics to happen, and they won’t hurt so much when they do,” said Kyle, the Canadian reader in Gothenburg.

This article about Swedish office politics may be useful.

Stay true to yourself

Adapting to your surroundings is one thing. Completely changing who you are is another.

For one thing, your happiness is as important as your career progression, and for another, your foreignness need not be an impediment: it’s also a skill that sets you apart from the rest. It means you have unique experience, and also, in the right setting, provides an opportunity to sometimes violate those social rules we mentioned above, because people assume you will, anyway.

“Trust is key. Build trust in your network, work with integrity. It’s OK to violate jantelagen if you are maintaining integrity. Sometimes your outsider and more honest/open opinion will burn bridges, especially those that may feel threatened by talent. But it will build trust with other colleagues who see it as brave and more trustworthy to work with,” said Kyle from Canada.

Hunker down for the long haul

We don’t want to scare you, because there are plenty of examples of people who quickly find their dream job in Sweden and settle into their new workplace, enjoying perks such as long summer holidays, generous parental leave and the famous work-life balance.

But if you do find it tougher than you expected: know that you’re not alone.

Several readers who responded to the survey said they were still trying to find a job in Sweden.

“I found jobs all over Europe but not here. They say they have a lack of experienced senior engineers but the don’t seem to be doing much to solve this,” said a Brazilian in Gothenburg.

A reader from Bangladesh said she was “at a loss” as to how to make a career change from her current AI role in Stockholm, despite many years of experience as an IT project manager.

“Over the past 18 months, I’ve submitted over 600 applications to various organisations. Unfortunately, despite being overqualified for some positions, I’ve faced rejections at every turn, from both large and small companies. The job market here, especially for foreign-born women, feels overwhelmingly challenging,” she said, adding that the struggle had impacted her mental health.

The Local has on several occasions reported on foreign residents’ struggle to get a foot on the Swedish job ladder, with many facing hurdles such as employers’ unfamiliarity with international degrees, discrimination, or a lack of network that can provide paths into a company.

So during the job hunt, don’t forget to care for yourself. Share your concerns with fellow job-seekers, ask for help and join networking groups – this is good not just for creating new contacts, but also in terms of your social well-being and meeting people who are in a similar situation.

And finally, as one British reader in Stockholm advised, keep looking: “Be open-minded with the opportunities that present themselves. It isn’t an easy market to enter and doesn’t feel inclusive.” But he added, “don’t give up”.

SHOW COMMENTS