A London, Ont. restaurant is sounding alarm bells after becoming aware of a fake job ad asking applicants to meet interviewers at an off-site location just days after local police laid human trafficking charges stemming from an online ad.
Staff at the Black Trumpet became aware of the fake job ad, which was posted to job listing website Indeed, after receiving a sudden spike in resumes.
“It came to our attention that someone had made a false profile under the Black Trumpet,” general manager Scott Wesseling told CTV News London.
“They were accepting resumes on behalf of server positions, and contacting these individuals stating they were part of Black Trumpet.”
Although the intent of the ad is unclear, Wesseling says he contacted police and posted a public warning to the restaurant’s Facebook page out of concern for public safety.
“The Black Trumpet did not post an ad for servers on Indeed. If you have been asked to meet for an interview off site by a Christine Kim, she does not work for our company and never has,” reads the post.
“It is NOT SAFE to meet this person off site and you should contact the London Police Service with any information or meeting requests.”
The fake ad comes just days after London police laid human trafficking charges stemming from an online ad promoting a “great opportunity” for students to make hundreds of dollars a day.
Though no connections have been drawn between the two cases, Ashley Franssen-Tingley, stakeholder relations advisor with the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, says both display tactics commonly used by human trafficking recruiters.
“We see it being used in terms of sexual exploitation domestically,” Franssen-Tingley told CTVNews.ca, noting that more data is needed to determine how frequently Canadians are targeted.
“We don’t have great data on how this type of recruitment operates in Canada but this isn’t the first time we’ve heard of this.”
While it’s unclear whether the fake restaurant ad is related to human trafficking, Franssen-Tingley says it serves as a reminder of the potential risk of facing Canadians online.
She noted that although the ad was posted to a reputable job site, any requests to meet an interviewer off-site or after business hours are clear red flags to pay attention to.
“Do your research on the business with the Better Business Bureau beforehand,” she suggested. “A good rule of thumb is, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking operates the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, a service that offers support to victims and survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The hotline also serves as a reporting line for anyone who has encountered a suspicious job posting, or thinks they have come into contact with a recruiter.
The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached at 1-833-900-1010.
