Winnipeg — There is a new kind of fraud out there that people looking for work need to be aware of.
A local coffee shop said it had dozens of job seekers contacting the business about a position that was posted online but the owner said she never posted anything.
Janis Urneizius, owner of Park Line Coffee in South Osborne, said she had around 50 people contacting her hoping to get hired.
"I was confused at first, I thought is someone playing a trick? Why am I getting these calls?" said Urneizius.
She said people kept phoning or walking into the coffee shop to ask about a position that didn't exist.
"One of the callers said "didn't you post an ad on Indeed?" and that's when I looked up the ad."
The ad posted on the job site indeed.com was offering full-time and part-time work for a barista and cashier.
It also said to contact 'Kenny', even though no one by that name works at the café.
"When it first occurred to me that someone had posted the fake job posting, I thought why is someone doing this to me? But it's not personal," said Urneizius. "A quick google search showed this is just another example of fraud."
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said an imposter may have been looking to steal private information.
"In some cases, you're going to be asked to provide your email, date of birth, SIN number. If it's a potential scam and you've provided all this personal information, you may be a victim of identity theft," said Jeff Thomson, with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
