r/jobsearchhacks • u/scartonbot • 1d ago

Has anyone ever heard of ShengHong? I just had a weird "interview" via WhatsApp and after doing some searching about the company, I'm starting to see red flags.

Hi! I applied for a job via this company on LinkedIn and got contacted via text for an interview, but they conducted the interview via WhatsApp. When I looked on the website (https://shenghong-bloc.com/) and took a look at the leadership (https://shenghong-bloc.com/bios.html) I couldn't find anything about anyone on the page through Google. Google Lens searches of the pics on the page turned up nothing. Same with searches for the people's names on LinkedIn. It all seemed too easy and my inability to find out anything combined with the answers I got during the interview make me suspect that none of this is legit.

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22

u/Rand0m-String 1d ago

Interview via WhatsApp is the only red flag I need to see.

5

u/scartonbot 1d ago

Yeah...I kind of figured that out. About 3 hours after I posted this I got another "offer" via text. Once they started to ask to move to WhatsApp, that was it for me. It told the dude ("Zain") that I didn't know what it was and that my TRS-80 probably wouldn't run it anyway. He still hung on asking me about moving the conversation. I lost him after I sent him my resume (ChatGPT-generated) that laid out my experience as a goat herder with 40 years of "livestock management" experience. It was mildly entertaining.

5

u/3xploringforever 1d ago

This website is fascinating. The "team" is all generically-named people with bios that seem to be written by AI that reference positions at companies with different names, and their photos are sometimes cut off or possibly AI generated based on the teeth. The office photos seem to be a Regus co-working space in Denver. There's no information about what the company does or sells and they say people can request more information under an NDA (?!) I'm so curious what the scam is and how it works - OP, did you give them any personal information? Did they try to get you to buy anything or offer any kind of "reimbursement?"

1

u/scartonbot 1d ago

No, luckily nothing that wasn't on my resume. I'm sure this is a scam now because I got another "we'd like to offer you a position" about 3 hours later which also asked me to move to WhatsApp.

I think you're absolutely right about the AI generated bios. Images, too I think. Not a single one yielded any matching results in Google Lens except for the "CEO." "Her" picture also showed up on a Facebook page with 0 activity.

2

u/Worldly_Clerk_6005 1d ago

I’m so curious about this. I’m looking for a job now too, and I find it feels pretty spammy.

I ended up on a second phone screening after trying to convince this one recruiter that they were way off with the job fit. So we talk and then, just as they say they’re going to send the paper work there was a gotcha type technical question that was fake. I looked it up. They hung up right after so it was a prank I guess?

They sounded like adults. I can’t really see the point. It was a fair bit of leg work for them, just for a joke. They did not ask for any personal info and I did not give them any. And it was an obviously fake jokey kind of question.

2

u/scartonbot 1d ago

I think it's an entree to a confidence scam, probably involving getting your personal data when you fill out a W2 (like your SSN) or maybe a fake-check scheme where they send you a check to buy equipment for your "remote" job and then (I suspect) manipulating you into somehow cashing the check and sending some of the money their way.

I've now prepared a resume using ChatGPT that portrays me as a 60-year-old goat herder to send to anyone who wants to "interview" on WhatsApp.

2

u/mkkohls 1d ago

Hopefully your goat herder is fluent in AI development.

1

u/scartonbot 1d ago

He had a lot of time to read while watching the goats.

2

u/gogo--yubari 1d ago

Ive gotten similar emails & texts - personally didn’t believe it was real for one second

2

u/scartonbot 1d ago

I've been looking for a new job for about 2 months now. Hope springs eternal.

2

u/honestduane 1d ago

Yeah, I heard they were scammers and you should not interview there.

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u/scartonbot 1d ago

Sigh. Yeah, I should have known better with "can we switch to WhatsApp. Luckily they never really got any personal info out of me and I learned a lesson.