A graduate was conned out of hundreds of pounds in an “elaborate” online scam targeting north-east job seekers desperate to get into the oil and gas industry.
The young man applied for a vacancy with First Oil Energy, which presented itself as an up-and-coming company based at an industrial estate in Aberdeen.
With the promise of a future career with what appeared to be one of the North Sea’s fastest growing firms, he handed over cash for an online training course.
The hopeful job hunter was told he would be offered the post if he finished the training.
He became suspicious after he was asked to hand over another £1,000 in fees, and backed out. But he never received a penny of his money back.
Aberdeen City Council’s trading standards team launched a probe earlier this year, which exposed First Oil Energy and its sister company – Oil Education – as fakes and the websites as “elaborate scams”.
Director biographies had been stolen from other legitimate companies, while the people behind the “appalling” ventures had listed the firms just two months before they targeted their oblivious new recruit.
Last night, Jake Molloy, of the RMT union, criticised the “shameless” con artists who took advantage of a young man who had been waiting for the “opportunity of a lifetime”.
He said it should serve as a warning to other job seekers not to be taken in by potential employers asking for money.
“These really are the most shameless of people for setting this up and exploiting those who are desperate to get into the industry,” he said.
“Many people struggle to get a foot in the door, and this was probably the opportunity he had been dreaming of.
“There should never be any cost to taking up employment – any employer asking for money up front should set alarm bells ringing.
“It is appalling and a stark reminder that the internet can be a dangerous place.”
First Oil Energy claims to specialise in petroleum and natural gas exploration, extraction technology and the development of onshore projects.
Apparently based at Aberdeen Gateway, Unit 8, Wellington Road, the fraudsters claim the company was set up in 2008.
Meanwhile, Oil Education claims to have been operating in Leeds since 2005, and delivers more than “200,000 learning events in over 30 countries” every year.
But when trading standards officers tried to find out who was behind the set-ups, it emerged the fraudsters involved had registered themselves as ‘non-trading UK individuals’ – and that the companies were not reputable.
Carole Jackson, the council’s environmental health and trading standards manager, urged anyone who had been duped by such bogus schemes to report them immediately.
“We are concerned that people looking to improve their career opportunities are being targeted by such websites,” she said.
“There are genuine online learning course providers, and a list of those applicable to the oil and gas industry can be checked on the website of Opito, the industry’s focal point for skills, training and workforce development.”
Suspected scams can be reported to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service National Advice line con 03454 040506.