I got a similar inquiry from “Troy Clevenger” looking for a copywriter, claiming he found me through Mandy.com (which is interesting, because the email address he used was not one I have associated with Mandy). I found your story here because the watermark on the script he sent was “Johannmartinezproductions,” which of course raised some flags, so glad I did the research myself as well.
Victim Location 91505
Type of a scam Employment
I have been looking for a production assistant job since I moved out here about three months ago. I haven’t had much luck, but I received an email from this Johann Martinez saying he had a Production Assistant opportunity with his studio. I’ve been applying all over Los Angeles, and sometimes I can’t remember some of the places I applied to. He sent this email:
Dear Applicant,
>
> Greetings,I hope you had a great weekend? I recently received your resume in response to the AD posted for a Production Assistant.After reviewing your resume, i feel excited with your past experiences,Kindly confirm your availability so that i can send over the full job descriptions.
>
> Your prompt response will be highly appreciated.
>
> Warm Regards,
> Johann Martinez.
Sounds legit, but who knew it wasn’t? I first sent him my availability, and I looked up Johann Martinez to be safe. He has an IMDb page, a LinkedIn account, and a personal website. I was convinced it was real. He responded with this:
Thanks for the confirmation of your availability.
About Me:
My name is Johann Martinez am a Editor and Composer with a background in fiction, poetry, classical music, jazz, and painting.I also combine the powers of music and imagery to deliver the most honest, raw, and powerful emotions in films. I tend not to seek out awards, because I believe our work speaks for itself; however, our clients have entered our films and won many awards.
For me, life is about finding passions, pursuing dreams and connecting with people.
I really feel I need some assistance at this time that’s why I need someone who can work with me hand in hand throughout the production period. We are presently working on a short film which I’m directing the production aspect, although work hasn’t commenced and we should start working on the film in next 15 days.
As a Production Assistant at Johann Martinez studio,you will work closely with me throughout the production process, Your duties basically would be;
To do this role, you will need to:
=Assisting a photographer in all aspects of their work.
=Doing whatever is necessary to ensure that a photographic shoot runs smoothly.
=Assisting in everything from administration, to the shoot, to scouting locations.
=Be willing to learn.
=Be organized and practical.
=Understand how to operate digital and traditional cameras, and scanning equipment.
=Anticipate the needs of the photographer.
=Have excellent communication skills.
=Be able to foresee and evaluate potential problems, and deal with them calmly.
=Be skilled in image-manipulation and image-management software.
=Possess good office skills.
=Pay close attention to detail.
NOTE:
Before our HR department reviewed your resume and gave their report I decided to consider you among the three applicants that will be on probation before i finally pick the right person as the Assistant to carry out some activities on my behalf.you need to be very honest because sometimes my personal or corporate items such as financial instruments or non financial items can be with you. In conclusion I’m looking for someone that can be trusted and reliable to work very well and with good understanding and i believe you posses those qualities.I have decided to offer you a probationary offer (Trial Period). Here i want to see how you will demonstrate your skills and how exceptional you are and how efficient and on time you will be. I will need you to perform a couple of tasks for me during this week, which are part of basic duties you will be performing when fully employed by me. Successful completion of the trial period qualifies you for an Oral interview,you will paid during the trial and temporary weekly wage for the trial period will be Three Hundred and Ten Dollars.($310)
Job Salary and Hours Schedule When fully Employed after the trial period is as follow:
Available Position: Production Assistant Position
Type: Part-Time(It may lead to Full Time depend on your active and passion for the job)
Hours: 9 Hours per week
Days: 3 days per week [ Each day 3 hours ]
Weekly Pay: $600.30
BENEFITS:
• AD & D Insurance
• 401(k)
• Medical, Dental, Vision
Willing to take this job position, reconfirm your information. I will have my financial adviser have payment for these purchases and tasks, mailed to you. The trial period runs for a week or two. If you want to sign up for this, Kindly provide the details below …
Your Full name ;
Mailing Address ;
Apt;
City, State, Zip Code :
Mobile Phone Number :
Two Work or Personal References ;
Sincerely,
Johann Martinez.
917-810-1607.
I was very convinced, and sent him my contact information. It sounds like the job I needed to get a start in the business. Luckily, I did not send him my Social Security or any bank account numbers, just the information he asked for. I still had no idea it was a scam, until he sent this:
Hi,
Thank you for the reply and willingness to work with me and also for the wealth of information you have given about yourself. You will be starting the trial tasks Early Next week , which will qualify you for oral interview and I am putting things in place for everything to work well . I will get back to you shortly with important updates.
– Picking up of paperwork.
– You will be handling a donation to a charity organization which I am a Primary Donor.The details of this will be highlighted in my subsequent emails to you. You will also be sent upfront,your weekly payment which will be mailed to your address on file along with the donation to handle and a more detailed specification of duties for the week will be sent to you as soon as possible.
I have been in touch with my associate and I have arranged payment to carry out the tasks stated in the job description to be mailed to you and will be expedited to arrive in the next business day. These tasks have to be done on time and in the best way possible.
Thank you so much for your time. Kindly make sure you check your email daily at least twice to three times in a day for regular updates.
A simple reply to my e-mail is greatly appreciated so that I’ll know it was received.
Thank You!
I did some more research because this did sound very shady. What does this have to do with the film business? Why are we doing these incredibly personal things for him? I did some more research, and found a few articles about this scam. Some people unfortunately did not realize it was a scam until it was too late. Later, I checked the mail, and I found a small UPS package with a tracking number. It was a check made out to me for $2650. I didn’t do anything with it because there was no indication of where it was from. I checked my email and Martinez sent me this:
Hello ,
This email is to notify you about the payment which is to be delivered to your residence today via USPS.This is will be one of numerous task to be completed once you received the check today. Please follow all instructions as detailed below so as to get this completed ASAP.
1.Kindly proceed and have the check deposited via ATM, Bank or Mobile deposit, Funds will be available for withdrawal immediately or 24hrs after it has been deposited. I will be waiting for a confirmation message once it has been deposited and state clearly when your bank indicates the funds would be available for withdrawal. Send me a scan or snap copy of the deposit slip issued to you at the bank via email, after you have deposited the check for record purposes. You are too black out your account number on the deposit slip before it’s sent over to me.
2. Once you have cashed the financial instrument I need you to do the following:
a. Deduct $310 which is part payment of your temporary weekly payment.
b.Send the remaining funds to Save the Children ( KENTUCKY ) .You need to complete the transaction ASAP because the funds is meant to finance Charity project which is focusing on AIDS prevention and care for HIV infected children. You are to Split the money into two and half should be transferred via Money Gram and half via Western Union (money in minutes) at any western union and money gram outlet respectively, Below is the information of the recipient’s
===============================
WESTERN UNION RECIPIENT DETAILS:
================================
FIRST NAME: *** LAST NAME : ***
STATE: KENTUCKY
CITY: HARRISBURG
ZIP CODE: 40330
COUNTRY: USA
Get back with the information below once the task has been completed.
1) Sender Name and Address
2) Total amount sent
3) 10 digits western union transfer control number for the western union transaction
============================
MONEY GRAM RECIPIENT DETAILS:
=============================
FIRST NAME: ***
LAST NAME : ***
STATE: KENTUCKY
CITY: HARRISBURG
ZIP CODE: 40330
COUNTRY: USA
Get back with the information below once the task has been completed.
1) Sender Name and Address
2) Total amount sent
3) 8 digits money gram transfer reference number for the money gram transaction.
A simple response to my e-mail is greatly appreciated so that I’ll know it was received and to confirm you understand all instructions.
Many Thanks,
Johann Martinez.
Then he followed up with this:
Hi,
I have received notification from USPS that the package has been delivered . Kindly acknowledge the receipt of delivery.
Your Tracking Information
Status: DELIVERED
Last Scan: Mon 12 Jun 2017 12:16 PM Delivered, In/At Mailbox BURBANK, CA 91505
Delivery Date: Mon 12 Jun 2017
Delivery Location: BURBANK, CA 91505
Carrier: US Postal Service
US Postal Service Tracking Number: 9405501699320120550884
Kindly proceed and have it deposited in your bank or ATM or Mobile Deposit and Funds will be available for withdrawal immediately or 24hrs after it has been deposited. I will be waiting for a confirmation message once it has been deposited and state clearly when your bank indicates the funds would be available for withdrawal. As soon as you have access to the funds, deduct $310 as your part payment for your trial week payment and send the remaining funds to charity organization as instructed in the previous email.
Looking forward to your mail with further updates.
Regards
Johann
At that point, I reread the articles about the scam, and it turns out people had received completely identical emails that I had received. They seemed like a robot wrote them. I called my father and he said to write void all over the check, which I did. I also checked the UPS tracking numbers that Johann sent to me, and the mysterious check, AND THEY MATCHED. He honestly expected me to send him a deposit receipt with some very confidential information on it. I had to send it to him via mail, not meet him in person or at least see the studio I would be working. Luckily, I figured out this was an unfortunate scam to get access to my routing and bank account numbers while their check would bounce for insufficient funds and they would try to empty my accounts. Not today. Not ever. This has been a learning experience to keep an eye out for people like this. The problem is that these people were feeding on my needs and attempting to take advantage. I was more disappointed that the job opportunity did not exist, but proud of myself for catching on to what was going on before it got any worse.