Looking for work, couple duped on state's employment website
VERNONIA, Ore. – The last year and a half has been a river of worries for Tom and Rosemarie Nessman.
Tom's unemployment benefits ran out and the couple has been flooded with bills.
"Thank God we have health insurance because he's a veteran, but everything else has been very, very difficult," said Rosemarie.
In November they answered an ad on WorkSource Oregon, the state's employment website, with a company called First Alert Security in Woodburn.
"Being that it comes from WorkSource Oregon, it's like their seal of approval," Rosemarie said.
But the security company said they needed to pay for $422 worth of training. They were told to go to Walmart and put the money on a MoneyPak card. The employer then withdrew the money from the account.
"Something didn't feel right, but when you've been out of work that long and you're that desperate, you tend to kind of push that (feeling) away," Rosemarie said.
On training day at the Oregon Convention Center, the Nessmans arrived with four other people.
"We all find out that there was no training (and) no rooms had been reserved," Tom said.
KATU News contacted the owner of First Alert Security.
It appears the bad guy pulled the company's name and registration number off the secretary of state's website and then placed the bogus ad with WorkSource.
The state is now making changes.
"We've really tried to shore up our policies and procedures to make sure that the public really can trust when there's a job out there on the state website that it is a real job and that a real employer has put it up there and they're not going to be charging them a fee to apply," said Tom Fuller with the Oregon Employment Department.
Tom and Rosemarie haven't seen their $422.
"We're the ones that are trying to deal with the electric company and keep our water running and keep everything going against all odds," said Rosemarie. "And it seems to be slipping and slipping further and further out of hand."
The Oregon attorney general has investigated the case. KATU News is waiting to hear more from that office.
The KATU Problem Solvers urged WorkSource Oregon to put a warning on its website that job seekers should never, ever pay application or training fees for legitimate work. The Problem Solvers were told it will post that warning.
The company, First Alert Security, does appear to be a legitimate business and also a victim in this case.
I also had to use Worksource listings...and the ones sent never matched my I Match skills that you have to fill out endlessly...interesting though...I worked for a security company in Portland who the state shut down last March for again being non-compliant with the Do Not Call registry. This company had many names...one of which was First Alert Security, not to be confused with the legitimate one. Fishy :(
If you have to pay to get a job there is something wrong and you should walk away, simple common sense people, simple common sense.
Anyone who preys upon other people's desparation ought to be dragged across a field full of sharp shards of cracked flints, then rolled thoroughly in rock salt and dumped down a deep abandoned well, forgotten and unmourned.
There are a few others. Â I went to an interview a few years ago for a bogus insurance company where you basically try to reconfigure peoples 401k, etc. to get debt down. Â You had to pay for all training. Â Then there is cutco which is training you to sell knives. Â You have to purchase the knives before starting...
I've also seen the "false" jobs that are on that site. It is actually loaded with them as Ecotoper mentioned. The state of Oregon should be ashamed of themselves to allow this. They are aware of it and obviously let it continue because they are certainly making money off it, at their citizen's expense. When it pops up on my screen, I just shut it down and move to another website.Â
This comment has been deleted
 @Dr. Rawdog But you must look at the VA, unless your OIF or OEF you don't take precedence. Not to mention, look at how many veteran hiring fairs are OIF/OEF only.
 @Dr. Rawdog He is a Veteran it is us who should be appreciating him....He earned his health care.
 @minniemouse @Dr. Rawdog I appreciate the service that he's given to our country. I don't want to make assumptions based just on the photo, but from what I can tell, he does look as though he may have a disability, and I think there should be Veterans benefits available for him
 @Dr. Rawdog Oh, I totally got that point, (huh, did I just get your point?) anyhow, I think that there is an infinite value in government provided health care. I'm not at all certain of what the magic formula should be when it comes to the healthcare or "Obama Care", but between this or the guy with the 70 pound tumor, I think there's a certain value in being able to get the necessary treatment to continue living. Seems like a humane, and very Christian thing to do.
to witness just how sketchy the state's worksourse site gets, just go into it and plug in the job category "sales" ... you will be bombarded with tawdry "job" descriptions offering $0 in salary, and all commission nonsense ... these are NOT jobs, they are no risk propositions from junk organizations trying to take advantage of desparate people ... peddling avon door to door ... really ? ... multi-level pyramid schemes that demand up front payments by new recruits ... really ? ... it's just so peotically ironic that the drone government bureaucrats in the worksourse offices, with their generous salaries and garish benefits, offer up these moronic scams to people with solid educations and experience, and do it with a straight face ...
I feel for them.. glad the attorneys general took the case an I hope the guy that took advantage of them fries big time.
I really feel for these people.. Can we set an account that would help them ? I would donate.. But let's make sure it's not a scam... any ideas out there.  ?
@dougrpdx There is a site fallen indigogo that's a third party donation,fund raise site.It would be awesome if KATU would set up a fund.They would be trusted source who knows how to contact the couple.I too would gladly donate. http://www.indiegogo.com/
 @noneofyourbizzness  @dougrpdx we have used https://fundrazr.com/ in the past, it's very convenient, users don't have to register and account there and donations can be sent via PayPal.I hope KATU will set up a fund for these poor people. Every little bit will help in a situation like theirs, and these folks don't seem like the kind that would ask for help even when they really need it.Lots of respect, and my best thoughts and prayers to them.
Damn apple spelling corrector! A site *called* indiegogo
I hate to read these stories and I hate it that unscroupulous people take advantage of the gullible. No legitimate employer will ever charge prospective employees for training. And no legitimate business will require you to give them something to get something for free. People need to get smarter and stop making it easy for these criminals to ply their trade. If there are questions call the Oregon Attorney General's office.Â
Â
Â
 @I812 I have to laugh... call the attorney generals office.. ok... this was on the state web site.. Shouldn't they be footing the bill here ?
I'm glad to hear WorkSource will be adding the warning to the web site. Â That seems like a good idea.
This couple is just 1 of thousands who are out of work and being taken advantage by people/ companies milking desperate unemployed folks. America is in such a dismal state. Good honest folks out of work and losing it all due to the greed of big money and large corporations who have killed small independent companies and the middle class.Â
 @Lisa Can you imagine if a corporation could control it's customer base??
Now have the same people helping in government and they Do control the masses.
And will harvest our earnings like milking time..Â
I feel so bad for this couple.What a scary place to be at and then spending every last dime in hopes of getting a job only to discover that they've been ripped off.What a evil act by human scum without a conscience.
Good luck to you, Tom and Rosemarie. I'm sorry you were caught in this completely unnecessary mess. Hopefully you get your money back.
 @Reflect Their money has almost definitely already left the country.
Hope whoever did this feels real good about themselves knowing only the very desperate would answer and comply with an add like this. There will be retribution for such a nasty act. Just wait for it, it will hit when and where it hurts the most.
 @Lips I agree.. I believe in Karma and these scums will pay for this.. How horrible..