CareersNG

This is my first post in this forum and it is an edited version of one I placed in Yahoo! Groups (warning: stronge language...and no apologies):

I have just read that some guys were duped into applying for non-existent positions at Estherbt Limited. Unfortunately, it seems that this is becoming an increasingly worrying trend and may take a while before it is reversed.

I know that the job situation is Nigeria is desperate, but that does not mean that graduates should blindly apply for just everything they see posted in newpapers. I must give kudos to the brain(s) behind this group, and I salute his/her/their concerns for unemployed graduates but considering the fact there are so many members, I feel that it is subject to abuse by unscrupulous characters.

Some months ago, April to be precise, my sister said she wanted me to help her submit her CV to an organisation claiming to send people abroad as part of an exchange program of some sort. I decided to do a search immediately to find out more about the organisation. Dear job-seekers, can you tell me why an organisation representing 'international concerns' should have an email address ....@YAHOO.com? Not rich enough to have a coporate e-mail address? Can you tell me why the logo of such an organisation was that of the Xbox 360 (video game console...for those who are not into games)? Needless to say, I told her the results of my findings and refused to send her CV to the 'organisation'.

Forward to today: http://www.estherbt.com is a site (what else?). Anyone who sits down calmly to look at it will see that it reeks of many stinkingly amateurish flaws. For the love of all that is good and holy, why on earth should such a reputable 'company' have a website that looks like it was designed by a ten year-old who was dabbling in IT for the first time? For those of you who think that designing a website is hard, think again: anyone can do it. It isn't black magic. I digress.

Typographical errors rule. The site was set up in colours that make me believe it was designed by a colour-blind lunatic. For another sin, check out the link below. Is it not an invasion of privacy for a company to publish the names of its 'staffers' on such a list? Except, of course, these people don't exist.

For the ultimate sin, where have you ever heard that a recruiting company requires money for a 'processing fee'? An 'international organisation' like Estherbt Limited needing your money? WTF!?

Please, be wise and check before you leap. Don't get taken advantage of. Check critically for the authenticity of advertisements before you respond to them. A word is enough for...

http://estherbt.com/services.htm

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This is me. This is who I am.

This is an edited version of my second post regarding the topic which I had written on at Yahoo! Groups:

Like I expected, the responses to my post have started coming in (my Yahoo inbox):

It is funny: instead of a sister to respond to the subject about which I had written, my learned lady decided to say this:

HIYA BRO
MIND UR LANGUAGE WHEN SPEAKING PUBLICLY OK?
BEST REGARDS

Erm, dear lady...I believe you are guilty of something. Etiquette demands you don't type letters wholly in capitals. It's called screaming and is deemed offensive in many quarters. So, what then makes you different from the person you are trying to correct? In any case, I expected you to read the post, agree or disagree, and then write something in support or something constructively criticising...something to help all the honest ladies and gentlemen out there; something to prevent them from falling prey to advantage-taking, money-grabbing, rabies-infected dregs of society and mentally depraved asylum escapees...but all you could take note of was my manner of presentation!? Come on. Give me a break . It's not like you and I are fighting. I just have a grouse with imbeciles who try to rip job-seekers off and feel I need to express my views.

And then there was this person who took a different view:

'I don't want to make light of a serious issue but I had a good laugh reading your warning. I hope you do some writing because your "warning" was easy to read (it flows beautifully) and darn funny. I especially liked the phrase "colour blind lunatic". The warning is very helpful and constructive and your writing is a joy to read'.
PS: I am still laughing.

Now that's more like it. Glad that someone was able to understand the main gist of my post. I didn't write it to make friends, but I am pleased someone liked it []. I can assure you that there is a lot more where that came from. I just felt that I had to contribute my tuppence to this job-seeking thingy, and since I have not returned to Nigeria to provide job-opportunites for some of you, I think this is what I can do: make the unaware aware of what's going on.

* Remember, NO potential employer will ask you to provide a 'processing fee'. Does it sound reasonable? Whatever for? To help in furnishing an office for you when they finally engage your services? To start off a fund for your annual holidays:D? Well, it sounds both incredulous and ludicrous to me.
* No 'international conglomerate' will engage the services of a 9 year-old to design its website. If anyone out there designed that site, and is reading this: go back to your hole, and study the tutorials in Dreamweaver very well. That site was the product of either 1) the afore-mentioned 9-year old or; 2) a thousand monkeys playing with a thousand different colours at the same time. The end-result is the same: hideous.
* What of if I was an axe-murderer looking for a target? Ah! Where ese could I go, but http://www.estherbt.com where the blundering idiots placed a list of 'people' they helped gain employment? Even better, they told the whole world where exactly the 'staff ' are located. In the real world, is that possible? We have all heard of 'protection of privacy', not so?

Friends, once again: we know that jobs are hard to find in the country, but that doesn't mean we should allow dupes and fraudsters take money from our almost empty pockets, raise our hopes and dash them soon afterwards. I just wish that the newspapers publishing such adverts realise that they have a responsibility to authenticate the validity of the services these sons (and daughters) of Dracula offer. Alas, we have to do it ourselves...so we must be smart, no?

Speaking of which...has anyone tried http://www.nuramek.com ? It was also designed by swindlers of the same mould, so do not apply for any 'job' they claim to offer.

Wow! I am just getting warmed up. A word is enough for...

I had posted these in the wrong forums earlier. I apologise.

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This is me. This is who I am.

OK we were with you up to a point but now we're lost: Pls summarize

Erm...I guess you have been away for long. That post has been there for a while now. Summarise it in your mind. Pick out the points you feel are relevant to you, and discard the rest. It's a free world.

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This is me. This is who I am.

Jeff.. na fight?

Bns,
i no too good for essay summary ( i had c somethn for waec), but the real koko of Jeffs post be say..

Jeff thinks that opportunists such as estherbt and others in Nigerian job market should be dealt with by the government, society.. and they should be marked black by job seekers.

He gave convincing tips and pointers to detecting a job scam company/advert, even if they go through legitimate means such as advertising in national dailies or alljobs!!

He also tried to clarify the sentiments some people attached to his mails to all jobs, saying he didnt point the gun at anybody, and thats folks should not take it personal.

what else ?? - he qualified these social mishaps with big big names!!

i told u i aint dat good @ summary b4.. so no nail me if i miss any pt.

gb!

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Building a Solution Colony. Gb!

mhmm. this is interesting information. as for me the situation is simple. Estherbt might just have shot itself in the foot, by pasting the names of 'people' it helped gain employment on its colourful website. it would only take a look at these names, the company they are working for and EFFCC might just be looking for the brains behind Estherbt.

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CareersNG! Its all about Knowledge Sharing...Keep developing!

@bns...
Apologies for my retort. Was not in a very good mood this morning, and writing serves as an outlet for my anger and frustrations sometimes. Imagine my 'pleasure' at seeing your message. Did not mean to offend with my response.

@Gb...
Na true, no be fight. But I hail o! I no sure say I for fit summarise all the long turenchi wey I write before. But somehow, you managed it. Kudos!

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This is me. This is who I am.

wild3jeff,

as a member of this forum, and as someone who would like to see this country move forward, i would like to write something about these scammers at Estherbt in a nigerian newspaper.

can i use some of the stuff u wrote out here?

do u know anyone that has actually been affected by the actions of these opportunists, that can relay their experience?
if you do pls link me up with them.

anyone who knows anybody that has been swindled by an agency while trying to secure employment could also let me know.
thankzalot.

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just my thots...

wild3jeff,

as a member of this forum, and as someone who would like to see this country move forward, i would like to write something about these scammers at Estherbt in a nigerian newspaper.

can i use some of the stuff u wrote out here?

do u know anyone that has actually been affected by the actions of these opportunists, that can relay their experience?
if you do pls link me up with them.

anyone who knows anybody that has been swindled by an agency while trying to secure employment could also let me know.
thankzalot. lets reduce the bad egg, even if its one at a time.

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just my thots...

@ alljober, wildjeff: more power to all ur elbows and knees gan. I DEY GBADUN Una
@Lola: JUST DO IT!!!

Fire on lola...
Dreams really come true!!>
I once imagined that our ideas will be a platform that will trigger social change in Nigeria.
Live the dream!!

Gb!

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Building a Solution Colony. Gb!

Lola,

It was nice of you to ask for permission to use what I wrote. I have just one condition: if what you write gets published, send a scanned copy to me: wild3jeff@yahoo.com. For some strange reason, I can't read full copies of Nigerian papers on the Internet over here in Germany. When you can assure me of that, I have no problem at all. Go ahead.

That goes for you too: Gb, Bns, and whoever else is reading and nodding his/her head in agreement.

Also, if your piece actually gets people investigated and taken to court, take time out, find the advantage-taking, blood sucking, pocket-draining, time-wasting sons and daughters of Lucifer and tell them I say this: 'May their days and nights become a never-ending horror movie'.

Help me put those donkeys out of business...Something tells me that there is a special suite in hell waiting for them when the world ends, but that doesn't mean we should allow them live in luxury on earth off our blood, tears and sweat and blood.

And please: if you feel you need more venom in the article, just ask. I can feel myself beginning to boil once again...the writing demon is about to come out once more.

As for the people who I know who were deceived by such manipulative scum, that will be in my next post in this particular thread...

All is set...let the awareness begin.

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This is me. This is who I am.

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The journey of a thousad miles begins with one step

telling them 'May their days and nights become a never-ending horror movie'. may be hard, but a scanned copy is easy.

i still need victims of this scam.

will keep the house posted.

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just my thots...

Lola,

It's easy to say that ...once you put your mind to it.

Will soon send the list you want. Have an exam to deal with today.

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This is me. This is who I am.

success of Wild3jeff..
May your new enemies ( estherbt..etc) no winch u for this exam o.
Please remember to submit your scripts o
Gb!

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Building a Solution Colony. Gb!

Ja! Ich bin für ein paar Stunden frei! (I am free for a couple of hours).

Still have to read though. Another exam coming up soon.

Lola, this might help: for now, pop back over to the sister forum at Yahoo! Groups and do a search for estherbreakthrough or estherbt. You will see the two or three messages there from those who were duped by these people. Those messages made me remember stuff from the past, and then I wrote that piece of mine. Contact them. They are closer to you at the moment. This can be done while I complete my list of people who have fallen victims to these kind of scams.

By the way, http://www.estherbt.com has a few mobile phone numbers posted in it. Can anyone over there try them out to hear, in their words, what they offer? I will also be grateful if that good Samaritan will do a little investigative work to find out if they actually employed those 'people' they listed on the site? I don't believe the people exist. I may be wrong, but it is just what I feel. Can anyone in the Lagos area take a trip over to some of their REPUTABLE 'clients' to confirm that they actually provide those services to them?

I was doing a little investigative work on the Internet yesterday night and came up with a few interesting discoveries regarding their 'clientelle'. Will share them with the house when I do some even more thorough checking up.

As for now, I will say this: Sometime last year, I fell victim to these pranksters (not estherbt), and till today, don't feel good about it. I will explain what happened and share other experiences later. There is a darker side to this kind of fraud which we have NOT even mentioned anywhere in this thread. That is the aspect that worries me the most, and that is why I feel so pained when I see people falling victim to these pranks. Can any of you guess what it is? It's very easy, but it is even more easily overlooked. I will reveal it later. Ignorance can kill you.

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This is me. This is who I am.

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CareersNG! Its all about Knowledge Sharing...Keep developing!

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just my thots...

Tell us now.. c'mon.... we're waiting...