A Toronto resident, Davanshi Poddar, fell victim to a costly employment scam after responding to a fake job posting on Instagram that seemingly offered a position at Walmart. Believing the opportunity to be legitimate, Poddar, who moved to Canada from India in 2022, lost her entire savings of $15,000 to the scheme.
The scam involved an advertisement claiming that Walmart was hiring part-time employees to work from home. The job required promoting Walmart products online by adding items to a cart and sending screenshots as proof of task completion. Over time, Poddar was instructed to use her own money to purchase products, supposedly for reimbursement later, which never happened.
Walmart Canada has responded to the incident, emphasizing that their legitimate recruitment ads link directly to their careers site and they would never ask for money as part of the employment process.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre notes that job scams are increasingly common, with Canadians losing over $27 million to such schemes in 2023 alone. Experts advise job seekers to be vigilant, look for red flags, and conduct thorough research to avoid falling for similar scams.