Received scam email – beware of this tactic

Scam Comic

I had an email today from a job that I applied to on LinkedIn and it wanted me to contact a private email to schedule an interview. It said that I needed to do this quickly, which is one of the hallmarks of scammers. That was the first red flag. This is the text of the email below.

Hello Brian,

Thank you for your interest in the position to become a Information Technology Specialist as a remote staff at Gallagher Construction Inc. Based on your resume, you have been shortlisted for an email-to-email virtual screening/interview.
Scam Comic
scam comic
Your interview date is Thursday 10/26/2023. Time is 11:00AM EST (8:00AM PST).

Please contact interviewer Rachel Su at (rachesu@outlook.com) to confirm your availability and to book your slot. It’s important to contact him ASAP.

Note: If he does not respond immediately, kindly make yourself available at the scheduled interview time regardless.

Also, this is a non-technical interview and estimated duration is approximately two hours.

Best Regards,
Because you deserve It!

Wally Gee
Gallagher Construction Inc.

The second red flag should be obvious. I have never been asked by any company to do an “email-to-email” interview. That sounds ridiculous. Why would I do that? I expect at the very least to see the face of the person who wants to hire me.

Now the third red flag is a matter of opinion. I think the Wally Gee name is a secret FU for an old 50s show where they used to say Gee Wally. I have never heard Gee as the last name of anyone I have met in my life, and while Google says that Gee comes from Northern England it doesn’t feel right. Given the tone of the letter “Because you deserve it!” It feels like this is trying to appeal to people’s emotions, not logic and that is something scammers do as well. They try to manipulate your feelings so you don’t trust your instincts.

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I am not responding to this letter and I suggest you don’t respond to “employers” who use these tactics. Why would a technical position be nontechnical and two hours? You don’t get a two-hour interview until you pass the first one, and what in the world are we going to talk about for two hours that is non-technical? It just doesn’t make sense.