The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the College) has been made aware that an individual is targeting registrants with fake employment offers and then using their information to fraudulently bill insurance companies. Please be on alert for job offers coming from one of the following names/organizations:
- Stefan Lee, Director, TMC Medical Care Ltd.
- Stefan Lee, Director, KS Medical Ltd.
- Stefan Lee, Director, LifeMed Therapy Ltd.
- Kevin Cheung, Director, Edinburg Medical Care Ltd.
How the scam works
- This fake employer is posting jobs on legitimate job sites like Indeed.com looking to hire “Registered MSWs” and “independent social workers.”
- All communication is done via email and text. There are no phone calls, video calls or in-person interviews.
- Once the registrant signs their employee contract, the fake employer uses their name and registration number to fraudulently bill insurance companies for services not provided.
- Sometimes, the registrant is sent clients who they see once or twice. They are never paid by the employer for these services.
- The registrant is contacted by insurance companies to verify billing activity in their name that the registrant never provided.
- When the registrant tries to reach out to the employer to ask about their payment or to discuss the fraudulent billing to insurance companies, they either get no response or a bounce-back email saying the email address does not exist.
How to protect yourself
Here are some flags to look out for to avoid job scams:
- The posting is for a non-existent title such as “Registered MSW” or “independent social worker.”
- Extremely high pay for low hours of work per week.
- All communication is over text and email. In-person, video or phone interviews are actively discouraged by the employer.
- The company’s name and address don’t exist outside of the job posting.
- The employer won’t provide you with their HST number.
What to do if you’ve been scammed
If you believe that you’ve been scammed by a fraudulent job offer, here are some steps to take:
- Contact your local police and file a report.
- If you have your own insurance coverage, contact that insurance company and inform them of the situation.
- If you are a member of the Ontario Association of Social Workers or Ontario Social Service Worker Association and have insurance through them, contact them to inform them of this situation.
- If you saw any clients through the fraudulent job, contact them and let them know they should contact their own insurance companies about the illegitimate company.
- Consider seeking legal advice.
- Additionally, please contact the College at investigations@ocswssw.org.
For more information
For additional questions or inquiries, please contact the Complaints and Discipline Department at investigations@ocswssw.org.