We recently learned of several instances wherein unknown third-parties have attempted to impersonate Chemonics by creating fraudulent email accounts and contacting users of LinkedIn in an attempt to solicit personal information. Please know this type of outreach is fraudulent. Chemonics will never request your personal information in this manner. Legitimate Chemonics job opportunities can be found on our website at Careers – Chemonics International.

To help protect against possible online scams, we encourage you to consider the following practices.

  • Look out for spoofed domains and email addresses. Scammers impersonating Chemonics may create fraudulent website domains and email addresses that look like legitimate addresses. For example, spoofed domains may include a typo or replace letters with numbers. Chemonics’s legitimate website is Chemonics International and our recruiters’ email addresses will all be from the “@chemonics.com” domain. Chemonics recruiters will never email you from commercial email services (such as Gmail or Yahoo mail).
  • Chemonics will never ask you to use a personal bank account to transfer money. Please be aware that common scams involve recruitment of money mules to help launder funds. Such scammers may ask you to transfer money in various forms (such as by a personal bank account, virtual currency, or prepaid debit cards).
  • Never feel pressured to give information (such as your Social Security number, credit card number, or account password) over the phone, especially if the call is unexpected. Scammers may try to use calls, texts, and emails to further impersonate Chemonics recruiters. If you’re ever unsure, it’s safest to end the call/chat and contact Chemonics directly at BusinessConduct@chemonics.com.
  • Be wary of false urgency. Scammers may try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they’re asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.
  • Stay alert to suspicious or informal onboarding through social media. Chemonics onboards all of its employees through a combination of an official application, phone screening, reference checks, and virtual interviewing. Additionally, our services are always free to job seekers, and we will never ask for an employment fee.

If you think that you may have disclosed your personal or account information in error or that you have been a victim of fraudulent activity, please contact your bank and/or credit card company immediately.

You have the right to put a security freeze, also known as a credit freeze, on your credit file, so that no new credit can be opened in your name without the use of a Personal Identification Number (PIN) that is issued to you when you initiate a freeze. A credit freeze is designed to prevent potential credit grantors from accessing your credit report without your consent. If you place a credit freeze, potential creditors and other third parties will not be able to access your credit report unless you temporarily lift the freeze. Therefore, using a credit freeze may delay your ability to obtain credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact all three major consumer reporting agencies listed below.

Equifax
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013-9554
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

TransUnion
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094
1-888-909-8872
www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

You also have the right to place an initial or extended fraud alert on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert lasts 1-year and is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting 7 years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below. The agency you contact will then contact the other two credit agencies.

Equifax
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
1-888-766-0008
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013-9554
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/fraud/center.html

TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016-2000
1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resource/place-fraud-alert

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting your state Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should be reported to law enforcement, your Attorney General, and the FTC.

The Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338)
TTY: 1-866-653-4261
www.ftc.gov/idtheft

You may also wish to contact a credit reporting agency or submit an IC3 complaint on the FBI website at https://www.ic3.gov/.