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NBC 10 I-Team: Rhode Island radio personality Brian Mulhern warns about job scam


Rhode Island radio personality Brian Mulhern told the NBC 10 I-Team that he almost fell victim to an employment scam. (WJAR)
Rhode Island radio personality Brian Mulhern told the NBC 10 I-Team that he almost fell victim to an employment scam. (WJAR)
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A popular Rhode Island radio personality is speaking out after nearly falling victim to an employment scam.

It all started a few months ago when former Cat Country host Brian Mulhern did what most people do after losing a job, he began posting his resume online in hopes of landing a new gig.

“Just like everybody else, I was going to Indeed.com.com, ZipRecruiter, all kinds of websites like that,” Mulhern said.

He applied to a variety of podcast producer positions and within a couple of days, had received an email from what he thought was a representative of G/O Media.

“Right away as a skeptic I googled them,” he said. “I put the company name fraud, company name scam, even though it looked very official.”

It looked official because it is official. G/O Media is the company behind brands like The A.V. Club, Deadspin, The Onion and more.

“I could not find anything about this company that seemed odd or suspicious,” Mulhern said.

Eager for a new opportunity, Mulhern responded, and the interview process began. It started with an online chat and progressed to a phone call.

“They gave me a podcast to listen to that was a legitimate podcast. They said, 'We don’t think this host is up to snuff. We would like you to maybe coach her up a little bit and then also get in on brainstorming topics, and we are going to send you a bunch of equipment.'"

Mulhern had no doubt in his mind that he was taking part in a real job interview for a legitimate media company.

The person interviewing him was even using common industry terminology and appeared to have expertise on the behind-the-scenes aspect of podcasting, like equipment.

After acing two interviews, Brian got the call he had been hoping for.

“A couple of days later 'You passed, welcome aboard, congratulations,' and to me, all my problems were solved," he said.

Little did he know at the time, his problems were just beginning.

After securing the job, Mulhern was given payroll options.

He was about to provide his banking information for direct deposit when the universe seemed to intervene right in the nick of time.

“I was a couple of hours away from scanning that in and sending it to them when I received a message through LinkedIn,” Mulhern said.

The LinkedIn message was from a former law enforcement member who also dabbled in podcasting.

“He had applied for a podcast producer position with Hubbard Broadcasting, which is another legitimate company, and he said that he was told his interview was going to be conducted by Brian Mulhern,” he said. “Because he was able to hear me online, there’s plenty of evidence out there, he said your voice did not match the voice of the guy that I spoke with. As a matter fact, he had an accent, as did my guy, and I thought this is another piece.”

Mulhern asked him for any other names he was given associated with the company, and quickly found a connection.

One of the people who interviewed Mulhern posing as a media executive with G/O Media, also posed as a media executive for Hubbard Broadcasting and interviewed the other man.

“My heart just sunk,” Mulhern said.

Mulhern immediately tried contacting G/O Media to warn them but couldn’t find a contact. That’s when he turned to Rhode Island State Police.

A state police detective specializing in cybersecurity began investigating and soon afterwards told Mulhern what he had already feared, he was the victim of a job scam.

“He was able to track down these guys. They came out of the Middle East. They had in some way hijacked G/O Media’s website within the previous two weeks," Mulhern said.

The NBC 10 I-Team attempted to contact G/O Media to make sure they were aware someone had posed as an employee, but never got a response.

Looking back at the ordeal weeks later, Mulhern said there were warning signs he missed that could help others avoid the same predicament.

“They were pressuring me a lot to get things done quickly, and even that raised a red flag with me and I would say to my wife, 'I don’t know. There’s something about this that seems a little bit off,'" Mulhern said.

They also told him to purchase an iPad then fill out a reimbursement form, which police say is a major red flag.

“I’m thinking, 'Geez, if they are sending me all this other equipment why do they need me to purchase an iPad?'" Mulhern said.

While Brian didn't end up getting a job, he did avoid becoming part of a scary statistic.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $86 million to fake job opportunities in the second quarter of last year, with more than 21,000 incidents being reported.

“I am somebody who trusts no one and still, I almost came this close to losing a lot of money,” Mulhern said. “It’s terrifying not only from the perspective that I still don’t have a job, but who can I trust at this point?”

The Federal Trade Commission has advice to help prevent people from falling victim to a job scam.

The FTC recommends verifying job openings before applying by reaching out to the company directly.

Job seekers should also watch for red flags like emails with poor spelling and grammar, interviews conducted solely through email or online chats, and requests for account numbers or personal information.

The FTC also says job seekers should never have to pay for a job, which is what happened in Mulhern’s case when he was asked to purchase an iPad.

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