Anderson & Bryant Credit Card/Report Fraud - Employment Scam to sell Credit Reports Internet - OK

The setting:

I had responded to several job-postings on various websites, in this directly through the company job website. Several days after I applied, I received this email.  It directs you to a survey/question link where you answer questions about your preferred work environment, additional skills, etc - all seeming very "normal", as I have had to fill out several of these with other companies on their job websites.  Once you submit that, it then directs you to a link requesting you obtain a credit report with creditreport.com and then provide them with the customer number. 

Upon completion, a confirmation and "thank you" message pops up informing you that your information has been obtained and the employer will be contacting you regarding an official interview.  Becasue so many large companies ARE using recruiting services to filter through their applications, this really did seem legit.  Not so much - please read and be VERY CAREFUL!

In response to my response to a posting I received this email:

Thank you for applying to the opening '', this position is listed in Phoenix, Arizona with an average pay of $.

We have completed our review of submitted applications, and are happy to inform you that you have been accepted by our client for a further interview.

This stage closes on Friday, March 7th at 9pm, submissions after this date will not be accepted. Follow the link below to book your interview:

andersonandbryant.com/interview.php?applicantid=<long string of letter and digits>

The online submission should take no longer than fifteen minutes. We advise that you complete it on a computer/laptop, rather than a cell phone/tablet to ensure compatibility. You may only complete the request once; incomplete submissions will not be accepted. You will receive a further confirmation email containing your chosen details within a couple of days.

Thanks,

Susan Bryant
Human Resources
Anderson & Bryant
http://www.andersonandbryant.com
Check our website for your closest office.

While I questioned the authnticity of the email, I justified the need for a credit report based on the company I was applying with - "they don't want to hire dead beats!".  So, yes, I fell vicitim to this SCAM.  Now I am not sure WHO has my information and what they are doing with it.  This is very scary, as they request the customer ID number of your credit report.  I am contacting the hiring company to notify them of this (sitting on perpetual hold as I type).  BEWARE of this kind of thing! 

I consdier myself to be a smart person, and am typically very leary of such things - in this case, I guess the desire for the job and being "excited" I had made it to the next phase was enough to stupify me long enough to actually buy into this.  They indicate that you "will be contacted within a couple of days" after setting up your desired interview availability.  Can you say SUCKER?!  Wow - what a way to start my Thursday when I have much more important things to do.