Company Approached Wife, Offering Her Jobkeeper. Suss?

Talos2005 on 14/10/2020 - 14:23
Last edited 14/10/2020 - 14:41

My wife liked a linkedin post about a company. They contacted her, gave her paperwork to fillout stating she had a job with them, and to backdate JobKeeper from the 1st of March this year.
She has been unemployed since April, and the company she was working with did not offer her any support in filling out the JobKeeper paperwork.

Now to me this all sounds a bit suss, but I want to know how this will all play out if she goes ahead and fills out the paperwork. Has anyone got into a similar situation?

Thanks.

Financial

Comments

  • holdenmg on 14/10/2020 - 14:29
    +50

    Yeah, no……………………

  • AdosHouse on 14/10/2020 - 14:29
    +137

    You think that only sounds a "bit" suss??

    • jdawg7 on 14/10/2020 - 14:33
      +2

      I thought approached sounded suss to be honest.

      • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2020 - 19:06

        Head hunting is not suss…

  • rompastompa on 14/10/2020 - 14:30
    +113

    Yea, go for it, you'll only be defrauding the government and they never win. What's the worse thing that could happen?

    There are civil and criminal penalties open to the ATO, including fines and jail sentences. - Source

    Please contact the ATO with all correspondence so they can investigate so your tax money doesn't go to companies that are abusing the system.

    • AdosHouse on 14/10/2020 - 14:35
      +8

      What reward? Pretty sure the money goes to the business and then they have to pay you. Willing to bet they would only pay a tiny fraction of it.

        • TheLurker on 16/10/2020 - 11:43
          +2

          Good point here. It's probably a localised version of the 'Nigerian Prince named you in his will" scam

      • Chandler on 16/10/2020 - 10:26
        +2

        Pretty sure the money goes to the business and then they have to pay you

        Correct.

        Willing to bet they would only pay a tiny fraction of it.

        Incorrect. 100% of JobKeeper payments have to go to the employee.

        Having said that, if a company is dodgy enough to try and get an unemployed person to do JobKeeper paperwork to backdate, they're dodgy enough to not pass on those payments to that "employee".

        • lint on 16/10/2020 - 10:36

          Incorrect. 100% of JobKeeper payments have to go to the employee.

          Yes, but the point of it is to give businesses a cash injection. The government is basically paying the wages up to the JobKeeper amount, which is a saving for the business.

          Unless the wife would earn less than the JobKeeper amount under their employment, she does not benefit from this, only the business will.

          • Chandler on 16/10/2020 - 15:14

            @lint:

            she does not benefit from this, only the business will

            She benefits from the continued employment. The business benefits from not having to pay staff for sitting around doing nothing, as per the intention of JobKeeper (yes, some businesses are elegible and claiming it but wouldn't be putting off any staff anyway…).

        • AdosHouse on 16/10/2020 - 14:22
          +1

          Yes I know what the law says. I was stating what will likely actually happen.

  • garetz on 14/10/2020 - 14:32
    +6

    If they are caught knowingly defrauding the government they will come after you hardcore.

  • outlander on 14/10/2020 - 14:33
    +5

    Get the cash upfront. That's all I'll say.

  • GG57 on 14/10/2020 - 14:39

    "…stating she had a job with them…"

    What is the job?

    • Talos2005 on 14/10/2020 - 14:44

      Some IT Analytics job.

      • funnysht on 15/10/2020 - 20:00
        +2

        some Hacking job. Figures.

    • Bonbi on 14/10/2020 - 14:48
      +55

      that is not a reason to commit fraud

    • epkh on 14/10/2020 - 15:54
      +4

      Didn't she apply for jobseeker? if she had jobseeker she isn't entitled to jobkeeper.

    • AdosHouse on 14/10/2020 - 16:22
      +30

      Oh boohoo, I was stood down with all the pubs and I wasn't eligible for JobKeeper, so I applied for JobSeeker, and then proceeded to work at Woolworths for about 20-25 hours a week doing stupid arse shifts like 4-8am. But I did it because it was money, and I don't like a handout. I think I got less than $1k from JobSeeker in the 3 months.

      • Kangal on 15/10/2020 - 23:29

        If that's true, kudos to you mate!

      • mrvaluepack on 15/10/2020 - 23:54

        Which woolies has 4-8am shifts?

        • AdosHouse on 16/10/2020 - 04:04

          They were only doing it at the height of COVID in QLD. One of the online teams was doing 4-8am. Once stuff calmed down a bit it went back to 8pm-12, and 7-11am.

    • smartazz104 on 16/10/2020 - 07:47

      but I would think

      Stop thinking.

    • syousef on 17/10/2020 - 17:17

      Thinking like that will see you in prison. Free accommodation, but the pay sucks and your workmates may violate your personal space, and I hear HR isn't great.

  • mbck on 14/10/2020 - 14:50
    +21

    Do you even know what the jobkeeper is? By your replies my guess is no. So maybe read a bit more about it. You dont have to have 100% knowledge in it, but you don't even have 5%.

    Random company she never worked with, sends jobkeeper application stating she worked for them, but company not helpful.

    I mean, how many more red flags do you want? We complain the country is becoming a nanny state, but if people are doing this…I mean wow

    • Talos2005 on 14/10/2020 - 14:53
      -5

      I'm saying her initial company is not helpful. Not the new one.

      • onetwothreefour on 14/10/2020 - 15:15
        +13

        But she's never worked for the new one so how would she legally claim job keepers with them?

      • AustriaBargain on 14/10/2020 - 15:42
        -2

        Why should the initial company care what some other company is offering your wife.

  • mooney on 14/10/2020 - 14:53
    +5

    She should have been on Jobseeker if unemployed which was paid at a higher rate, so there is almost nothing in it for her. From what I can tell JobKeeper after tax was similar in $ to Jobseeker.

    Everything about this is dodgy…. so I suggest she does it and then you feedback how it went. Remember if it goes badly you can always jump on Ozbargain for free legal advice.

    • hts on 16/10/2020 - 15:27

      As someone who has been on both, JobKeeper is much higher in my circumstance.

      I was getting $1500 per fortnight on Keeper, and once on Seeker that dropped to $575 per fornight thanks to the lovely means test brought in, my wife who is currently on maternity leave (with pay for 2 more weeks) ensured I didn't get the full Centrelink amount, only the Cornavirus supplement.

      Taking partners etc out of it, yes she would have got the same, including partners drops it considerable.

    • equitygame on 17/10/2020 - 21:57

      JobSeeker is taxable. JobKeeper pays much more.

  • MS Paint on 14/10/2020 - 14:55
    +17

    What is the name of the company? ABN? I would like to like their LinkedIn post as well.

    • Donaldhump on 14/10/2020 - 17:38
      +2

      Let’s all do it, they will get worried

      • FareEvader on 14/10/2020 - 21:24
        +1

        How do you know it's this one?

      • seabombs on 16/10/2020 - 09:10
        +1

        Lol, of course it's some pop-up "AI" company…

  • Some Guy on 14/10/2020 - 15:04
    +4

    Don't employees have be employed for at least one year to get JobKeeper?

    • Avo on 14/10/2020 - 15:14

      Yes the OP's prospective employer is talking out of their backside, none of it stacks up

    • farknos on 15/10/2020 - 09:00
      -1

      I dont remember that being part of the requirement, i believe it was had to be employed prior to 1-3-20

      • [Deactivated] on 15/10/2020 - 18:05
        +1

        Not sure for full/part time but for casual it's a March and July test depending on first or second round of job keeper. The test is to have been employed for 1 year as of March 2020, or 1 year as of July 2020 for the second round.

        I should know because the missus is about to lose her job due to covid, has done 1 year as of September but not July, so she gets nothing.

    • 4agte on 17/10/2020 - 03:08

      Only casuals need to be long term under the 1 March or 1 July tests. Some casuals who were not eligible as of 1 March may become eligible under the 1 July test/ That is, they have their employment anniversary.

      Full time and part time only need to have commenced on or before 1 March or 1 July

  • mr-incredulous on 14/10/2020 - 15:17
    +7

    On the surface it looks like a JobKeeper scam e.g. your wife gets JobKeeper and the business gets a cut. Obviously it would be stupid to continue communicating with these people.

    Consider that your wife could be the target of the scam… e.g. "we will set you up with JobKeeper, but you need to send us our cut now then you keep the payments" and then obviously your wife never actually gets JobKeeper because the LinkedIn business account is fake or has been taken over by a scammer. Obviously it would be stupid to continue communicating with these people.

  • bobbified on 14/10/2020 - 15:26
    +4

    Obviously someone trying to use your wife to scam the JobKeeper scheme.

  • netjock on 14/10/2020 - 15:29
    +2

    Question is whether the JobKeeper back dated goes to your wife. I suspect not.

    LinkedIn is full of scammers. You get approaches from recruiters for jobs that should be paying $50k more than what is being offered. Either because recruiters are making a big cut or the companies are just dreaming.

    • SgtBatten on 15/10/2020 - 20:40
      +1

      No idea about this dodgy sounding thing but my wife was backpaid jobkeeper a few weeks ago after we realised her entitlement and informed her employer.

      • netjock on 15/10/2020 - 22:33
        +2

        Only difference is your wife had a job and was stood down without pay with employer unknowing about proper entitlements.

        OP's wife is approached having never worked for the company.

        • SgtBatten on 16/10/2020 - 09:36

          yes agreed absolutely.

  • theHMASfriendship on 14/10/2020 - 15:38
    +6

    Report it.

  • AustriaBargain on 14/10/2020 - 15:41
    +14

    Ask your wife to ask them for the paperwork, pretend she's on board. Then hand it all over to whatever authority cares about this. I really hate tax cheats, money is a resource that's meant to benefit everyone and the government carefully (in theory) plans how the money will be spent. Government usually gets it wrong, but if you're not entitled to the money then it is wrong. If you are honestly entitled to a payment then you can and should apply for it. But you shouldn't just steal it, even if it wasn't against the law.

  • Talos2005 on 14/10/2020 - 16:09
    +65

    Yeah, we went ahead and reported them to the ato tipoff line. Here's hoping this gets sorted out soon.

    • Avo on 14/10/2020 - 16:15
      +9

      Good job, the penalties will be significant

      Sections 8K and 8N of the Taxation Administration Act 1953 Criminal offences for making false or misleading statements to taxation officers
      - Imprisonment for up to 12 months
      - and a fine of up to 50 penalty units (250 penalty units for corporate entities) which translates to around $50k on top of monies owed back.

      I hope they get what's coming to them. The ATO are going to heavily audit the jobkeeper program which I think is run over the next two years.

  • cheeseandbacon on 14/10/2020 - 16:11
    +3

    Real company? Hacked account? In before they ask to send them scans of your driver's license, passport, bank statement and recent notice of assessment, etc so they can "process" your JobKeeper "payment", lol.

  • Cave Fire on 14/10/2020 - 16:40
    +3

    Chance they could steal her identity as well. Use it to take out loans etc…

  • Timm on 14/10/2020 - 16:44
    +1

    JobKeeper is paid to the company. The idea being that they paid wages to an employee and are then compensated with funds from JobKeeper.

    The money won't go to your wife, so she'd be defrauding the Government for literally no benefit.

  • Drakesy on 14/10/2020 - 17:05

    Throw the business under the bus.

  • holdenmg on 14/10/2020 - 17:52
    +3

    How quickly do you want to go from watching A Current Affair to being the
    lead story…

  • [Deactivated] on 14/10/2020 - 22:44

    Fraud.

    You know it is deception to obtain gain.

  • omguleh on 14/10/2020 - 23:08
    +2

    Jobkeeper can’t be backdated, has to be reported in the month it’s in.

    • Telcius on 16/10/2020 - 11:46

      They probably want to claim for the December quarter - but as the full benefit needs to be onpaid I can't figure out a benefit to them if it's a sham position. Unless they fudged thier payroll figures to exploit the Cashflow boost and are getting reviewed..

      • dizzle on 17/10/2020 - 18:31

        I think it's more about her information rather than the payment. Get the right details and change her bank password/open an account.

  • bluesky on 15/10/2020 - 00:40
    +1

    This is not legal or possible. It is clearly stated in this article (mod date: 23 Sep 2020)

    You can no longer enrol for the JobKeeper payment to claim for fortnights ending on or before 30 August 2020.

    Also see the past Jobkeeper fortnight schedule. The employee must be paid on or before a certain date, in order for the company to claim for that fortnight in the month after.

  • Fuzor on 15/10/2020 - 01:04
    +5

    Seen so much shit in society in the last decade from endless scams on gumtree to my manager trying to convince me to go into a stupid American pyrimid scheme. I now have a rule that unless I approach someone to buy something, everyone else that approaches me to buy or pay for something is trying to scam me.

    Sad but thats the society we live in now.

    • DiscoJango on 15/10/2020 - 18:51
      +1

      Like Mulder said in the X files all those years ago: trust no one.

    • Cartman2530 on 15/10/2020 - 21:38
      +1

      Absolutely right!

    • leiiv on 16/10/2020 - 16:25

      In this case, it would be someone approaches you to give you money.

  • TheOtherLeft on 15/10/2020 - 08:27

    Report it to the ATO. They most likely won't do anything with it though.

    You can also report it to ScamWatch.

  • acoma on 15/10/2020 - 10:25
    +2

    Sounds legit. On another matter, can I interest you in a jar of magic beans?

  • Candour on 15/10/2020 - 10:27
    +1

    given that jobkeeper is a centrelink 'initiative' to help these companies and zombies, report there as well via online feedback.

  • cauilfield on 15/10/2020 - 16:49

    since SingleTouchPayroll was introduced this kind of fraud is no longer possible.

  • Sidog on 15/10/2020 - 17:45

    I'm sure this ends well for everyone involved.

  • minniethemoocher on 15/10/2020 - 18:29
    +3

    They are probably scammers looking to get her TFN and steal her identity to commit fraud. I would strongly suggest not providing any further details.

  • redslert on 15/10/2020 - 19:05
    +1

    Screams identity thief.

  • Windows98 on 15/10/2020 - 20:54

    Report them

  • cathole on 15/10/2020 - 21:14

    troll post or actually born in the year 2005?

    • nickj on 16/10/2020 - 07:31
      +1

      And they started in 2020 based on the Web site copyright. And they claim to already have offices in every Australian capital. And when you google their listed address, it's actually a co-working space in barangaroo. Look if you want 61 staff then you don't want a co-working space, you want an office (even in a time of covid). All looks a bit sus to me too.

      • kerfuffle on 16/10/2020 - 07:35

        Plus this Australian capital I've never heard of called Films

  • JungliChilli on 16/10/2020 - 07:41

    Do the right thing and report the employer to ATO.

  • kaleidoscope on 16/10/2020 - 08:10

    Why are you considering this? Report them to ato with all comms you received and move on. no ragrets

  • Randolph Duke on 16/10/2020 - 11:32
    +7

    14/10 16:09 - OP confirms they’ve reported to the ATO
    Multiple posts afterwards - rePorT theM tO tHe Atoo

    • Yola on 16/10/2020 - 16:23
      -2

      Yes, I always find it annoying how so many people just jump in anywhere in a thread and then ask questions that have been answered and make comments/suggestions that are superfluous.

  • Orico on 16/10/2020 - 17:19

    Looks like a Chinese or South Asian click farm company.

  • penguin286 on 16/10/2020 - 21:18

    Emergency Meeting

  • pulpfiction on 16/10/2020 - 22:44
    +1

    100% a scam. JobKeeper payments cannot be back dated. Nice one for reporting them. Best case, they take your wife's details and sell them. Worst case, she's engaging in fraud resulting in prison time and a criminal record.

  • Punda on 16/10/2020 - 23:08

    You cannot get back paid till March, that window was closed months ago.
    Employers have till October 31st to back pay employees from 28 Sept.
    Also employers and employees have to re qualify. The ATO will check through STP when an employee commenced employment.

  • UFO on 17/10/2020 - 01:00
    +2

    Report it.

    If she participates, she's defrauding the Government. Illegal.
    And fraud is one of those offences that sticks with you. It can limit your travel, employment, insurance, and of course finance applications.

  • 4agte on 17/10/2020 - 03:05
    +1

    JobKeeper is based on STP reporting. Firstly as mentioned above they can't backpay JobKeeper. Employers must apply by the 14th of the following month. The ATO can also identify the backdating of STP pay events and request evidence of eligibility via payslips, bank account statements. Your wife will have to complete a STP on-boarding form when she starts employment, the completion date is recorded with the ATO, another flag. When issues are identified employers are asked provide evidence of a genuine employer relationship. Your wife was an employee under the 1 March or 1 July tests. If overpayments they employer will be picked up (not if but when), have GIC applied, could have penalties applied and maybe prosecuted for tax crime. Your wife could be held jointly and severally liable.

  • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2020 - 07:49

    Jobkeeper requires employee wages (min 1500 / fortnight) to be reported via STP. If a company backdates STP report back to March, that will raise a BIG Red Flag.

    The ATO website is full of information on the JobKeeper 1.0 and 2.0 for anyone who cares to spend enough time reading.

    These days I get many random calls that show up as potential fraud on my Android phone. I suspect some places where you need to leave contact details for Covid contract tracing, when visiting have leaked or misused these details.

  • syousef on 17/10/2020 - 17:24
    +2

    Next posts::

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    • I've been asked to stash some white powder in my boogie board case on my next holiday. Pay is great. Anyone know what happens if it is found?
    • I'm the premier of NSW. I've been sleeping with a known criminal, and when he tries to tell me about it I just tell him I don't want to hear. I've met his friends and they're cool. What will happen if ICAC finds out?
  • CalmLemons on 17/10/2020 - 18:10

    nah sounds like a scam to get your personal details.

    feel sorry for that company they are targeting.

  • goraygo on 17/10/2020 - 18:29

    I think you need to be ultra careful.

    If your wife fill out all her details to this whatever company it is, they will know her full name, DOB, address, bank account details, phone numbers and heaps more.

    Guess what dodgy people would do with those info?

    This is call social engineering, they can use those info to close your bank account and collect all your savings.

    Better stay clear.

  • Zonty on 17/10/2020 - 23:55

    Identity theft I believe it's scammer who trying scam your wife. To be eligible jobkeeper she suppose have been working that company first place if not then I would stay out of it.

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