Freelance writers were the targets of a phishing scam when they received emails purportedly from editors at The Atlantic offering non-existent jobs.
Atlantic Media General Counsel Aretae Wyler told staffers about the scam in an Oct. 5 email. The phishers created many false email addresses using the names of the publication's editors along with the Atlantic's name in some fashion, such as recruitment.atlanticmagazine.com. The emails asked the victims for personal information like Social Security numbers and bank account information under the guise of offering them employment.
About 50 people have come forward so far claiming to have been scammed.
“The perpetrators have gone so far as to conduct job interviews by phone and gchat; to require signature on employment agreements, direct deposit, and tax forms; and to mail fake checks to individuals (in the hope that these “advances” would be cashed, thereby providing the perpetrators with bank account information and/or credit card information),” Wyler wrote.
Atlantic Media has contacted law enforcement and has put notifications on its site and magazine.
