Yeah, this is the only way that scam would work. Make sure you have someone tracking your movements on your first day, for safety! 
Five fingered discount. I bring it in one day and the next day find an empty office.
yeah, that’s why I wouldn’t leave it there.
PM sent. I will not post the names of the persons or companies publicly. This board ranks high in Google searches and I don’t want people searching for them to find a thread questioning their legitimacy or even their financial viability.
How long have they physically been at the office you were told to bring the equipment to?
At least a couple of weeks.
I just phoned the recruiter. He says that he contacted the employer and told them to order the stuff online on their credit for me to pickup at the local Apple store. So we’ll see how it goes.
I take it you’ve been called to go there a couple of times to talk to them. Would it be too much trouble to walk on by unannounced to see if it looks on the up-and-up to you?
That sounds a lot better.
“That’s so obvious, he’s bound to think it’s a trap.”
Naw, his recruiter, Sanjay Garrideb, assures him it’s on the level.
I know that guy! But his name is Bob.
Well, if nobody needs you to wire funds to Nigeria before accepting the hardware you can downgrade these guys from “potential scammers” to “genuine bumblers: probably not a great long-term prospect.”
I hear what you’re saying, but it’s a paycheck for now and any non-payments will be a loss to the contract firm rather than me.
Unless the staffing firm is on the scam, in which case you still don’t get paid.
Oh yeah, if they’re genuine you can take the job and get paid while you look for something better.
It’s hard to say what the scam would be at this point, since the contractor has told the employer to pay for the equipment themselves. The risk now seems to be the financial viability of the employer.
I doubt that the contractor and the employer are colluding to scam me out of a week or two of work. What good would my work be to a failing company?
I just had a troubling thought. They could order the stuff with stolen credit info. I’d be the one picking it up and signing for it. That would certainly be a nightmare!
Crap-I should have remembered that scam.
Why is it that have no one available at all to pick up their own equipment that they themselves ordered, and have to rely on a temp on his first day, again?
I just emailed the contractor and suggested that the company either pick it up themselves or have it delivered to their office.