Is careers@michaelstarsjobs.work a scam?

Summary

What people reported

1. Reported on LinkedIn

   2y Edited
   This is Job Scam Alert for any of my photographer friends out there. Beware any queries, offers from people claiming to be hiring photographers, photo retouchers, ect… for fashion retailer Michael Stars in Los Angeles. On Monday, I received an email from with the address: careers@michaelstarsjobs.work, stating they had reviewed my resume and wanted to interview me for a Remote Photo Retoucher position. I replied from my phone stating I was available for an interview on Wednesday. When I got home, I received another email with a PDF attached describing the job, pay, etc… and instructions on how to schedule the interview. My first suspicion came from the fact I didn’t recall sending this company an application. I did apply for another retoucher job through LinkedIn ( Scam Central), and assumed my resume had been shared. But my next suspicion came when I read the job details: $59.00 per hour, full benefits, 401K, paid vacation days for a part-time gig of 25 hours per week. When it sounds too good to be true… But, I thought, well maybe. And an interview couldn’t hurt. The instructions came with a link to download Microsoft Teams. But since I already had a copy, I ignored it. I was told to contact a “Rita Flynn” for an appointment. But to my surprise she responded immediately, and asked if I was available then. I said yes. The interview was about thirty minutes, and she did ask some relevant questions about my experience, familiarity with different editing software, and asked for samples of my work. But she never asked me about my impressions of Michael Stars, or if I had worked in fashion before. Third suspicious bell rings. But interview ends and I’ll wait and see what happens. Next day, I receive a text message. “Hey, it’s Mike from Michael Stars HR”. Nothing else but I did notice the text came from an Illinois area code. Then I received an email. Congratulations, you got the job! Please review the attached offer sheet, contract, and also a bank authorization form so we can make direct deposits to your account. Suspiciousness off the chart by now. I would never give someone whose identity I haven't confirmed my bank info. So I started digging. The offer email came from a “Steve Bellamy”. I did online searches for him and “Rita Flynn”. Nothing on Google or LinkedIn. Then I noticed “Steve’s” email address was “Employee At Michael Stars”. When I opened the link the extension was @michaelstarsjobs.work. Also, there was no auto signature on the email, no title, etc… After searching Michael Stars on LinkedIn, I was able to contact someone in their Human Resources Department. I explained what had happened and asked if the job was legitimate. It is in fact a scam and has been making the rounds for some time now. They are trying to find the source of the scam. At their request, I sent them all the emails ect, I had and hopefully they’ll figure it out. #scam #employmentscam #jobscam #photography [#scadgrad](https://www.linkedin.com/signup/cold-join?session_redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%

   anonymous report · Aug 23, 2026