Job Applicants Should Be Guarded About Bogus Security Company

Austin, Texas, August 24, 2007 What sounded like a dream job soon turned into a nightmare. When San Antonio resident Christopher Avila saw the ad for a security guard position on careerbuilder.com this past March, he immediately called the toll-free number. The person on the other end said his name was Mr. Cioffi and that he was a recruiter for a company called Janovsky and Associates, located in Leander, Texas. He told Christopher the job would pay between $18 to $22 an hour. But before Christopher could start working, the company would have to do a complete background check...and Christopher would have to pay for it. Christopher agreed and gave the recruiter his checking account information. The company withdrew $89.00, but Christopher never got the call to start work. And he's not the only one...

Consumer complaints received by BBB allege this company markets security jobs that pay $18-$23 per hour on several internet employment sites for up front fees ranging from $89-$150. Consumers report that after they pay the fee, they receive a letter saying this company's Human Resources department will contact them, but this never actually happens and no offers of employment ever materialize. Consumers also complain that their money is not refunded to them and that additional money is sometimes withdrawn from their account without their authorization. Ironically, when Christopher Avila contacted his bank to get the transaction reversed, Mr. Cioffi threatened to have him arrested for theft.

When BBB updated the company's report with this information last March, Ryan Janovsky, claiming to be the owner, called to complain. BBB staff told him he had unanswered complaints and invited him to try and resolve them. However, as of today's date, we have only received one response.

BBB has processed 4 complaints against Janovsky and Associates during the past six months-only one was resolved. Click here to view the company's reliability report . BBB files also include a compliment letter from someone claiming to work for the company. However, attempts to reach this person to verify his statements were unsuccessful as he did not provide BBB with a phone number and listed an incorrect address.

Now BBB believes the company is operating its scam under a new name, Nation Protection. A recent complaint links this name with the same address listed for Janovsky and Associates. In addition, Nation Protection Private Security out of California has come to our attention as having a similar business description. Click here to view the company's reliability report.

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