NO PROTECTION TO EMPLOYEES - EMPLOYEE BEWARE

You may have heard of the show Catfish, or have even been Catfished yourself. This process, usually referred to in the dating world, is what happens when you are totally tricked and scammed into believing something is real when it is entirely fake.

But have you been catfished as an employee before?

Two former employees of a fake company based in Vernon, BC are speaking out today, and would like to see a better system in place for employee protection.

A fake company called Volante Liquiceuticals, or Volante Group, is gaining media attention. Thomas Lasic, 36, of Vernon, B.C. has been running a false company out of his parents basement suite since 2013. He hires employees by searching for their resumes on craigslist and gets them to set up accounts throughout the USA to distribute a health product called G-Cubed.

While there is no finished product, it’s unclear as to what product he actually sends out to the people who place an order, which could be another serious cause for concern.

So far 7 employees have come forward that are owed thousands of dollars in payroll and have never received a penny. Each employee has signed a legal document with their name, signature and confirmation of pay on it.

One victim employee from Calgary, AB, a holistic nutritionist passionate about health and wellness, saw this supplement company as an opportunity to spread her knowledge of holistic health. She began employment with Volante Liquiceuticals after filing a report to the Alberta Labour board from not getting paid by the previous start up company she had just been working for full time for 3 weeks and not receiving her first paycheck.

The Alberta labour board is currently quoting 3 month wait times to even investigate such situations.

With more employees coming forward, these situations keep getting swept under the rug, without your clearly signed legal employment document, letter of offer or employee contract being enough to bring you your pay for your billable hours.

There are few resources for employees who experience this. Let’s face it: we are employees to pay our bills, pay back student loans and afford the cost of living. Most Canadians are in debt due to the ever-changing economy and already scarce availability of jobs throughout the lower mainland.

Let’s put a stop to the companies we know are doing this by creating awareness and push the government to change the law. If an Employer don't pay their employees that Employees have the right to put a lean on the Employers house, car, and government taxes. Companies can do that if they do not get their payments after a signed agreement of payment, why can't people do the same to companies that promise payment in the exchange of their voluble time. Please sign this petition to help make a change to help better protect employees.