Virtual Assistant Becomes a Victim in Today’s Economy

Dec. 13, 2010 - PRLog -- We are all now aware of who Bernie Madoff is. But what about people who are taking advantage of owners of the Virtual Assistant industry. Will justice ever serve them? Robin Levan of Cyber Office Assistant, LLC, a New Jersey Virtual Assistant Company since 1998, met Dion Clarke of JWD Enterprises, Inc. of New York through an ad on Craigslist. After having him sign a contract and performing 4 weeks of services, he refuses to pay. “The check is in the mail,” is the standard reply by Clarke. By setting his organization up with a PO Box address, he sets himself up for not being able to accept small claims court filings.  After numerous correspondences, he continues not to pay and feels no remorse even during the holiday season. Turns out he has taken advantage of numerous people along the way and still continues to operate a business with a full website tailoring to a teen lifestyle magazine, Diversity Prep. Clarke is also the founder of the Harlem Fine Arts Show. Yet, he is not alone. KB Bowling of Ameraco of Kentucky also fails to pay. Do these people have a conscience?

In today’s economy, the Virtual Assistant industry is booming as more and more homemakers turn to the computer to generate income while being able to raise their family by working from home. Levan has been lucky to work with clients who have become friends after servicing them with long term relationships. It is a shock to Levan that both Clarke and Bowling are accepting work to benefit their business without ever paying the independent contractors they use. Lessons have been learned in that a physical address must be supplied instead of a PO Box number and getting a deposit upfront is critical.

Although Cyber Office Assistant, LLC continues to seek justice, she is reaching out to other Virtual Assistants and alert businesses associated with JWD Enterprises, Inc. and Ameraco of Kentucky to the risks of operating with them. “We need to protect ourselves and the industry,” Levan states. This behavior has to be stopped.

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Cyber Office Assistant, LLC has been servicing busy individuals and small based businesses with office support and personal assistance since 1998. Reliable, responsible and professional are words to describe Cyber Office Assistant.