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Former Employee, applicant, express concerns over Smosska company (SC-Obamacare Scam)
WBTW News 13 ^ | 9 Oct 2009 | Patricia Burkett

Posted on 10/11/2009 10:31:06 AM PDT by SC Swamp Fox

A former employee of the Smosska company and a job applicant, are expressing their concerns when it comes to the company and its legitimacy.

Smosska officials say the company makes medical identification cards.

The company held a job fair in Florence in July, and charged applicants a $40.00 fee for an assessment test.

Smosska officials said the fee covered things like background and drug testing.

Smosska officials said they planned to eventually employ up to 3,000 people in the Florence area and were renovating a large facility.

The company was working out of a temporary office on Hoffmeyer Road in Florence, but were served an eviction notice in late September by Holcombe Land Development, for non-payment of rent.

The Better Business Bureau began investigating the company in July based on what they called “red flags” including the assessment fees that were charged to applicants, as well as the lack of a permanent location for the company.

Better Business Bureau officials then submitted their investigation to the state Attorney General’s office for possible consideration.

Former Smosska sales director Jackie Perez said she was brought on to create marketing campaigns and materials for the company, but was never reimbursed for her work.

Perez left Smosska on August 30th, and says as of this date, she still has not received a paycheck.

Perez said Smosska president Michelle Adams said that she was renovating and moving forward with plans for a large facility for the company.

Perez said she was helping to work on plans for that facility, while also completing various tasks out of the temporary office on Hoffmeyer Road.

She said she was led to believe in August, that the start-up company would be opening in a matter of weeks.

“I was kind of fulfilling my job duties between the two places, and waiting for the end of the month to see if I was going to get my first paycheck, which of course, never came,“ Perez said.

Mary Napier was among those who applied for a job at Smosska and paid the $40.00 assessment fee.

Napier said she felt the company was legitimate because she was referred to them by the local Employment Security Commission office.

ESC officials confirmed that they did refer clients to Smosska, but suspended the practice in August because they said they needed more information from the company before continuing to refer clients.

Napier said she received a letter from Smosska in August, offering her a position with the company.

Napier said she responded to the letter and was told that she would need to take a drug test, but she says after that point, she was unable to get in touch with anyone who could offer her more information on the position.

“I tried to contact (them) several times to find out when a drug test might be given, any type of information… it was always a cell phone number, there was never any office number. Any time I asked to speak to somebody higher up in management, human resources, anybody, we were always told that they were not available,“ Napier said.

News13 attempted to contact Smosska owner Michelle Adams on several occasions to discuss the company and to offer her a chance to respond to the claims of Perez and Napier.

Adams did respond through email saying, “There has been so much bad made out about my company when it is a real good company. I have worked so hard over the years to make this company work and less than 3 months what I have work(ed) so hard on is going out the window,” Adams said.

Adams initially agreed to an on-camera interview, but later cited a scheduling conflict.

Napier said she and others simply want some answers as to what is happening with the company.

“I’m angry, I’m very angry not only for myself but for everyone involved. I feel that it was a scam from the very beginning. My question is why?“ Napier said.

Perez said she’s looking for some closure from the company and wants to be paid for the services she has provided.

Perez said she contacted the state labor board and was advised to give Adams a time limit when it came to paying for her services, and if necessary, take the matter to court.

Though Perez said she has not yet taken that measure, she would like reimbursement for herself and the applicants who paid the assessment fees.

“I kind of feel at this point in time that there’s probably not a real good chance of them getting their money back…I know that I would hope to get what she (Adams) owes me, but I just don’t know if that’s ever gonna be possible,“ Perez said.

The Better Business Bureau continues to have an open investigation into the Smosska company.

It is not yet known whether the state Attorney General’s Office will do an investigation of their own.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: South Carolina
KEYWORDS: medical; obamacare; sc; smosska
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This company popped up in Florence over the summer claiming that they were about to hire 3000 people. Red flags immediately went up when they demanded a $40 fee from job applicants to cover the drug tests and back-ground checks.

Here is a link to Smosska's CEO's post on Obama's Organizing for America website: Smosska e-health system (Health Care Organizing Kickoff)

1 posted on 10/11/2009 10:31:08 AM PDT by SC Swamp Fox
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To: 2A Patriot; 2nd amendment mama; 4everontheRight; 77Jimmy; Abbeville Conservative; acf2906; ...
We should just trust these people with ALL of our personal information.

South Carolina
Ping

Send FReepmail to join or leave this list.

2 posted on 10/11/2009 10:35:07 AM PDT by SC Swamp Fox (Aim small, miss small.)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

A person had to pay to join/volunteer/work with ACORN also.

$120.00 stands out, but will look for the exact amount.


3 posted on 10/11/2009 10:40:26 AM PDT by malia
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To: SC Swamp Fox

Does anyone know of a stable, positive, not in trouble company associated with -6nobama?

I don’t.

Everyone he associates with is a terrorist, a tax evader or a sleazbag. The companies he associates are the same way, ACORN being the most notorious.


4 posted on 10/11/2009 10:44:40 AM PDT by upchuck (New sign on my pickup: Are you a "Hope and Change" regretter?)
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To: malia

need formal investigation


5 posted on 10/11/2009 10:44:44 AM PDT by dalebert
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To: SC Swamp Fox

Obama is running a criminal enterprise.


6 posted on 10/11/2009 10:45:33 AM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

Classic..classic old, old democrat scam job...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A0DE6DD133EE433A25756C2A9609C94609FD7CF

Tammany Hall...1881


7 posted on 10/11/2009 10:47:36 AM PDT by mo
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To: SC Swamp Fox

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures! of dey CEO.


8 posted on 10/11/2009 10:50:13 AM PDT by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

They seem to have a website. They say that their mission is to make healthcare paperwork more efficient.

http://www.smosska.com/home

Visit at your own risk. I didn’t see any malware, although it offered to install Apple Quicktime, which I don’t have on this computer, thank you. (Bloatware, IMHO).

What a great scam at a time of high joblessness!

(”If anyone is interested, we can train you to work from home on the internet and make at least $1,500 a week”—spam I used to get regularly at an earlier email address.)


9 posted on 10/11/2009 10:54:28 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: dalebert
Here is a link to an article back in August when the BBB turned over the results of their investigation to the State Attorney General. (Not a normal thing for the BBB to do unless they suspected criminal activity.)

It's funny, the company representative quoted continuously in the August article is the "former employee" quoted in this morning's article. The August article has more interesting information, the company representative admits they are a "start up" and that they have lots of "grant money".

10 posted on 10/11/2009 10:54:42 AM PDT by SC Swamp Fox (Aim small, miss small.)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

Is Smoska funded by ACORN? Apparently this is being investigated.

http://theunionlabelblog.com/2009/07/13/acorn-shenanigans-in-south-carolina/


11 posted on 10/11/2009 10:57:38 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

Cached the webpage OFA just for grins...

Jeebus, these people are so corrupt. Whoever heard of paying for your drug test and background check to go to work for an employer! That’s ridiculous! Should’ve been a serious red flag for the applicants.


12 posted on 10/11/2009 10:57:45 AM PDT by RowdyFFC (Nancy Pelosi...please deny her any health care....)
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To: LucyT

ping for possible interest


13 posted on 10/11/2009 10:58:53 AM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

The description on the “my.barrysoetoro.com” is hilarious.

“Hello I am the founder of Smosska we are the only electric medical records that will hire 3000 by 2010 and we plan to hire 50,000 over the next 4 years. We are the only company that will also be a 100% green. We are affordable to doctors as well as 2.75 per month to the uninsured. We have a system that will stop medicare and medicaid fraud 100% and save billions of dollars. We have a system that is just for American VA. We are located in Florence SC”

100% green????? Are you mental? The day I see anything that’s 100% green in Florence, I’ll eat my hat.

When I first saw the 100% green promise, I thought- are you on drugs? And then realized... stupid question. Of course you are, Obama suporting start-up business owner.


14 posted on 10/11/2009 11:01:35 AM PDT by Feline_AIDS (Boop boop hoop yeah!)
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To: Cicero; rxsid; Fred Nerks; null and void; stockpirate; george76; PhilDragoo; Candor7; GOPJ; BP2; ...
Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Is Smoska funded by ACORN? Apparently this is being investigated.

http://theunionlabelblog.com/2009/07/13/acorn-shenanigans-in-south-carolina/

[Thanks, Cicero.]

15 posted on 10/11/2009 11:02:29 AM PDT by LucyT
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To: SC Swamp Fox

Check out the comment section under this article from June
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=321386


16 posted on 10/11/2009 11:04:46 AM PDT by libertarian27 (Ingsoc: Life, Liberty and the Department of Happiness)
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To: libertarian27

From July
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2291457/posts


17 posted on 10/11/2009 11:16:28 AM PDT by libertarian27 (Ingsoc: Life, Liberty and the Department of Happiness)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

The poor quality of writing on that page makes one think it was done by someone who couldn’t manage a corn husking, let alone a major business.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
“Hello I am the founder of Smosska we are the only electric medical records that will hire 3000 by 2010 and we plan to hire 50,000 over the next 4 years. We are the only company that will also be a 100% green. We are affordable to doctors as well as 2.75 per month to the uninsured. We have a system that will stop medicare and medicaid fraud 100% and save billions of dollars. We have a system that is just for American VA. We are located in Florence SC”


18 posted on 10/11/2009 11:36:55 AM PDT by RipSawyer (Trying to reason with a leftist is like trying to catch sunshine in a fish net at midnight.)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

“Hello I am the founder of Smosska we are the only electric medical records that will hire 3000 by 2010 and we plan to hire 50,000 over the next 4 years. We are the only company that will also be a 100% green. We are affordable to doctors as well as 2.75 per month to the uninsured. We have a system that will stop medicare and medicaid fraud 100% and save billions of dollars. We have a system that is just for American VA. We are located in Florence SC”

Geeze Reuben, I thought I was reading another scam email out of Africa. Hire 3000? Hire 50,000? I can’t believe that people, oh well, what is that old saying “There’s one born every minute.”


19 posted on 10/11/2009 1:19:33 PM PDT by dixie sass (Change? What change? Where?)
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To: SC Swamp Fox

grant money from where...more to it than this i think


20 posted on 10/11/2009 3:24:50 PM PDT by dalebert
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