BBC Three documentary unveils 50 employees swindled into working for company that never even existed

Jobfished reveals the bizarre real-life case of 50 employees being tricked into working for a fake company (Picture: BBC)

BBC Three documentary Jobfished is set to unveil the crazy story of how a fake digital design agency tricked over 50 people into believing that they were working remotely for a real-life company.

If you’ve been enjoying Netflix’s Tinder Swindler, then this is definitely worth your time…

Set to air tonight, the one-hour film, fronted by investigative journalist Catrin Nye and her team, delves deep into the made-up company Madbird.

Built on fakery during the pandemic, its own staff had no idea they had been working for a fraudster until a damning email exposed the truth once and for all.

For months, they had slogged as unwitting victims of an elaborate online con, tricked into believing they had good jobs at a successful company.

‘I worked there for six months and I think I contacted over 10,000 people,’ former Madbird employee Jordan revealed.

Upon discovering the truth about the business he was working for, the 26-year-old said: ‘In my head at the time, I was thinking I’ve wasted six months where the minimum wage would have got me over £8,000 and I got nothing.’

Chris’s fake job cost him £10,000 in debts due to not being paid (Picture: BBC)

Chris, 27, from Cornwall, was laid off from his previous job during the pandemic and seized the opportunity to work at Madbird after securing an interview.

‘I never got paid anything at all,’ he told the camera. ‘Nothing.’

‘To have gone months at Madbird without pay [while] still paying off a mortgage, paying off loans, it leaves you in a deep whole in effect,’ he continued.

Asked how much working at Madbird had cost him, he said: ‘That racked up to £10,000.’

More: BBC Three

Chris and Jordan took Madbird to an employment tribunal. It found in their favour and ordered the company to pay them £8000 each in unpaid minimum wages.

The company owner, however, appealed the verdict but lost. Neither employee has seen a penny.

Intrigued to know the ins and outs? Tune into the documentary tonight.

Jobfished airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Three.

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