[US] I think I’m training a scammer ?

Throwaway account for privacy.

I work from home, so I’ve never met my new trainee in person. Our communication is entirely phone-based. We work in the accounts receivable department, and there’s a LOT of personal information on file (SSNs, addresses, phone numbers, etc.). It’s basically a scammer’s dream if they could get their hands on it.

Even though the job is remote, we all live in the same regional area. It was office-based before the pandemic, and the company still prefers to hire locally in case we ever need to meet in person. So this isn’t a nationwide job — we’re all within driving distance of each other. This guy claims to live in our area but doesn’t seem to know anything about it. He’s never heard of some very regionally known stores. Imagine being from Texas and you’ve never heard of H-E-B.

Biggest red flags:

He initially told me he was 32. Later, he said he was 24.

He clearly has a South Asian accent. (To be clear: that alone doesn’t raise suspicion — it gets weirder.) I speak Spanish fluently and was on a call in Spanish while he was shadowing me. I asked him if he speaks any other languages, and he said no — just English.

He almost always keeps himself on mute, but when he unmutes to respond, I can clearly hear what sounds like a call center in the background — other people on business calls, not household noise.

Other odd behavior that makes me think he might be reading from a script:

Casual conversation about travel: I asked where he’s traveled. Long pause. Then he says, “Europe.” I asked where in Europe, and he said he didn’t remember — it was “five years ago.”

He has no idea who his internet service provider is. This is really important for our work. I asked him who his wireless provider is. “iPhone.”

Talking about movies: I asked who his favorite actor is. Another long pause… then he says, “Al Pacino. The Godfather.” I followed up and asked what other Al Pacino movies he likes. He didn’t respond at all.

I kept trying to make small talk. He would just ignore me.

There are other examples, but overall, he comes across like someone trying to say things they think sound “normal” to Americans — or at least what they think sounds normal. He also takes a long time to answer every question. Like he’s waiting for a prompt.

When I put it all together, I’m still not sure if I’m being bizarre and paranoid. Should I go to HR with this concern?

Do scammers ever get normal jobs just to access client information? I’ve never heard of that happening before.