Consultancy company threatening to sue after I left. Demanding $5K as training costs.

I joined a Consultancy company in New York and they made me sign a document stating I need to pay $5000 as training and lodging costs if I leave them during the training period and up until I get placed through them, at which point they would make me sign another contract.
After my training was completed, they made a fake resume on my name with 7 years worth of fake experience and asked me to play along and give interviews with that fake profile. I have 2 years of actual experience and I wasn't comfortable with the fake experience they were showing, so when I learned about that, I decided to leave them. Now the employer(Consultancy company) is threatening to take legal action and also threatened by saying he has copy of my SSN and EAD card so I better pay them $5000 or come back and interview with fake profile.
What should I do? Should I be worried?

1 answer  |  asked Oct 16, 2016 8:45 PM [EST]  |  applies to New York

Answers (1)

V Jonas Urba
So you are considering being a whistleblower? Does this consultancy have any accreditation or licensing oversight or do they receive state or federal funding?

If you threaten to blow the whistle on them and they retaliate against you that may be illegal.

You can not continue to condone fraud. You can not perpetuate false statements.

Request to correct your resume or provide them with the honest one and instruct them to use that one effective immediately.

You do know that your bigger problem is that if you were hired by any company under false resume you are subject to termination forever when any employer discovers that.

For example you work for an employer for 10 years they discriminate against you and you complain. Using a falsified experience level you would have unclean hands. Their after acquired information of your unclean hands 10 years ago would negate any claim you may have had for discrimination. You are not rewarded just because of a falsified 10 year old resume even though you may have otherwise had a great claim.

You have no choice. Good luck.

posted by V Jonas Urba  |  Oct 17, 2016 06:16 AM [EST]

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