Job scam quick guide: it's a scam if...

  • they want you to collect and forward money in any way (a "money mule" job). You'll wind up engaged in money laundering, personally defrauded via expertly forged cheques, money orders, etc, or defrauding someone else who pays for goods that never arrive.
  • they want you to receive packages and reship them somewhere else. The goods will have been obtained fraudulently, and they're just using you to make the shipping address appear local. You will be aiding fraud.
  • they want up-front payment (either to them or someone else) of any sort for anything before you can get the job. This is advance fee fraud: there is no job -- it's just a big con to extract money from you.
  • they want you to buy any kind of "membership" or "kit" in order to start. Forget it -- it's not a real job at all: they're trying to sell you something, and they're probably making a bunch of other false claims about it if they're pitching it as a "job".
  • it's a job offer, and it's spam. There are LOTS of these scams about, as you can see.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

NeoLenses

This looks a lot like the same guys who did the ProCardio (and possibly Sales Masters ) job scam. Their positions are always money mule jobs. If they're true to form, there will be other domain names registered. Note that the phone numbers and address given at the end of this spam are false and misleading -- they probably belong to some completely unrelated third party if they exist at all. They remain included here because people search on that sort of thing.

Domain Name:                                 NEOLENSES.BIZ
Domain ID:                                   D20863051-BIZ
Sponsoring Registrar:                        THE REGISTRY AT INFO AVENUE
Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID:                123
Registrant Email:                            sidneyejsatofgh@yahoo.com
Name Server:                                 NS1.MYMRNB.COM
Name Server:                                 NS2.MYMRNB.COM
Created by Registrar:                        THE REGISTRY AT INFO AVENUE
Last Updated by Registrar:                   THE REGISTRY AT INFO AVENUE
Domain Registration Date:                    Tue Oct 23 16:39:24 GMT 2007
Domain Expiration Date:                      Wed Oct 22 23:59:59 GMT 2008
Domain Last Updated Date:                    Tue Oct 23 16:44:20 GMT 2007


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: home-based job offer <[redacted (false)]>
Date: 30 Oct 2007 12:18
Subject: Customer Service Representative  Home-Based JOB with paid trial. CS[redacted]
To: [redacted (privacy)]

     
  [Image redacted]
 


NeoLenses Laboratories is one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of contact lenses and intraocular implant lenses based in USA.

NeoLenses currently have an exciting opportunity for a new Customer Service Representative to join an Australian distributors team on the "work from home" basis.
Working within a service team of eight other personnel, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain permanent employment after a two weeks trial period if you are able to prove your abilities and commitment to the position.

Working hours: Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm (EST Australian Time) 1 hour for lunch. Part-time positions are also available: Monday to Friday, from 9am to 1pm (EST Australian Time)

Wages: When benefits and bonuses are added to the base salary, the average total compensation for this position would be AUD$68,000 after tax annually.

Reporting directly to the Customer Service Supervisor, your duties will include the following:

• Handle telephone enquiries (all expenses will be covered by the company)
• Process phone, fax and email orders (all necessary equipment and software will be provided)
• Prioritise and co-ordinate the data entry of customer orders and credits
• Raise invoices
• Assist the Financial Representative as required
• Customer Service Representative may perform work of a similar type and level as that of subordinates.

We are looking for applicants preferably (but not a must) with prior experience in customer service and who display exceptional communication skills. If you consider yourself a genuine team player who is also able to work autonomously, have excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong attention to detail and a commitment to quality, not to mention a confident, professional and polite phone manner then this could be the opportunity you have been waiting for!

To the successful applicants we offer a position on a 2 weeks trial basis. During this trial period you will be receiving training and online support while working and being paid.
The evaluation of employees on a trial period is usually done at least 3 days prior to the end of their trial period. During the trial period, the supervisor can recommend termination. At the end of the trial period, supervisor makes his final decision.

If you are interested in this vacancy and you feel, that your qualifications correspond to our requirements, please follow this link www.neolenses.biz to fill in an application form.

Thank you for your interest to this job.
Sincerely,

NeoLenses Laboratories

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response.


 
   

 

 

© Copyright 2002 NeoLenses Laboratories Phone +1 (518) 632-1001
Fax +1 (518) 541-1220
Address 307 general manor rd.
12962 NY Morrisonville, USA
 

12 comments:

Spotter said...

Domain Name: NEOLENSES-LAB.NET
Registrar: THE REGISTRY AT INFO AVENUE D/B/A IA REGISTRY
Whois Server: whois.iaregistry.com
Referral URL: http://www.iaregistry.com
Name Server: NS1.MYMRNB.COM
Name Server: NS2.MYMRNB.COM
Updated Date: 23-oct-2007
Creation Date: 23-oct-2007
Expiration Date: 23-oct-2008

Spotter said...

Domain Name: NEOLENSES-LAB.BIZ
Domain ID: D20862400-BIZ
Name Server: NS1.MYMRNB.COM
Name Server: NS2.MYMRNB.COM
Created by Registrar: REGISTER.COM
Last Updated by Registrar: REGISTER.COM
Domain Registration Date: Tue Oct 23 15:57:56 GMT 2007
Domain Expiration Date: Wed Oct 22 23:59:59 GMT 2008
Domain Last Updated Date: Tue Oct 23 16:00:09 GMT 2007

Spotter said...

Domain Name: NEOLENSES-LAB.COM
Registrar: REGISTER.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.register.com
Referral URL: http://www.register.com
Name Server: NS1.MYMRNB.COM
Name Server: NS2.MYMRNB.COM
Updated Date: 23-oct-2007
Creation Date: 23-oct-2007
Expiration Date: 23-oct-2008

Anonymous said...

"cautious aussie"...Have been offerred a "job" with Neolenses, Morrisonville NY...checked the USA white pages...no such company at that address...

Anonymous said...

I received a job offer but something didn't feel right so did more research and came across this website...Now I can't believe I was nearly sucked into this scam...feel really stupid !

Anonymous said...

I too have been approached by this company and have looked into it extensively. I have sent and received corro answering all my questions. They have NOT asked for any money to do this job. They are a registerd Australian company with ABN and registered with ASIC. Search the ABN for details. They are NOT are new company and have also recently changed addresses. So perhaps that is why it is not listed yet in the phone book as you mentioned. I'm not convinced this is a scam.

Spotter said...

Well, well -- the scammers are posting their lies directly in my blog. The part about NeoLenses not asking any money for the job is true -- they're not running an advance fee fraud scam, but a money mule scam. The part about them answering correspondence quickly is probably true: they are most interested in having you work for them for as long as you can -- which will be right up until your bank freezes your account for receiving fraudulent transfers. At that point you're no longer of any use to them, and you'll never hear from them again.

The part about ASIC and ABNs, on the other hand, is a blatant lie: NeoLenses claims to be a US-based company, and is not known by ASIC. Search ASIC for yourself. (It's not really a US-based company either: it's a complete and total fabrication.)

Anonymous said...

Dear Spotter I am not a "scammer" posting on your blog! I am one of your avid readers and for the first time ever I have posted a blog and your convinced that I am a scammer - why?
For your other avid readers and bloggers, I am not a scammer, I was merely posting my thoughts.They are on ASIC .regards blogger

Spotter said...

I'm sure there are a number of scammers who are avid readers of blogs like this. But if you're really not lying about the whole ASIC thing, then please provide us with more details. I did a search for "NeoLenses" on ASIC and it turned up nothing whatsoever. You mentioned an ABN -- I haven't seen one anywhere, and you haven't included it here in a post.

It's a scam, folks. Real companies simply don't hire money mules.

Anonymous said...

I recieved a job offer and was concerened when they said I had to provide my Tax file number so I checked the ABN Number and ACN number and it was registered under NLL PTY LTD ( The ABN info was supplied when they sent through an agreement) I haven't signed anything yet I had to check first!! The ABN has been registered for a few years in Vic Australia. Do you still think it is a scam?http://www.neolenses.com/doc/agreement_PT.doc

Anonymous said...

I was suspicious straight away and put in a completely false application and they offered me a trial period - ha! I have forwarded all their details to the AFP.

Spotter said...

Hey, Concerned -- thanks for the link to the employment agreement. I've filed it for future reference. It's very impressive -- it's been plagiarised from Middlesex University in the UK! See
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/aboutus/fpr/docs/hrps13.pdf

As for NLL PTY LTD in Australia, that appears to be a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, which has no metion of anything called "NeoLenses Laboratories". Also, the Australian Business Register does not list any trading names for "NLL PTY LTD". It's therefore unlikely that this NLL PTY LTD has any relevance to so-called NeoLenses. They show great attention to detail in their scamming, though!

In any case, it makes no sense that a company with an already-established Australian branch would be paying ridiculously high salaries for work-at-home jobs which involve forwarding money. You'll note that nothing in their job ad or "employment contract" says anything about forwarding money, except very obliquely: "The Employee handles administrative matters for Finance Representative as assigned and functions for him/her in business matters during his/her absence, as delegated." This is ultimately the hard-core proof that it's a scam. Everything else is circumstantial. If they want you to receive money and forward it, it's illegal money laundering, and the position is known as "money mule".