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.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Zinex Finance

Thanks to M from Australia for providing this one -- I haven't seen it in my spam traps yet. This is a typical money mule scam targeting Australians and New Zealanders. These are almost invariably payment processing jobs where the "employers" want people to accept direct bank transfers and then forward money via Western Union. The incoming transfers are fraudulent -- the money is taken from online accounts that have been phished. If you receive such a transfer, don't withdraw the money, but notify your bank immediately that the transaction is suspicious. They'll send the money back to its rightful owner.

There are probably other domain names than the following -- this is the only one I know of at the time of posting.

   Domain Name: ZINEXFINAUSTRALIA.COM
   Registrar: BIZCN.COM, INC.
   Whois Server: whois.bizcn.com
   Referral URL: http://www.bizcn.com
   Name Server: NS1.TWOODPARK.COM
   Name Server: NS2.TWOODPARK.COM
   Updated Date: 22-apr-2008
   Creation Date: 22-apr-2008
   Expiration Date: 22-apr-2009

---------- Forwarded message ----------
[headers redacted]
 
position  available:
Sales support specialist

Currently we are looking for  employees resident in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and EU to work with  us
The job does not need any special skills or knowledge in any specific  areas. Your commitment to the job, readiness to make the job on time and with  good quality, honesty and responsibility, good business acumen and accuracy are  the basic recruitment criteria.

Our employees occupying the position of  administrative assistant get monthly salary of 2,000-5000AUD with engagement of  about 10-15 hours per week. Our company, ZinexFinance Inc., founded in 1999, has  a number of affiliates all over Eastern Europe, Australia and New Zealand,  whereas the principle place of business is Moldova .The company is mainly  engaged in providing the clients with selling and reselling services, auction  support, administrative support provision by the sellers all over the world  aimed at sales facility potential growth.


Privileges of working for  us.
All the personnel working in our company are offered two-weeks leave  with pay twice a year. The rate of your holiday money reaches 2,000 AUD. The  first holiday leave can be taken in 3 months of work in the company.
If you  are our employee there is no necessity to worry about your taxes as our company  covers them all after you've sent us an income invoice stating the taxes you are  to pay. 

Any investments to start up?
We declare that you'll  have to invest nothing in order to start working for us. You won't have to buy  any brochures or company products for this. All the expenses pertaining to your  employment will be covered by the company.

 Monthly salary the  administrative assistant earns.
The salary of administrative assistant is  formed as a percentage (7%) from each payment managed by him and can reach  2000-5000 AUD in a month. In cases when your income fails to reach at least 2000  AUD the difference is covered by the company and sent to you by wire transfer or  check.

requirements :

-  Ability to follow  directions
-  Good responsibility to company requests
-  Fluent  English
-  Be of maturity age.
-  No criminal records(your  background will be verified)
-  Uphold a high level of integrity and  ethics.
-  Legal status of a resident in the territory of the  USA/Australia/New Zealand/EU.


We offer:
- We guarantee you  sufficient money to be added to your main salary (2000-5000AUD per month!),  provided you have a wish to work hard and to follow all our instructions on time  


- You will earn money right from your virtual home office while  working as an independent contractor with us.
- NO MONEY NEEDED TO  START!
- Good income
- Flexible schedule

You can find more  information about us here:
http://www.zinexfinaustralia.com

Please note that only candidates under serious  consideration will be contacted



Looking forward to cooperation  with you,

Zinex Finance Administration

Monday, April 21, 2008

Daiichi Sankyo Co.

This is a money mule scam with spectacularly mangled English, and worth reading for entertainment value alone. Need I mention that it is NOT from the company it claims to be (assuming such a company even exists)?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <worldtours@invitel.hu> [SPF verified]
Date: 21 Apr 2008 XX:XX UTC
Subject: ONLINE JOB OFFER.
To: undisclosed-recipients

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd
Address: 11#Emeishan north road,
Qinhuangdao Economic & Technologica,
Tokyo,Japan

This is an Official mail from The Group President/CEO Officer of I
hereby write to publicize this piece of certainty information reaching you
in good and expected period of good time. Member, Group Partner who
specifically deals on metabollic mineral raw materials chemicals and more
also Imports and Exports, Suppliment of Products into Canada,Mexico/America and Europe.

With Loyalty as a matter of fact dedicate an appropriate individual/
prospected representative that would rather work with me as Reliable to
establish mode of Draft receipt from company's product consumers in the mentioned
region as well as making Payments through you to us.

Note that, as our agent, you will receive ten percent(10%) of whatever
amount you receive for the company and the balance will be paid into an
account we will avail to you. If you are interested, I would appreciate
you forwarding to us the informations below;

(1)Full Names:
(2)Full Residential Or Office Address:
(3)Zip/Postal Code:
(4)Country:
(5)Tele/cell numbers:
(6)Occupation:
(7)Sex:
(8)Age:

You are to send these informations to us via this email address; infodaiichisankyoceo@yahoo.co.jp

Respectfully,
Mr.Daiichi Sankyo
Chairman (C.E.O).

Newman, Esmond & Eisenberg

I've been a slacker when it comes to reporting new scams of late. I first saw this one at least a week ago, but other sites are doing a fine job of keeping tabs on it. The short story is that it's the usual money mule scam. For the long, long story, see Bob Bear's description. If you're already involved, don't send these scammers any money, and if they deposit money into your account, notify your bank that the transaction is suspicious.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newman, Esmond & Eisenberg <[redacted (false, random)]>
Date: 20 Apr 2008 XX:XX UTC
Subject: notification about the vacancy.
To: [redacted (privacy)]



Newman, Esmond, & Eisenberg LLP is a Berne-based law firm providing legal services to a diverse group of clients in a wide array of domestic and global business transactions and litigation matters. Our clients include privately and publicly held companies, financial institutions, not-for-profit organizations and high net worth individuals. Our client base reflects virtually every business industry, including a number of Fortune 100 companies.
Our company has a current opening for a part-time position of a Customer Service Associate. Join a team of professionals dedicated to the international growth, brand recognition, and successful partnering with clients to achieve exceptional expansion.
This is a part time job position, that enquires 1-2 hours a day to be dealt with. The candidate will be responsible for dealing with the customer payments in his local area; this will include: monitoring the payments to arrive on his banking account, making calculations regarding each payment, transmitting the payments further to the regional business partners, associates and branches by the means of Western Union or Money Gram services and being in an interactive communication with the headquaters continiously.

The successful applicant will have computer literacy coupled with the ability to communicate at a good level and will enjoy being flexible, enthsiastic and driven.

The applicant can expect a part-time working agreement to be signed up after the trial period is over. The employee is paid on a regular basis in the end of every month, as well as he gets a 10% commission out of each customer payment he has dealt with.

The main aim of the role is to attract new customers by offering them the high-speed delivery of their orders and to fasten customer payment delivery by prompt collection of their payments.

In NEE LLP we believe, that career is more than a job. It's about skills training. Competitive salaries. Flexible scheduling. Comprehensive benefits. Job satisfaction. At NEE LLP, we offer all this and more. Because we want to help you enjoy your work… and your life.
If you feel interested in a position, please visit our web-site to apply now!
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please consider, this is not a spam distribution. Your contact details were kindly put into our disposal by our partners: www.monster.com and www.careerbuilder.com.

We are looking to hearing from you asap,
Yours sincerely, Marta Sharp

[substantial amounts of white-coloured garbage text redacted]