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.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

MFC/EMDS

Scammers change names a lot because their scams are discovered fairly rapidly. This one seems to be using several names simultaneously, which is sloppy of them. The spam, copied below, uses the name "MFC LTD", without specifying what the "MFC" is supposed to stand for. "Mail Forwarding Company", maybe? The website at www.mailassistance.net seems to prefer "Executive Mail Drop Services" (EMDS).

I call it a reshipper scam. These guys want to purchase things (usually laptops and such like) using stolen credit card details, and they want the merchants to ship locally so that they don't get too suspicious. The local reshippers then forward the goods overseas. The merchants eventually figure out that they've been robbed, and may pay the unsuspecting reshipper a visit, hoping to get their goods back.

You really don't want to be in this line of work. The amount of time you will spend trying to persuade the police that you are innocent isn't worth it. They'll probably take all the money you get paid as compensation for the merchants that were robbed in any case.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: launce ncar [redacted (false, random)]
Date: 2008/7/24
Subject: Best Position Ever Offered!
To: ideceive@gmail.com


From time to time, people look for a better job with more favorable conditions. We remember already from childhood:  "All
kind of work is good. It is up to you to choose..." That is the point: if you want to get a job which fits your needs
well, you need to approach the search very thoroughly

Work, undoubtedly, ennobles personality. But reality is different: what person manages to do is to work and only work
(sometimes without any clue about career).
Alarm is ringing. We wake up, dress up. And, fortunately have time to eat a breakfast, and then we rush to work.

Look, it is already evening outside and you did not have a minute to call your beloved person or a child because every now
and then you are under your manager's eye, they can always find additional work for you. And, at last... cherished minutes
of your working day. But, of course you will have to stay with extra work for an hour or two, work cannot wait. Late night
we come home, without any will to socialize, do something at home. You have will only to crawl to your bed, quickly go
through some channels on TV and, AT LAST, go to bed... Alarm is ringing. And it is over and over again...NO, SUCH JOB IS NOT
AFTER OUR HEARTS!

I, Graig Romero, as an Chief Executive Manager of MFC LTD.  am honest to you. I want that it would be comfortable and
pleasant to you at the new company and position. I want you to work and get good money without any stress.

For already 5 years, our company successfully specializes with competitive advantage in such services like call
forwarding, mail drops, re-mailing, account opening and management, both for physical and juridical entities. We develop
small businesses sphere, as well as help to get mail and parcels to any point in the world without being physically
subscribed to an address. With the help of our company people have an opportunity to buy goods in popular Internet Online
getting favorable discounts and sending products anywhere they need. The world is like an open book.

We want to offer you flexible work at home. Working at home attracts with its flexibility and variety. In order to work
for us, you do not have to attend training. You will have to work only 2-3 hours per day when it is convenient to You.

Some of our clients are people who cannot buy what they need in some of the Internet shops, because ones ship only within
a country, but not worldwide.

That is why; position of the Correspondence Manager is open for you. We need people who have such qualities as
responsibility and honesty.

Your main task will be to meet a courier, receive parcels and mail and forward them to our clients. For each received and
forwarded parcel we guarantee you a payment of 50$ and also 6-10 parcels per week as a starting option. But, this
commission is only a starting payment, if you work with us more than a month, we guarantee to raise it to 70$ per parcel.
This is not the limit.

As you have noticed, work is not difficult, but responsible. Acceptance requirements:

1.      Majority (Full age).
2.      2-3- hours of free time to meet courier.
3.      Presence of the postal address.
4.      Knowledge of English
5.      Responsibility and Honesty.

If we made you interested in our offer you are welcome to proceed to our website to fill out the application form.

In conclusion - remember, everything is in Your hands.

Contact us:
support@mailassistance.net


www.mailassistance.net


Kind Regards,
Graig Romero,
Chief Executive Manager,
MFC LTD.


3 comments:

Spotter said...

Domain Name: MAILASSISTANCE.NET
Registrar: DIRECTI INTERNET SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD. D/B/A PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM
Whois Server: whois.PublicDomainRegistry.com
Referral URL: http://www.PublicDomainRegistry.com
Name Server: NS1.ROBOHOST.ORG
Name Server: NS2.ROBOHOST.ORG
Updated Date: 17-jul-2008
Creation Date: 10-jul-2008
Expiration Date: 10-jul-2009

Anonymous said...

Just received the same e-mail and I clicked on the link for the website and a page comes up that says it is suspended...Surprise Surprise!!! Don't fall for this scam!!!

Anonymous said...

It appears they're back and trying to cover their trail with a new (but similiar website)
www.executivemaildropservice.us

They're using most of the same language in the email see below:
We want to offer you flexible work at home.
Working at home attracts with its flexibility and variety. In order to work for
us, you do not have to attend training.
You will have to work only 2-3 hours per day when it is convenient to You.
Some of our clients are people who cannot buy what they need in some of the
Internet shops, because ones ship only within a country, but not worldwide.
That is why position of the Remote Manager for Handling Correspondence is open
for you. We need people who have such qualities as responsibility and honesty.

Your main task will be to meet a courier, receive parcels and mail and forward
them to our clients.
For each received and forwarded parcel we guarantee you a payment of 50$ and
also 6-10 parcels per week as a starting option.
But, this commission is only a starting payment, if you work with us more than a
month, we guarantee to raise it to 70$ per parcel.
This is not the limit.

Best Regards, Human Resource Department, Manager Edward Hamilton.

Fax Number: 866-291-2612 (www.executivemaildropservice.us)

Glad I saw this blog. The consistent theme actually creeps me out.

Hope this helps someone to NOT become a victim.