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, August 27, 2008

Lomai Electronics

A Google search shows no evidence that the name "Lomai Electronics" is in use anywhere else, so I guess the scammers are making it up rather than ripping it off. This is another of the usual money mule scams in which stolen money is transferred to the "employee", and he is asked to launder it overseas via Western Union. The associated domain name, "lomai-electronics.com", was registered just over a week ago. I don't expect it lo last for long, and there may be other similar ones registered and standing by to substitute for it.

   Domain Name: LOMAI-ELECTRONICS.COM
   Registrar: ESTDOMAINS, INC.
   Whois Server: whois.estdomains.com
   Referral URL: http://www.estdomains.com
   Name Server: NS1.SECUREDNS.IR
   Name Server: NS2.SECUREDNS.IR
   Updated Date: 25-aug-2008
   Creation Date: 18-aug-2008
   Expiration Date: 18-aug-2009

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted (false, random)]
Date: 2008/8/27 UTC
Subject: SEEK Newsletter
To: [redacted (privacy)]


A leading Hong Kong company in the field of low-cost manufacturing, sales and distribution looking for a responsible, confident & honest people for the position of Company Representative in your particular region of Australia:
- Work from home 3-4 hours per day.
- Or work from anywhere (all you need is a computer & a phone).
- Ongoing support provided.

There are no fees or spending money for you. Please visit Lomai Electronics for more details.


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