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.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Petersons Brothers Fishing Company

This is a money mule scam which leaves its options open as to how the victim will be exploited. I believe that the domain name used in this scam was registered by the scammers: the website is not particularly convincing, and the registration is both anonymous and quite recent.

   Domain Name: PETERSONSBROTHERFISHING.COM
   Registrar: MELBOURNE IT, LTD. D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLDWIDE
   Whois Server: whois.melbourneit.com
   Referral URL: http://www.melbourneit.com
   Name Server: YNS1.YAHOO.COM
   Name Server: YNS2.YAHOO.COM
   Updated Date: 19-oct-2008
   Creation Date: 19-oct-2008
   Expiration Date: 19-oct-2009

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Petersons Brothers Fishing Company <erickpetersons@yahoo.de>
Date: 2008/12/16
Subject: Job Offer (Payment Manager Needed)
To: ideceive@gmail.com


I'm Erick Petersons, Human Resources head of Petersons Brothers fishing company , A British Fishing and fishing equipment company with branches in Africa(South Africa), Europe and Asia. We are currently in search of a payment collectors/company representative within Africa, Asia(India, Malaysia, Brunei, Bahrain), Europe, North and Central America and the Middle East Region. Our website is www.petersonsbrotherfishing.com. Your Job description is as follows: 1)You would receive payment on our behalf from any of our various clients which would come in the form of cashiers checks, travelers checks, money orders and bank transfers. 2)You get the payments cashed/deposited at your bank. 3)As soon as the payment has been cleared by your bank, you then deduct a commission of 10% of each payment you would be receiving on our behalf which you are entitled to as been our representative 4)You thus send the remainder funds back via western union to details you would be given as soon as it has been confirmed you have received payment. Our payments will be issued out in your name and transfers will be made into the bank account provided by you as we would inform our clients to do. Therefore the following details would be needed from via email. 1)Your Full name 2)Your Physical Address( Not P.O.Box) with your state, city and zip code 3)Your Phone number 4)Your Age and Gender 5)Your Occupation 6)Your Nationality 7)Your Martial status 8)Bank Name (Only RHB Bank required for Malaysian Applicants) Once we have all confirmed your details, it would be forwarded to all of our clients and they will start making payments to you as the company's representative in your area .We would notify you as soon we confirm that any of our clients has mailed out payment to you and a letter of appointment will be issued out to you. We await your urgent response. Warmest Regards, Erick Petersons, Head Human Resources Department Petersons Brothers Fishing Company

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