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.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Safit US


The job description looks like a "reshipper" scam, but their website claims that they are in software development, so what goods could they possibly want re-shipped? The usual answer to that question is "expensive consumer electronics, like laptop computers". Anyhow, stay away from this scam unless aiding international fraudsters is your idea of a good career move.

   Domain Name: SAFITUSJOB.COM
   Registrar: SCHLUND+PARTNER AG
   Whois Server: whois.schlund.info
   Referral URL: http://REGISTRAR.SCHLUND.INFO
   Name Server: NS57.1AND1.COM
   Name Server: NS58.1AND1.COM
   Updated Date: 16-sep-2007
   Creation Date: 16-sep-2007
   Expiration Date: 16-sep-2008

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted (false)]
Subject: New Positions Available. Home based.
To: ideceive@gmail.com

Hello dear Jobseeker,

Please find below new interest in your resume from our Employer:

Job Information:
Job Title: Coordinator of Delivery Department and Logistics.
Location: US,CA,UK,AU,NZ
Job Type: Home based
Salary: 35,000$-45,000$ + Bonuses
Company Name: Safit US LLC
Company's Site: www.SafitUSjob.com
Job Verification Number: C773

Message From Job Poster:
We are interested in your resume for a home based job position. Please visit our official site www.SafitUSjob.com  to
find more information about our company. If you are interested in the
Position please go to Vacancies Section. Please note that your Job Verification Number is : C773


PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL

If you reply to this email, your reply will not be read. If you have questions or comments for CareerBuilder, please use
our Feedback form.

Friday, December 14, 2007

HeartMicroTech Inc

"Remote Financial Operator" is yet another way of saying "money mule". The originating IP address of this particular spam was 81.215.204.30 (delegated to Turk Telecom), and I'm not sure whether that means the scammer himself is in Turkey, or whether it's just been sent through a compromised end user computer there. Anyhow, it's all terribly vague, but the punch line is usually that they want some kind of (fraudulent) payment converted into a Western Union money transfer.

Domain ID:D149624706-LROR
Domain Name:HEARTMICROTECHINC.ORG
Created On:01-Nov-2007 13:50:29 UTC
Last Updated On:01-Nov-2007 13:50:30 UTC
Expiration Date:01-Nov-2008 13:50:29 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Registrant ID:GODA-039346921
Registrant Email:heartmicrotech@gmail.com
Name Server: NS05.DOMAINCONTROL.COM
Name Server:NS06.DOMAINCONTROL.COM

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted (random)]
Subject: Part-Time Job!
To: [redacted]

We would like to offer you a vacancy of Remote Financial Operator.

My name is Birger Frans and I'm Chief Manager of the personnel
department in HeartMicroTech Inc.. I am pleased to offer you a vacant position
of Remote Financial Operator in HeartMicroTech.

Let me tell you a little about our company. We are engaged in
developing different technical gadgets for modern medical market, and we have
more than 11 patented innovations and brand new brilliant ideas. Company
was established in Zurich in 2003 and has earned quite good reputation
in the market since then. At the moment we have plans for further
development, our intentions are to broaden our services and add an
international network to serve clients all over the world.

To offer our foreign customers more favorable and comfortable
conditions we have made the decision to create an international network of
remote operators. We hired employees in various areas of the world. It
allowed our clients to get access to wider assortment of goods than before.
In fact, earlier, many medical goods suppliers refused to work with us
for the reason of bureaucracy that occurred when registration of legal
documents was needed to transport equipment or make payments.


The Duties of the Remote Financial Operator consist of dealing with
financial parts of our company's orders in his/her area. We pay 5-10% from
the order total.  Also, there is a fixed salary of $1500 per month.
Health insurance included.

Work Requirements

1) Minimal knowledge of personal computer and Internet/E-mail access
2) Legal age
3) Willingness to work at home 2-3 hrs per day
4) Crime-free background (background check will be made before
accepting on the position)

No upfront payments or pledges for the goods required!

Please reply to this opening@heartmicrotechinc.org if you are
interested in this opening. We will provide you with more information. Feel free
to ask questions.

Best Regards,

Birger Frans

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Condor Company

Random fake company with nothing more than a Gmail address seeks suckers to act as money mules. Slight identity crisis here: subject says "Burneys Finances Services", body says "Condor Company". It's hard to keep this stuff sorted out when you change identities so frequently.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted (fake)]
Date: 8 Dec 2007 08:38
Subject: Vacancy opened in Burneys Finances Services
To: ideceive@gmail.com

Good day,

Let me introduce myself. I am the Head Hiring Manager of Condor Company Viktor Horoshavin. At this moment we are seeking a new employee for the constant position in our Structure.

Our Company is specialized in producing and selling different kinds of office and home furniture answering to all requirements of taste, fashion and price. Condor Company was based in 2004. Since that time we have proved high quality and modern technologies of our goods and achieved world popularity in furniture industry. Our production is well-known among our customers in France, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands and Sweden. At this stage we are interested in widening our market and now represent our Product in the United States of America. We need a Professional who will be our Official representative in the USA and serve our financial interests.

Our requirements: USA citizenship. Responsibility, diligence and honesty.

Job description: Financial operations with our company’s wholesale lots. Reception of payments for wholesale lots. Preparation of monthly reports.

Conditions: Monthly commission is based on percentage. You will receive 5 % from each payment that comes in your bank account. (You will have approximately $2 500 - $ 3 000 monthly)
Our job proposal can be taken as a part time position and will not give any negative effect to your present job status.

Please feel free to ask any questions. Our managers will be glad to give you more information if you are interested. Contact us by e-mail:

support.condor@gmail.com

Thank you. Best regards,
Condor Company.

Lat Trading


Just another random fictional company looking for money mules in the USA.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Subject: Opportunity

Are you looking for a part-time or full-time vacancy in the US, or work for students?  If you’re looking for a high
and stable level of income, with remarkable growth potential and an international scope, we invite you to join Lat
Trading, and fill one of our many available vacancies for US regional financial representative.

The quantity of sales, along with the size of our partnership network, is growing every day, and we are now announcing
the hiring of new representatives of our company in the U.S.

The basic skills we look for in an associate are an outgoing nature, an ability to take the initiative, basic personal
computer skills, and a sound knowledge of how payment systems work.

Working with us is always interesting. When you work with us, you’ll have a stable income; you’ll interact
with people, organize the networks of our partners, and a whole lot more.


Join us!

Visit our website for more info: www.lat-trading.com

Monday, December 10, 2007

Noni Health Care

This is just another dodgy Nigerian (IP address 41.219.193.87) wanting you to bank his fake checks in exchange for real money. What's amusing is that he's linked to noni.com in the process, suggesting that it's some sort of charity. It's not: they are purveyors of an exotic (and bad smelling) "health food" sold through network marketing. I should therefore emphasise that this listing is for our friend the dodgy Nigerian scammer pretending to be "Noni Health Care", not the actual sellers of the nasty Tahitian Noni gunk.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: JERRY PASTEUR <jerrypasteur@hotmail.com>
Date: 11 Dec 2007 06:31
Subject: PART TIME REPRESENTATIVE NEED/ JOB OFFER




Hello,

I am Jerry Pasteur, one of representatives' in Noni Health Care, we work
hard to support the community. As a brand, we aim to help improve the
quality of life for children and their families. This is demonstrated in
our role as corporate sponsor for the Well Child charity with money raised
going towards helping sick children and their families. We are an
organization with a remarkable heritage.

Am inviting you to be a representative of Noni and earn a commission for
funds raised.This may earn you about $4000 per week or more which does not
affect your current job earning or disability money.This way funds will be
made in your name from our Donor round USA and some part of the world and
you deduct Ten percent (10%) of the total amount on these funds as your
commission for the great service you have rendered in support to saving
life's in the third world and have the rest sent to our receiving Western
Union Agent.

I'm sending you this offer because I have just been granted a funding to
head a charity support project in part of Asia and Africa counseling on
the HIV/AIDS which is increasing at an alarming rate and provision of
basic amenities in support to humanitarian services to the third world
Nations and this would be commencing very soon and clearing this fund here
takes longer time and much is deducted from it in the bank.This
opportunity is just for the mean time and it won't affect your present
job. If you are interested forward the following info to my email for
further instructions

YOUR
FULL NAME : ........................
FULL ADDRESS : ......................
CITY : ................................
STATE: ................................
COUNTRY ..............................
ZIP CODE: ..........................
PHONE NUMBER (S) : .................................
GENDER : ..................................
AGE : ...................................... DRIVERS LICENCE
NO.:............................

Please i would be expecting your email asap.
www.noni.com
Representative: Mr.Jerry Pasteur
Registered No. 1081182
Reply to this e-mail : jerrypasteur@hotmail.com