Just got the following job offer for a "Financial Representative" position. Of course, it's a check cashing scam.
For those of you who haven't heard about the check cashing job scams going around the internet, they work like this: A company pretends to hire you as a "financial representative" to cash checks from their clients in your country, because they don't have a presence in your country. They send you checks, you cash them, take a piece of the money, and then wire the rest through Western Union.
Here's the problem... the checks are only good enough to pass first inspection. Most banks will cash checks for their customers under a certain amount without checking to see if they're good. Then a few days or a week later, once they've gone through the clearinghouse and come back as no good, the bank demands their money back. You've already sent it via Western Union, but since you're the one who cashed the check, you're on the hook for the money. Good luck getting your "employer" to even answer your e-mails after that, much less return the money.
Here's the e-mail I got:
from: Ophelia Ortega <xfidnsqcvacf@bowkerandassoc.com>
date: Wed, Apr 23, 2008 at 11:26 AM
subject: For: columns [editor's note: the address it was sent to was "columns" @ one of my domains]Grandy's Epack Corporation is announcing about a job opening in the company. The software developer now having their clients in different globe spots located needs Financial Representatives to help handle money flow and save both time and efforts of their clients. No upfront paying, you will never be asked for a dime out of your pocket. You get paid instantly in amount of 5% out every transaction operation.
Benefits listed:
-Steady income in amount of 3500 $ minimum on a monthly basis.
-5-6 hours a week! That's all you have to spent on doing this job. You can easily combine this job with your another one.Requirements:
-Basic idea in Accounting
-Regular internet Access
-Ability to accept payments using your BANK ACCOUNT
-Ability to resend money VIA WESTERN UNIONIf feel qualified ,please, attach the following info to start up with:
- Fist Name:
- Last Name:
- Age:
- Sex:
- State, City, Zip:
- Phone number( home and cell):
- Valid email address:Please, contact us for the first time via this email address: epackpersonnel@gmail.com , in the subject field put: "Interested". Use only mentioned email address, otherwise we'll fail to receive your response.
Here are your big red flags:
- Why is her e-mail address a string of gobbledygook at an odor control company in the U.S. instead of with the company she's recruiting for?
- The English is terrible. Bad grammar isn't a crime, but seems to be an affliction common to these criminals.
- "accept payments using your BANK ACCOUNT" and "resend money VIA WESTERN UNION"... Yup, run away. Run away fast. (p.s. I didn't put theose words in all-caps. They did. It's as if they were trying to point out their red flags for me.)
- who is going to pay a complete stranger over $100 an hour for *legal* work that requires next to no skill and next to no effort? Come on.
This came to an e-mail address I haven't used in years an never associated with my job search, so that was a flag too, but only for me. You may have gotten your copy at your primary address. Still, toss this away, don't reply, and understand that there's nothing you can really do about it except warn others not to fall for it.
Best of luck to you all.
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Oops, looks like these scammers were active. When I got home, I found I got one at another address I don't have my g-mail set up to check during the day. This one was addressed from oqhaoaldx@bobtheitguy.com.
I just got this email myself about 5 minutes ago. It seemed pretty blatant as scam emails go, but was quite interested to see exactly how the scam works.
I think their biggest problem is that even if somebody thinks it might be genuine, it takes but a second to paste the company name into google and hey presto, the jig is up!
Thanks for this informations, I just got same mail but from another person:
"Grandy's Epack Corporation is announcing about a job opening in the company. The software developer now having their clients in different globe spots located needs Financial Representatives to help handle money flow and save both time and efforts of their clients. No upfront paying, you will never be asked for a dime out of your pocket. You get paid instantly in amount of 5% out every transaction operation.
Benefits listed:
-Steady income in amount of 3500 $ minimum on a monthly basis.
-5-6 hours a week! That's all you have to spent on doing this job. You can easily combine this job with your another one.
Requirements:
-Basic idea in Accounting
-Regular internet Access
-Ability to accept payments using your BANK ACCOUNT -Ability to resend money VIA WESTERN UNION
If feel qualified ,please, attach the following info to start up with:
- Fist Name:
- Last Name:
- Age:
- Sex:
- State, City, Zip:
- Phone number( home and cell):
- Valid email address:
Please, contact us for the first time via this email address: 4GEstaff@gmail.com , in the subject field put: "Interested". Use only mentioned email address, otherwise we'll fail to receive your response."
When I get information that is easy to earn money that is a flag for me. So I check it on the net, and I found what I was expecting to find.
Thanks again!!!
I have a receive only mail address for automatic notification of errors from my web site, and that's getting them too: "Salvador Matos"
You have a great blog. Your comments about "Grady's EPack Corporation" are very interesting. I recieved e-mail today from a tequilaman909@patula.com. I checked "patula.com" and it is a Chicago law firm's web site. I see you got one from someone using xfidnsqcvacf@bowkerandassoc.com. The bowkerandassoc.com web site is owned by a consulting engineering firm in Portland Maine. Its nice to know there are people exposing scams. However, I do have one question about these e-mails. How do scammers send e-mails using a legitimate company's email address?
@F. Zeigler,
There's nothing stopping you from using a fake address on your e-mail. They use a legitimate company's e-mail address by using faked headers, and if you know how to do that, it's sooooo easy.
A lot of us fake headers all the time. If I want to send mail from a brainhandles.com address, I can just instruct my mail program to use the mail server Comcast provides for use with my cable modem, but use my Brainhandles.com address instead of my Comcast address. The mail's going out with a Brainhandles.com e-mail address on it, but it never passed through a Brainhandles.com server.
Some mail servers now try to match the sender's IP address to known IP addresses for the domain in the sender's e-mail address, but even then, it's a far from perfect check (because a lot of legitimate people use their ISP's mail servers for outgoing mail from multiple domains they own or have addresses at), and you only see if that check failed if you know where to look in the e-mail headers that are normally hidden from your view.
I got this email today at work and I found it really amusing. See, I actually am a software engineer who works for a payment solution provider / automated clearing house (psp/ach). We could actually set him up with something similar to what he's looking for -- I doubt he'll get 5% though, maybe closer to 13.5%. And his bank account would be electronically debited and cleared before we released any payments.
I forwarded this to our sales staff, just for fun.
I have received these types of e-mails from time to time, and I thought they were a scam. Thanks for the info, now I know how they are a scam.
Yeah,those are good ones!How bout tangram Interiors.lloyd Davis is his name.googled that name.noone at that company by that name.But they used a.legit website as a front!SAW Thru that though!
I have received the same email today. I feel very strange for that and search the "Grandy's Epack Corporation" and find this interesting information.
In any case, thanks all of you for your info.
Thanks for the information. I have received several of these in the past but did not know how the scam worked; so I really appreciate your explanation. I did get the email that you show and mine was from Deon Conner [bxttebmsc@boulevarde.com.au]. I responded to the email address that they asked me to use and pasted the brainhandles url, inviting them to visit your site and see how well their scam is not working!
Thank you so much for this. I received mine 2 days ago, as soon as my bank account was mentioned I knew it was a scam and decided to google them. I hope no one falls for this scam.
I won so many UN, Euro, British, Email lotteries that I should be insanely wealthy by now. In any case the same scheme is now being repeated with TANGRAM INTERIORS COMPANY being used as the company. Here's the buzzards email. Send him a virus or two. craig_smiths@hotmail.com. I'm putting this up so when somebody Googles it, (as I did) they may get a hit here and figure out that all that glitters is not gold. These people relay upon a human fraility called GREED. Money for nothing and the...Don't be a dupe or a chump and fall for the trash of the world.
Hope they get a very nasty intestinal virus and poop their little brains out.
thanks so much for the update greg,
i too received a mail from the above mentioned comp i found certain points in the mail to be fishy like "Ability to accept payments using your BANK ACCOUNT" why our bank account,wanted to check the authenticity of the mail so browed the net and voila came up with ur link .keep up the good work.all the best.
I received the e-mail and i responded back to it. They told me to sign an agreement which stated that I would work for them for a year. I contacted the Better Buisness Bureau and they said this is not a legitimate company...I can only hope that no one will fall for this scam!
I just recieved this today and was wondering how can i prove that this is real.
From: "TAN GRAM INTERIORS COMPANY" Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: Accounts Payable/Receivable Manager (Job Offer).
Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 14:40:23 +0100
To:
Pleasant day,
We are offering this position to all interested applicants. Please
carefully read through.TAN GRAM INTERIORS COMPANY is a well established
Manufacturing Firm,That delivers / delivering high quality precision
furnitures products to some of the largest and best known companies in
far back Asia ,the Regions Of America and Rest of The world for a long
time.You will find our high quality furnitures in the BEST products
on the market today.
JOB DESCRIPTION
1. Receive payment from Clients in USA
2. Cash Payments
3. Deduct 10% which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed.
4. Forward balance after deduction of percentage/pay to any of the
offices you will be directed to send payment to (Payment is to be forwarded
by Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram). Transfer Charges will
be deducted from Our funds.
Prospective Finance Co- ordinators should forward their resume or
Infos.below if interested:
====================================
Full Names:
Full Adress:
City:
Zip Code:
State:
Home Phone:
Cell Phone:
Age:
Gender:
Marital Status:
Occupation:
====================================
Thanks For Your Total Understanding.
Henry Anderson,
Staffing and Recruiting Dept,
Regional Manager,
TAN GRAM INTERIORS COMPANY
STATUS OF YOUR RESUME !
N.B:Note: We will never ask you for anything more than that which we
have stated above. No bank names, No bank account number, routing
number,credit card, passwords, SSN# etc. If anyone asks for those on our
behalf please do not give out this info.This is to ensure your security and
non involvement in cases of Identity theft.
I got the one from Tan Gram and when I "googled" the name I got your site. I have fun with these companies. So far the fools have sent me $575,000 in counterfeit money orders and checks that have been turned over to FBI. I never cash them but the crooks have to pay UPS or FEDEX shipping charges, also have to work at making the counterfeits.
Wow another one bites the dust...I too got the Tangram Interiors offer, and THANK GOD I looked it up and found your site...thank you thank you thank you...did I mention thank you...hey does anyone ever let the real company know about their name being trashed??? maggie