The angle on this one is different than ones I've seen before. They want to pay you for proofreading services. And the rates they're offering are actually a little lower than a random check of per-word pricing from a couple of random proofreading services I looked up. But there's our first big flag. There are LOTS of people out there offering this service and would be glad to offer a volume discount.
Here's the mail:
From: "Mr. Swenson" <teeq@acryglas.com>
Hello!We offer a part time job on your computer.
Job Description:
We will provide you with the texts for our employees with the important information and you will correct the texts as an english speaking person and send them back to us.
Salary:
We don't have a fixed salary for this vacancy. We will pay you $7.00 for every 1Kb of the corrected text. You will get paid at the END of each month. Every month your salary will be different as it depends on your activity.Example: If you correct about 5Kb of texts per day you will get over $1000.00 at the end of the month.
Requirements:
-Location: USA
-Age: 20+
-Home computer, e-mail address and Microsoft Word
-ResponsibilityTo apply for job please send us the following information to:
dating.uniongroup@gmail.com__________
FULL NAME: HOME ADDRESS:
CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE:
Phone number (home or cell, but SHOULD BE available any day time):
E-MAIL:
AGE:
OCCUPATION:
EDUCATION:
AVAILABLE HOUR TO WORK WITH US:----------
As soon as we revise your aplication we will contact you within 24 hours.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask.
Awaiting for your application.With respect Dating Euro Union
Now here are the red flags...
- The "from" address is not only different than the one they ask you to reply to, but comes from a domain (acryglas.com) that has absolutely nothing to do with the business they're claiming to be (Dating Euro Union).
- There are any number of companies offering this service so they could get a one-stop solution with one bill and no employees to manage. Even if they save a small amount on the rate this way, any real business can run the numbers and see this wouldn't be cost-effective.
- This came in to an e-mail address that hasn't been actively used since the 90's meaning that they got it off a purchased spam list. If they're purchasing lists of e-mail addresses and spamming this out, that makes them suspect.
- I'm sorry, but copy editing and proofreading require skill, talent, and education. You're not qualified for it merely because you're a native English speaker. A good editor is worth a ton of money.
Most likely, the scam is that they'll ask for your bank account and bank routing numbers so they can wire transfer or direct deposit your monthly salary. Next thing you know, they've used the information to forge a wire transfer out of your account and you're cleaned out.
As inviting as it seems, this has all the hallmarks of a criminal scam. Do not reply to it, do not give these people your personal information, and do not give them any banking information.
Best of luck to you all.
Entries (RSS)
Thanks!
Got this today, you were the FIRST on the google list!!!
I got this email too. Funny how the internet can be used for both good and evil.
haha, cheers mate. just got this mail....
Got this mailed to me a few times over the past week dont know how they got my email but im self employed and satisfied with my work so i would,nt have replyed anyway
Just got this one today as well....in Canada here - lucky for me they want people in the USA only
I figured it was bad because they use the same format as the "INTERNET LOTTO WINNER!!! Yee haw, ur email address just won $2,000,000,000!!!... If you read below, what they want back from you it's EXACTLY the same as what the Dating Euro people want.
FULL NAME:
HOME ADDRESS:
CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE:
Phone number (home or cell, but SHOULD BE available any day time):
E-MAIL:
AGE:
OCCUPATION:
EDUCATION:
AVAILABLE HOUR TO WORK WITH US:
The only difference is that they added "Education, and Available hours".
One of the first things I always do is check the email address from where the message came from and compare it to the email address provided on the "reply-to" field.
Also, after the @... like ur_email@hotmail.com
Go and type whatever comes after the @, unless it's dedicated for a webmail, these "ends" are domain names and usually have a website. Oh, of course, you can always Google it, but don't trust the first link that come up!.. I'm sure you know better than that.
Also got spam email like that for many times.So, my suggestion just create one personal email, keep private no publications. Only for our trusted friends. And create one email, for publications.
thanks alot for the info! got it today!
thanks for the info! I got it today too! We've got to look out for each other from these bottom-dwelling rip-off artists out there! Keep up the good work guys!
My letter started with the generic salutation "Dear job seeker", similar to a phishing letter. That's what tipped me off. In any case, thanks for confirming my gut feeling.
Thanks. I almost got caught up in this. Unemployed for a year, then underemployed... my finances are a mess. This started as an "editing" position, but then they offered me a job doing wire transfers. Since this involved tapping into the personal information in my bank account, the alarms went off. So glad I found your site before going any further. I'm safe thanks to you!
Just got this one again, this time with the name Iris Meeks as the sender and datingcompany.crow@gmail.com as the reply address in the body of the mail. Almost reposted it, but the text is otherwise exactly the same. I'm surprised it got through the spam filters, but it did.
These jerks are relentless.
- Greg
THANK YOU THANK YOU for saving me time and worry.
I GOT THIS TODAY- BUT MINE IS FROM
Madeline Slaughter (wopvg@book-dealers.com)
Thanks to people like you, many of us are not being ripped off. I also got a really good fake paypal e-mail the other day.. took me to an identical site- only difference was the address in the bar was not paypal.com. Be careful, all!!
I got this a few days after I submitted my resume on Monster.com looking for an online job! thanks for letting me know about this group.
Thanks so much - I am traveling abroad this fall and wondering if this might be an easy way to make some spending $$ on the go... Fortunately I googled the company to see what it was all about and this page popped up. Thanks again!!
Just as above, I googled "Dating Euro Union" and this page popped fist in line! I got this scamletter yesterday, knew it was bogus BS ... Good rule of thumb: If it sounds to good too be true ... it IS too good to be true!
Same here also, addys were different
sender: cyjflbatnln@bmwleasing.com.
A search on this addy took me to an ad page for leasing companies/services that was sponsored by "godaddy.com"
Reply: hrdating.glaine@gmail.com.
When I tried "hrdating.glain" in addy bar ... it led to nowhere, nothing was found. Then I googled "hrdating" and it actually turned up a dating sight. An UK site called "hrdating" ... amazingly enough! lol
The senders name was: Bobbie Marquez (?)
I figure the dude/chick used this site for the email addy they usually give you for contacts, so he is a registered user. Did a site search for "Bobbie Marquez" of course, nothing turned up. They only offered a "user name" search and oddly to me, they do this for non-members? Dunno, just found that a little lax.
Anyways... I ramble ...
Thanks for the heads-up and all.
Peace & Love,
~M
Glad I researched and found yor site......It's too bad it's a scam...I sent the first draft in to them....But, upon thinking on it, i figured they would have to ask for my ss number to send a 1099....... (most ads are a scam, but I keep hoping to find work online.)
I found out, that i kind of like this editing and corrections type of work....think I will research it on freelance sites....
Mine email was from Jerry Lihgten from euro dating union...
datingcompany.lihten@gmail.com...
Just rec'd the email you bolgged and deleted it.
Just got my invitation to work this morning! How excited I was! NOT!
just got this e-mail...glad i looked it up!!! thanks!
Got this email yesterday and was tempted to check it out but was wary b/c they wanted address and phone, so I Googled it up and found this. Thanks for letting people know.
Got an email from the same email address this was the email I received.
Malinda Winston
Unfortunately we were not able to deliver postal package you sent on August the 1st in time
because the recipient’s address is not correct.
Please print out the invoice copy attached and collect the package at our office
Your FEDEX.com
then there is an attachment which I did not dared to open. Stupid scammers!!!
I just set up my own proofreading website a couple of weeks ago and then suddenly last week this email came in. I figured it was a scam since they give a gmail address for you to reply to and the email just sounded too dodgy. I checked the email it was sent from and it was a different address. I didn't reply. Then today I got a second email, the same as the first but with a different gmail address to reply to and with it being sent from a different person and different email address. That's when I decided to come and see if the scam was written about online - and lo and behold, I found this page giving me confirmation. Thanks!
I received something similar, replied with "Tell me more",
and the following is what they sent me next (from a different email address,
so they jump from one to another to stay one step ahead of being shut down).
Other than my email, I replied with all false info, including a fake phone number with too few digits,
so I will update you all when/if the next reply comes.
These are the kind of people I like to mess with. I go sign THEIR email address up for all kinds of other SPAM. If they send me text to correct, I will send it back in worse shape, etc. If/when they eventually ask for a bank account number I will seriously mess with them, and lure them to some federal honeypots. Depending upon where they are physically located, they might get arrested.
-----Original Message-----
From: Terry Blagg @ Dating Group [mailto:terryblagg.dgcoord@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:47 PM
To: ----------
Subject: Re: corrections texts
Dear Rick,
If it will be interesting to you, here some words about me and about the
company. I work in this company about 2 years. Began with lower post now I
am engaged in a personnel set, training of employees. As well as you I like
to go shopping and do purchases, I try to go more at leisure what not to sit
up at office at the computer.
As to about the company:
Our main offices are in Russia, Ukraine, Poland. We work with various dating
the companies.
Company helps to deliver flowers, gifts, tickets and other to people which
are in other country. So for example if the American wishes to marry the
girl from Russia that thanks to us it can send money for the ticket what it
has arrived to it. But that the girl would not deceive him it addresses to
us we call up to the girl we check its co-ordinates and we inform it. This
little about our company.
Our company works with such companies as:
http://www.dating.ru
http://www.dating.de
http://www.dating.be
Further we will send you texts which you should correct. Work not difficult,
it is simple our company there is in Belgium instead of in USA, and
consequently English not our native language. But we a have a lot of clients
from usa and we wish to communicate with them competently. 1kb it is a
little you will see when receive the text. Yes we pay 7$ each kilobyte of
the text.
Payment is made in a month after the work beginning. We do payment from
Western Union or Money Gram.As at sending the commission nearby 30$
undertakes and it is not favourable to us to pay after each text.
If wish to start job, fill registration form:
FULL NAME:
HOME ADDRESS:
CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE:
Phone number (home or cell, but SHOULD BE available any day time):
E-MAIL:
AGE:
OCCUPATION:
EDUCATION:
AVAILABLE HOUR TO WORK WITH US:
Sincerely,
Terry Blagg
Dating Group
http://www.dating.ru
yeah, I got this email from a classified ad posted on a reliable website, only to find it a scam. I thought there were REAL legitimate online jobs out there, but I guess not. Ugh.
Thanks for the post.... things got really shady when I translated dating.ru from Russian into English and quickly discovered the mail order bride thing. Everything everyone said above is true... they send you the same texts, different email addresses every time. Shady. Shady. Shady.
Oh, and its a spam scam!