Just got a fake job solicitation in my e-mail. It almost triggered the spam filters it seems, but just slipped in under. Like the Articlebat.org e-mail, it purported to come through Vertical Response, but this time, Google noted in the headers that the IP address was not a permitted sender under Vertical Response's SPF policy.

Additionally, the spam analysis from my anti-spam software noted that the IP address was in two greylist/blacklist databases and it's out of Toronto.

Here's the e-mail text:

We're looking for US Native Speaker writer for our e-commerce website's blog. Our priority will be writers from US.

Our payment will be: Fixed salary

We will determine the keywords,topic and amount of the word you'll write. We'll send you all the necessary information before you start writing. Your English MUST be error free, grammatically correct, friendly and fluent. Learn more
Thanks for reading.

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Quality Inn and Suites Anaheim Resort
1441 South Manchester Avenue
Anaheim, California 92802
United States
Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

Followed the link in a sandboxed browser and ended up at 3000robots.net with... An Articlebat resume submission form.

They went from almost tricky to completely bogus. Don't get your hopes up and don't waste your time.

Got this in my inbox today. It actually looks somewhat legit. It was sent through vresp.com, which has been around for over 11 years and does not seem to be spoofing its source (unlike many scam e-mails that pretend they came through CareerBuilder).

Job Title           Article Writers
Type :              Contract
Salary / Rate :  2500 USD / month
Job Duration :  Not Specified
No.Applicants :  5
Job Source : Direct from Employer.
Job Requirements:
We are looking for native English speakers, a high level of fluency is imperative. 
You should be creative, proactive, and capable of researching topics you may not have
much previous experience in. 
You should be flexible with timing and quick. 
You should be capable of committing to a relatively long working relationship with us. 
You should write high quality articles, content that is both interesting and entertaining
as well as relevant to readers on the web. 
You should have a basic understanding of Microsoft Word (although since you’re applying 
for a job online, I’m sure you do).
Apply position

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Boston Life
843 Mass Ave
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
US

So it's a contract article writer position, work from home, $2500 a month. None of it looks particularly overblown. It's not promising you a ridiculous amount or suggesting you'll be cashing checks or forwarding packages.

Still, it came unsolicited. I do not have a live resume on any job search site. Figuring that vresp.com was semi-legit, I clicked through to find out more details. There was a basic application form at articlebat.org.

First, a for-profit company should not be using a .org domain name. They are (or were) intended for non-ptofits. It's a bit dishonest to use a .org domain if you're not a non-profit.

Second, and more importantly, the domain has been in existence for ONE WEEK. It was registered on May 21st of this year. The address of the person registering it is a little house in the suburbs of Oslo, Norway (you can see a photo on Google maps), not Boston. And even more puzzling is the fact that it wasn't registered through a U.S. or Norwegian registrar, but through a Chinese registrar that ONLY offers their pages in Chinese (no English or Norwegian version). To add to the foreign flavor, the "about" page is full of grammar errors and OBVIOUSLY by someone who is not a native English speaker.

It is the disconnect... claiming to be affiliated with a company in Boston, but registered to an address in the Oslo suburbs, and registered through a Chinese registrar that doesn't cater to non-speakers of Chinese... that doesn't add up for me. I have a feeling that the company would never pay me for my work, and I'd have NO way of taking them to court if that happened. I'm not saying they're a scam. I'm just saying that there are enough oddities to put me (and you, if you've found this post) on guard.

Good luck.

Had to write down my marinade somewhere before the piece of paper it was on just simply fell apart.

2 tbs soy sauce
4 tbs olive oil
4 tbs lime juice + zest of one lime
1 tbs ground chile
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
1/2 tbs (1 tsp + 1/2 tsp) kosher salt
1/2 tbs (1 tsp + 1/2 tsp) white pepper
1 Knorr chipotle mini cube, crushed

This usually easily marinates 4-5 pounds of chopped meat.

Just posted a series of php tutorials about how to draw text on photos with ImageMagick and PHP over at my new coding blog.

Here's an example of a photo created with the code...

The image was obtained from Wikimedia Commons. It's author is ltshears, and it is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 Share Alike license.