Just got the following scam spam slipping in through my mail filters. I'll post the e-mail, then point out the red flags after it.
From: Arline Hazel <bhufruau5579@hotmail.com>
Subject: ProLineGames_J0B (700).Company name: ProLineGames ltd.
Job title: Project Coordinator
Position type: Part-Time/Virtual office
Location: US only
Company overview
Company ProLineGames was founded in 2002.Our company offers solutions for organization of on-line tournaments and launch of on-line tournaments. The company owns excellent resource base and highly qualified personnel ready to solve tasks of any level of difficulty.
Also ProLineGames ltd. focuses particular attention at conduction of off-line tournaments, because there could be nothing better than the best cyber fighters of the continent gather in one place in order to fight face to face.
Job Description
Quite recently our company introduces a new service for companies hosting own Web projects (MMORPG).
Our service supposes conduction of draws and lotteries with real prizes among the MMORPG users.ProLineGames ltd. is always looking for skilled and talented individuals to join our company.
Currently we are seeking a part-time Project Coordinator to help the winners of tournaments in receiving information about the award, manage issues with them.
Company's provisions:
1. Flexible working schedule;
2. Commission and Bonus Opportunities;If you are interested to find more about this position please send your resumes to: marshaproivers@gmail.com
ProLineGames ltd.
The first and most common red flag is the sender/reply mismatch. That's when you get the e-mail from some random person at a free mail service (like Hotmail) and then are asked to reply to a totally different person at another free mail service (like Gmail). If this is a reputable seven-year-old company that specializes in online games, why aren't they sending this from their own domain? I've been contacted by agencies where an assistant sends out the contact e-mail and asks me to reply directly to the recruiter, but both e-mail addresses were from the same domain for a known recruiting company, not throwaway accounts at free mail services. The only job e-mails I've received that do this are scam e-mails.
Second, who comes out of nowhere and offers you a good-paying job opportunity with flexible hours, work-from-home, etc., etc.? Scammers, that's who. As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Generally the scams fall into one of three categories:
- Payment Puppet: They send you forged checks or payments from hacked PayPal accounts. You cash them out and send them to your employer in Europe, Africa, or China by Western Union. A few days/weeks later, the bank or PayPal discovers the forgery/hack, and you're responsible for paying back the money.
- Package Reshipper: They use forged checks, hacked PayPal accounts, and other devious methods to pay for purchases from auction sellers and other vendors. Since most won't ship to Russia, China, or African countries because so many fraudulent orders come from there, the buyers have the packages shipped to you, and you re-ship the packages out of the country to them. When the seller finds out theiy got rooked, they call the cops and give them your name and address. Then the cops want to talk to you about where the merchandise went.
- Identity Theft: As part of the application/screening process, they need all sorts of information about you. You provide it and they use it to take out credit cards in your name, empty your bank account, etc. When all is said and done, your credit is ruined and you're fighting to get your life back.
In some cases, it's a combination of the three.
This looks like it might be a different scam. Helping winners of tournaments receive information about awards sounds like they might want to use you as a spam proxy or as a shill for an advance fee scam.
Advance fee scams most commonly appear in your mailbox as the Nigerian widow who needs your help to move 25 million in her husband's assets out of the country, the lawyer who believes you're the heir of a deceased millionaire, the European lottery you somehow won without ever entering, or the dying millionaire who wants your help distributing money to charity. The thing they all have in common is that if you bite, they'll run into some trouble disbursing the funds and need you to put up some money to pay a service fee, pay a bribe, whatever, to get the money released.
I'd reply to find out more about the job, but I dont for two reasons:
- I never reply to spam.
- These people are CRIMINALS. I'd prefer to keep my distance.
My advice is to toss out this e-mail. Don't play detective, don't think you'll have some fun trying to scam the scammers. Again, these people are CRIMINALS. If you want to report it, you can send it to your local cops, but since the scammers are out of the country, usually the best that could happen is that the authorities might run a sting and take down a domestic accomplice.
I know times are hard and jobs seem scarce. I'm job hunting too. But if you fall for a scam, whatever pain you're in now will be multiplied. Stay safe and God bless.
Entries (RSS)
Thank you for the insight! I just received the same email and immediately had suspicions that it may be a scam. Through further online research, I found this post which was incredibly informative and helpful. It confirms my suspicions without having to spend any more unnecessary time and spared a lot of headaches. Much appreciated
the one I received was similar with only slight variation:
I found your resume and marked it as good potential employee.
Currently TopGame Ltd. is seeking a Project Coordinator to assist the
winners of the tournament, in receiving information about the award,
managing delivery issues via International Postal Services or other
delivery services if needed.
Some words about us:
The company name: Top Game Ltd ( Europe, London )
Quite recently our company introduces a new service for companies
hosting own Web projects (MMORPG). Our service supposes conduction of
draws and lotteries with real prizes among the MMORPG users. Due to
the fact that MMORPG is an international game and peoples from all
over the world are playing in it, the MMORPG owning companies managed
to experience troubles with arrangement and organization of contests
and distribution/delivery of prizes. The new service offered by our
companies will solve the problem.
Distribution/delivery of prizes to gamers will be one of your responsibilities.
Job Details
Job Location: United States
Employee Type: Part-Time/Virtual office
Salary: $ 2,500 USD
Key responsibilities:
1 Contacting our clients(pro-gamers) via email or phone.
2 Administration and monitoring of Gamers activities
3 Distribution of bonuses for winners(prizes and cash)
4 Receive and verify packages from our partners worldwide.
5 Send the packages to the appropriate winners via Postal Services
6 Perform all the instructions of the company
7 Give the report to the company about the received goods and its serviceability
Requirements:
# Location in USA
# Full legal age
# Confident PC user
# Repeated email check
# Possibility to answer a telephone call any time
# Responsibility and communicability
Work experience:
Previous experience is not a must.
Additional information:
1) Flexible working schedule. The Company allows working simultaneously
2) The Company forwards detailed working instructions to each worker, and sends out all detailed working instructions to each manager.
3) Reimburse for printer ink, paper, packaging materials.
If you want to get this position or receive more information on it –
send us your most up-to-date copy of resume (CV) to
HR.Edwards@topgameltd.cz.cc
Regards,
Jessica Edwards
HR Manager
They've changed this up a bit now and are using a hosted site and the company name Stargame Ltd. If you co to the site they list stargameltd.co.cc you see a real site which might help them appear more legit, but they are the same group
Dear Xxxxxxxxxx
I found your resume at CareerBuilder website and marked it as good
potential employee.
StarGame Ltd ( London, UK )
Quite recently our company introduces a new service for companies
hosting own Web projects (MMORPG). Our service supposes conduction of
draws and lotteries with real prizes among the MMORPG users. Due to
the fact that MMORPG is an international game and peoples from all
over the world are playing in it, the MMORPG owning companies managed
to experience troubles with arrangement and organization of contests
and distribution/delivery of prizes. The new service offered by our
companies will solve the problem.
Currently StarGame Ltd. is seeking a Project Coordinator to assist the
winners of the tournament, in receiving information about the award,
managing delivery issues via International Postal Services or other
delivery services if needed.
Distribution/delivery of prizes to gamers will be one of your
responsibilities.
Project Coordinators have to do this accurately and without mistakes
in order not to spoil the image and reputation of our company.
Job offer:
Job Location: United States
Employee Type: Part-Time/Virtual office
Salary: $ 2,000/month
Key responsibilities:
- Administration and monitoring of Gamers activities
- Distribution of bonuses for winners(prizes and cash)
- Perform all the instructions of the company
Min. Requirements:
Adult age;
Confident PC user;
An opportunity of being in touch with a manager during the working hours;
Discipline, Hardworking, Punctuality;
Additional information:
1) Flexible working schedule. The Company allows working simultaneously
2) The Company forwards detailed working instructions to each worker,
and sends out all detailed working instructions to each manager.
3) Reimburse for printer ink, paper, packaging materials.
4) We don't ask for any special training or ask for your money to start.
If you want to get this position or receive more information on it –
send us your most up-to-date copy of resume (CV) to
HR.Woodley@stargameltd.co.cc
Regards,
James Woodley
HR Manager
My email is the same as Ian M.'s above.
The .cc domain suffix is the top-level domain (TLD) for the Cocos Islands. Thus not a company from London, UK which would have the .uk designation. You can purchase a domain with .cc for $40 bucks...pretty cheap all in all. So the scammers have tried to pay for a cheap domain in an area that does not police their business and does not have the resources to crack down on scammers. This is definitely a scam. As said earlier, 100% of unsolicited emails that come to you offering some job to deal with payments is a scam. 99.9999% of the jobs that come out of the blue from Career Builder, Monster, or some other job listing wesbsite offering some type of payment handling position is also a scam.
Finally, check the grammar!!!! Professional and legit companies will send correspondence that is grammatically correct. You and I might not be so careful in our personal emails, but any email from a company represents the professionalism of that company!
Grammar is a red flag, but there are plenty of legitimate recruiters out there who are not the best writers. Trust me. In the tech field I run into lots of people whose mother tongue is not English. There are a couple of firms that constantly contacted me about possible contracts with Microsoft (which I was ineligible for because I was on my 100 day mandatory break between contracts) and their recruiters had thick accents and bad grammar. And then you have the people who don't proofread, don't capitalize consistently, etc. There are a lot of "business" people who think e-mail communications don't warrant the kind of care printed written communications require.
The bigger signs are payment processing and/or package forwarding.
I had the same stargame ltd email word for word as well Just today.
However, in terms of bad grammar, you never know what is going to be real. There was a game company(an actual one, not like these stupid waste of your time spam E-mails) that I interviewed for and the initial email I received was so badly put together I almost didn't understand it at all. I was worried of course like any sane person. But I'm just saying, it turned out to be fine so because the grammar is bad doesn't mean it's not real. It just means you gotta double check and google it!
This is the one I received I knew it was a scam just sad that some don't. Please be aware and stay away from companies like these.
I found your resume at CareerBuilder website and marked it as good
potential employee.
StarGame Ltd ( London, UK )
Quite recently our company introduces a new service for companies
hosting own Web projects (MMORPG). Our service supposes conduction of
draws and lotteries with real prizes among the MMORPG users. Due to
the fact that MMORPG is an international game and peoples from all
over the world are playing in it, the MMORPG owning companies managed
to experience troubles with arrangement and organization of contests
and distribution/delivery of prizes. The new service offered by our
companies will solve the problem.
Currently StarGame Ltd. is seeking a Project Coordinator to assist the
winners of the tournament, in receiving information about the award,
managing delivery issues via International Postal Services or other
delivery services if needed.
Distribution/delivery of prizes to gamers will be one of your responsibilities.
Project Coordinators have to do this accurately and without mistakes
in order not to spoil the image and reputation of our company.
Job offer:
Job Location: United States
Employee Type: Part-Time/Virtual office
Salary: $ 2,000/month
Key responsibilities:
- Administration and monitoring of Gamers activities
- Distribution of bonuses for winners(prizes and cash)
- Perform all the instructions of the company
- Receive and verify packages from our partners worldwide.
- Send the packages to the appropriate winners via Postal Services
- Give the report to the company about the received goods and its serviceability
Min. Requirements:
- Adult age, confident PC user
- An opportunity of being in touch with a manager during the working hours
- Discipline, Hardworking, Punctuality
Additional information:
1) Flexible working schedule. The Company allows working simultaneously
2) The Company forwards detailed working instructions to each worker,
and sends out all detailed working instructions to each manager.
3) Reimburse for printer ink, paper, packaging materials.
4) We don't ask for any special training or ask for your money to start.
If you want to get this position or receive more information on it –
send us your most up-to-date copy of resume (CV) to
stargame1job at yahoo.com
Regards,
James Woodley
HR Manager
I just received this in my e-mail, sounded like a scam from the beginning. I always say if it sounds to good to be true it probably isn't. It's the same as I have seen posted in this thread.. Thanks for the info from the other before me and to the ones after me beware of stuff like this.
I found your resume at CareerBuilder website and marked it as good
potential employee.
StarGame Ltd ( London, UK )
Quite recently our company introduces a new service for companies
hosting own Web projects (MMORPG). Our service supposes conduction of
draws and lotteries with real prizes among the MMORPG users. Due to
the fact that MMORPG is an international game and peoples from all
over the world are playing in it, the MMORPG owning companies managed
to experience troubles with arrangement and organization of contests
and distribution/delivery of prizes. The new service offered by our
companies will solve the problem.
Currently StarGame Ltd. is seeking a Project Coordinator to assist the
winners of the tournament, in receiving information about the award,
managing delivery issues via International Postal Services or other
delivery services if needed.
Distribution/delivery of prizes to gamers will be one of your responsibilities.
Project Coordinators have to do this accurately and without mistakes
in order not to spoil the image and reputation of our company.
Job offer:
Job Location: United States
Employee Type: Part-Time/Virtual office
Salary: $ 2,000/month
Key responsibilities:
- Administration and monitoring of Gamers activities
- Distribution of bonuses for winners(prizes)
- Perform all the instructions of the company
- Receive and verify packages from our partners worldwide.
- Send the packages to the appropriate winners via Postal Services
- Give the report to the company about the received goods and its serviceability
Min. Requirements:
- Adult age, confident PC user
- An opportunity of being in touch with a manager during the working hours
- Discipline, Hardworking, Punctuality
Additional information:
1) Flexible working schedule. The Company allows working simultaneously
2) The Company forwards detailed working instructions to each worker,
and sends out all detailed working instructions to each manager.
3) Reimburse for printer ink, paper, packaging materials.
4) We don't ask for any special training or ask for your money to start.
If you want to get this position or receive more information on it ?
send us your most up-to-date copy of resume (CV) to
job.stargame@yahoo.com
Regards,
James Woodley
HR Manager
Thanks for posting this. I got the same email as Greg. I was suspicious so I googled the company and found this:
Company Status Dissolved
Company Type Private Limited Company
Incorporation Date 08/07/2003
Dissolution Date 07/05/2008
Nature of Business 7487 - Other business activities
They've changed this up a bit now and are using a hosted site and the company name Stargame Ltd. If you co to the site they list stargameltd.co.cc you see a real site which might help them appear more legit, but they are the same group.
Stargame is hiring!
Dear xxxxxxxxxxxxx, i found your resume at CareerBuilder website and marked it as good potential employee.
Currently StarGame Ltd. is seeking a Project Coordinator to assist the winners of the tournament, in receiving information about the award, managing delivery issues via International Postal Services or other delivery services if needed.
Distribution/delivery of prizes to gamers will be one of your responsibilities.
Project Coordinators have to do this accurately and without mistakes in order not to spoil the image and reputation of our company.
Job Details
Job Location: United States
Employee Type: Part-Time/Virtual office
Salary: $ 2500 /Month
Your responsibilities will include the following:
- Distribution of bonuses for winners(prizes and cash)
- Perform all the instructions of the company
- Receive and verify packages from our partners worldwide.
- Send the packages to the appropriate winners via Postal Services
- Give the report to the company about the received goods and its serviceability
Job requirements:
Personal computer/laptop, Confident PC user ( MS Office,Adobe Acrobat Reader), Ability to print and scan documents, Having a Digital Camera or a Cell Phone Camera, An opportunity of being in touch with a manager during the working hours, Strong writing and communication skills are a must, Discipline, Hardworking, Punctuality
Additional information:
1) Flexible working schedule. The Company allows working simultaneously
2) The Company forwards detailed working instructions to each worker, and sends out all detailed working instructions to each manager.
3) Reimburse for printer ink, paper, packaging materials.
If you want to get this position or receive more information on it – send us your most up-to-date copy of resume (CV) to work.stargame@yahoo.com
Regards,
James Woodley
HR Manager
Well, I unfortunately sent my CV back (it has personal information on it but doesn't include a SS number) because I was excited to finally get some sort of job offer; however, I'll make sure not to fall for their scam. Thanks for the information, guys. Is there anything I need to do to protect myself or should I be safe?
Peter
Idk I did the same thing, but when I read that they were stationed in London I grew suspicions. As I read on they told me the method of payment and that was what through me overboard. I started to searched the company afterwards. I'm not going to contact them anymore but I have the same fears as you. Because my resume has my name and address. I hope that we will be safe from theft.
Glad I searched for it too. F these people. Thanks for all your posts
Thank goodness for this post!! Got the same email, found me through careerbuilder... Ive been suspicious of all the work-from-home stuff but I thought I'll look into this one...
Good thing I came across this!!
Thank you!