Fake Job Offer Examples
Background:Victim is a math tutor and advertises on local sites like CraigsList and Gumtree for potential clients.
What happened?
Victim receives an e-mail with various grammar mistakes. The e-mail is from a third party letting the victim know that they have been accepted as a tutor for the person the third party is representing (be it a family member or “client”) The email states how much the victim will be paid via check and asks for victims address and phone number. The e-mail also goes on to explain that the check will be for two people, not just the victim. The victim is to cash the check, deduct their wage and transfer the remainder to the third party’s babysitter.
The Scam and the Red Flags:
First off be cautious of emails with poor grammar. Secondly notice how the victim was very quickly accepted as the tutor without any need for additional information like times, prices and availability. The third party aspect is typical of scammers as it seems more professional, believable and lets the scammer avoid certain questions easily. Also be very aware of job offers that pay you by checks. The main giveaway here though, is the condition of having to transfer some of the money to the “babysitter” – this is how the scam works – the check you get sent is fake and will fail clearance in about a week or so, or if the check is based on a real account, until the owner of that reports the fraud. This means the money wired to the “babysitter” is in reality going back to the scammer and is lost, and the victim is liable for the amount on the check and can be in trouble with the bank. Paying other people is not your responsibility, so don’t accept conditions like this.
Background:
Victim puts their CV onto a site on a handful of job sites, looking for admin or clerical jobs.
What Happened?
Victim receives an email from someone saying they are reviewed their CV and have determined that they are suitable for the job of a part time collection agent for a company that produces bespoke manufactured goods. The email explains that the victim’s role, should they get the job, will be to receive payments from clients through money orders, deduct your wage and forward the remainder of the payment on to the company through money transfer.
The Scam and the Red Flags:
Watch out for these types of emails that already claim you are suitable for the job despite not even speaking or meeting with you. The part time nature of the job is also a warning indicator – making the job part time means it is more appealing to stay at home moms and students, widening the target demographic of potential victims. Again like check fraud, the money order will be fake, but the victim will not be alerted to this straight away. The victim transfers the money online through a money wiring service and the scammer uses false identification to collect that money. Then the money order is shown to be bogus and the victim loses the money they have unwittingly wired straight to the scammer. There are no real jobs that require you to act as an escrow service or third party between clients and company. In reality the clients would simply pay the company directly, or if this was not possible for some reason, then they would use a registered and reputable escrow service to act as the middleman, not an employee. Also be sceptical of employers that do not require you to take a formal interview.
Background:
Victim puts their CV onto a handful of job sites, looking for part time generic jobs.
What Happened?
Victim receives an email from someone saying they are suitable for a part time chauffeur job for someone coming into the victim’s country. The role is for only a few hours a day and the wage is very good. However, once the victim shows interest, it is apparent that they have to pay a fee for a security clearance certificate so that they can work with the client. The payment is to be made to the client or a company the client suggests.
The Scam and the Red Flags:
Again, like most fake job offers, these ones typically offer no face to face interview with the prospective employer. The job in this case is a chauffeur job but also popular are babysitter, nanny and au pair jobs, and the fees usually evolve around some sort of certificate or clearance the victim has to obtain. In reality it is a type of advanced fee fraud, and the fee doesn’t go to a company but to the scammer directly. The worst scams of this type continue to ask for further payments for various obstacles that have emerged. Once the victim declines any further payments, or the scammer runs out of reasons for continued fees, then the scammer stops contacting the victim. Never pay your employer for a job, for whatever reason.
Background:
Victim puts their CV onto a handful of job sites, looking for part time generic jobs.
What Happened?
Victim receives an email from a small company offering a mystery shopper job. The job states that they will send a check to the victim to buy goods, and the victim has to perform various tasks. Upon confirming the job, the victim is told they have to test the quality of Western Union. They are to forward a percentage of the money through Western Union and record they customer service they receive. The remainder of the check can be considered the victims salary.
he Scam and the Red Flags:
For those you have read the other examples you should be able to see how this scam works, as it is based on the same principles. Whenever the “employer” mentioned checks and a money wiring service in the same job offer, alarm bells should be ringing. Like the previous examples, this one will send fake checks that will eventually fail a clearance check or be reported as fraudulent. The money the victim sends through Western Union is actually sent to the scammer, and the victim is left at a monetary loss. There are many mystery shopper scams out there, and most if not all legitimate mystery shopper jobs involve the potential employee signing up directly with the company employing them, usually through their webpage or phoning up. So unexpected emails advertising mystery shoppers are essentially non existent, so be aware if you do receive one.
What we haven’t mentioned in any of these examples that the jobs – as part of the “recruitment process” – typically ask for personal banking details and photocopies of identification. This is usually a secondary motivation for scammers. Obtaining your details and ID can lead to identity theft and fraud.
Read our article on fake job offers here.
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