Work at Home Scams Exposed
76Update - May 23, 2012....Scammers on Job Boards
It's so pathetic when I am searching a freelance job board and come across scammers. I like to take side jobs and make some LEGIT money here and there, but when I see something that looks like a scam, I can't help but drive the so-called employer crazy with a bunch of legit questions to question their inegrity!
Today, May 23, 2012, I found a post for a "Payroll / Work at Home" opportunity. It spoke about mailing paychecks out to their clients...kind of the way the company Paychex does (which is a legit company). I investigated and here is what I found - FRAUD!
I placed a bid for the project and was immediately contacted to have a chat via IM. In the chat, I asked simple questions (what is the name of your company? What is the actual process you are looking for me to do? does your company have a website?) These are all easy questions for a legit employer, but hard ones for a scammer to answer.
The answers I got were so scattered and varied that it screamed RED FLAG! The job posting said the employer was from San Diego, CA but in the IM, he stated he was from the UK. The process was that he was going to mail me a package of money orders, all varying in price from $150 up to $950. In the package was going to be a list of recipients that I needed to make the money orders out to. I then needed to bring them to UPS or FedEx and mail them out, sending him back the tracking numbers.
This sounds like a simple job, but sounded a little fishy. I asked where the money orders were going. His answer - all over the world. I asked for his company name and he stated Summit Consulting Group. I asked for a website, but he never answered that question. When I looked up Summit Consulting Group, it was a PR firm...this all doesn't add up.
He started asking me why I replied to the job post. I told him because it looks interesting, but I needed answers first. He then asked if I would be interester in mystery shpping! WHAT??? I asked him how he got from the job post discussion to asking about Mystery Shopping....his answer? "Can we talk later? I am in the middle of something". REALLY?!?!?!
His name in the IM was David K Williams. His job posting employer name was boss20. BE WARNED! Do NOT take any type of jobs where you are mailing out any type of money, whether checks or money orders. the only thing I could say about this guy and the job was that at lesat he wasn't asking ME to fund the money orders and get paid back! This is a complete SCAM!
Needless to say, I reported him and his job posting to the board and they removed both. I also looked up his IM profile and it's been removed. Another day, another success of ridding the rotten scammers out there for the rest of you. :)
2012 Brings More Scam Emails
Well, it's been a while, but the scammers are back in action for 2012 sending emails for "processing payments" for international countries. Please be warned! Do not reply to these emails otherwise your email address will be added to more spam lists!
Work at Home Scams Exposed!
Priceline
Please note that Priceline is one of the biggest advertisers for slashing prices for travel. This scam is NOT associated with Priceline, although they are pretending to be so that you will fall for their scam!
I received an email out of the blue from a man named David Miller who was trying to pass off as a Priceline employee. The email cam through as html as shown below.
Initial work from home scam email received.
Legit email?
As you can se from the above picture, the email looks legit. The email address it came from matches the email address and link within the email body. It was also sent from Constant Contacts, which is a reputable email sending service that a lot of people use when they need to send out massive amounts of emails to legit client lists and don't want to get flagged for spamming through normal email systems.
The actual email content talks about a job opportunity, which seemed legit to me, considering that I actually do have my travel agency credentials. I inquired by replying back to see what the job was all about, as the email was a little vague.
Below is the reply I received back.
Work at Home Scam Exposed
I've been around for a while and have tried some stupid work from home opportunities in my day Believe me when I say, they are getting trickier to spot. I have started this blog because I want to save others a lot of wasted time, money and heartache! Please post comments if you have some online scams you would like to contribute, as we all can benefit!
Reply email
Red Flags
Managing payments? That is the oldest trick in the books! Attached to this email was the following pdf file of the "so-called" job description.
Job Description - work from home SCAM Exposed!
Don't fall for it!
Like the old saying goes...it if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!
Please don't fall for these types of scams! Post a comment to help fight the online work from home job fraud!
Thanks for reading!
-Natalie
Now it's Careerbuilder!
OK, these SCAM emails from "Legit" companies is getting old....I received another one this morning, this time from Careerbuilder. Now, I know that my resume is posted ona few legit job boards, but I am not interested in accounting type of work, such as Accounts Payables. As you can see from the below screen shot of the email, the words in the email blatently display it's a SCAM. Also note, that the To and From email lines are the same and the email address isn't an official careerbuilder email, but from another site.
Pay close attention to these details when you receive job offers! This has SCAM written all over it!
Careerbuilder email SCAM Exposed!
Job Scams Video (below)
Although this video is about a year old, the content is worth listening to...and it's from a reliable source - Fox News! Please listen to this...it talks about the "money laundering" for overseas criminals, which is what the David Miller (Priceline email listed above) seems to me to be.
WATCH and Don't be SCAMMED!
There IS legitimite work online....it's just not in "processing money" for people.
**Please tell everyone you know who may fall into this trap to visit this blog and post a comment..we're here to help each other!**
-NHarris
Job Scams video
CommentsLoading...
i would like to thank for the effort you have made in writing this post
Thank you for all this information. I was about to be scammed by the same "company" and went quickly on the internet to check about this "company". Luckily, I found this website and then cancelled my moneygram transaction before they take the money. Lol they wanted me to send money in an hour and a half max and I understand it's in order to not change my mind.
You will see below the job posting.
Same thing with me except the director's name was David Brown. I was supposed to receive $700 thru email money transfer and moneygram the $670 to Warsaw. The thing is
the moneygram is immediately debted from my account and is valid, the email transfer to my account would immediately update my balance to +700 however it takes 3 business days to clear (the same happens with a check)
MAKE NO MISTAKE, these payments are NSF. As these moneygram/Western union transfers are sent to countries without account tracability your bank will hold you accountable for the debt. This fake Priceline will try to get you to do as many transfers as possible in the time it takes the bank to realize the credit is NSF.
PROOF; I contacted the real Priceline at PRICELINE.COM inquiring about the money transfer job, the following was their response:
Thank you for contacting priceline regarding an email that you received with a possible job opening with our company. The email you received was not sent from priceline, and please disregard it. We are not affiliated with the sender. Currently, all of our available positions are listed through the jobs link at the bottom of our home page.
I have gotten an email from David Miller from Priceline and I have been receiving over 3000 checks and they have cleared my account and were never sent back. I also got an employee contract so if anything happens I can take Priceline to court with the contract, but the checks are legit and I researched the senders and they exist as well. I don't think the David Miller I'm dealing with is a scam, I don't know about anyone else though.
Ahh....
Well, 6% is a good commission for basically doing nothing! :)
You should note that any money that is to be sent through Western Union or Money Gram is very risky because there is no way of getting a refund, if there are problems. Many overseas people ask for money this way, whether through regular websites or ebay auctions because there is no real way of following the source and getting a refund if needed.
Also note that because of the high risk involved, many places that you can send money grams or Western Union from also have a limit of about $200 per day because they know that the percentage of money sent that way to other countries is usually fraud and they are trying to protect the person sending from sending all their money away!
Go check it out...I believe many Wal-marts, post offices or food stores send these payments. Check out their minimum that they allow and ask them why....they are there to protect YOU from being ripped off!
...Just another lesson learned from the SCAMMERS I have experienced! Please tell others you know to visit this site and about this information so they don't get caught up in sending money overseas and getting ripped off!
-NHarris
I was suppose to keep 6% ((does not include the $3500 month base salary supposedly)) and the amount it took to send the money Western Union.
shaedalady,
Thanks for posting your experience! Just out of curiosity, how much of the check were you supposed to keep and how much were you supposed to send to the guy in Russia?
I am glad that you stumbled upon my blog! I am glad that I could help! This is the whole purpose of me creating this blog...to help others who may waste their time with these scammers! Please pass this blog link to all you know who may fall into the same trap.
-NHarris
I thought the company was real because they used all the priceline logo and pretty much everything you pointed out that made it look real. I even went on Better Business Bureau and the company had an A+ rating. I actually probed more about the job then decided to give it a shot. Once I received the application and the other disclosure items I had mixed feelings. The application through me off cause it didn't as for previous employment but if they could contact them...but then the contract seemed so legitimate. Being that I have been out of work a year I said what the heck!
Anyhow he finally responded about two weeks later saying he received all my paperwork and HR had approved it and that I was officially a tour manager and that I would be receiving a check from a customer and he would send information on how the process the payment. It took about three weeks before I heard anything from him again and in between that time I had called and emailed him asking what was going on and when would I begin training and that I would like my information back if this job wasn't going to work for me and I got no response.
Then on the 28th of October I received a check in the mail for $2340.58 from the customer (not sure if I could disclose the company name from which) and I immediately called David Miller...no answer.
When I got to work the next day (oh yeah I finally found a good job) I checked my email and there was an email from David stating...I should get the check on the 28th (which I did) and that attached was the directions on how to process it. I needed to deposit in my account inform him when it will clear then send it to some guy in Moscow, Russia. That's when I got suspicious cause I thought I would be sending the money to him or priceline. So I got on the Internet and looked up "priceline job scam" and I found you.
So I never cashed the check I still have it and I sent him an email explaining that I found out this was a scam and that if he does anything with my info I would prosecute him and his affiliates to the fullest extent and that he should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of people in these times of the economy.
So anyhow I'm back and leaving a message this time cause I received a phone call from priceline (didn't catch the call just when I called back heard the intro and no one answered) I'll let you know what they wanted.
Pamela-
Thanks for posting! Why did he send you $3000? Did you do any "work" like book travel arrngements? Was the initial email sent to you just like the one I listed above or different? What did you write back to reply for him to send you money?
I ask because I was very inquisitive about what the actual "work" entailed, since the initial draft stating going to the airport and then his follow up email stated that wasn't necessary.
Contradictory information about a job doesn't make sense. I am sure that if you check with your bank, you can ask for them to see if the check seems legit or not. Ask first about any penalties for "bounced" checks. If you haven't done any work and the check clears, then proceed with caution...but let us know! I am sure there are others interested in NOT falling victim to the same scam!
-NHarris
I have also received a check in the mail from David Miller over 3000 and I even called the bank it was written on and it states it's valid, but I have not done anything with it because, David said he'd send me a letter explaining what to do, and no letter, and no he sent me an email demanding to know why I haven't processed it?? Thanks for this alert because now I know for sure it's a scam
Nick-
Thanks for posting your comment. Did you get a check from the Priceline email or the Careerbuilder one? Can you scan in and send me a copy so that I can post it here for others to see?
Have you cashed the check yet? The reason I ask is because I have seen scams where people will actually send you a check that looks authentic but when you cash it, a day or two later the money is credited back in your account AND you owe a fee to the bank for bouncing the check because the CHECK itself is a FRAUD! The scam here is usually they send you the check so that you will ship a product to them. After you have shipped the product, you are out the money, the product and you owe money to the bank!
Please post a copy of your check with your name showing (you can black out your address) and the company and amount. I am curious, as other readers probably are as well, the validity of this email you received.
Thanks!
Good Evening or Day,
I recently got this email as well, though I had my doubts do to mispelled words and vague information. I did recieve a check in the mail. Now the check is authentic, so how is this considered fraud?. I was never asked to pay for sending the money but what was leftover in the check after commission. I havent followed through with anything and found this website as a precaution. Not sure what I should do now? Any suggestions?
Money transfer overseas 2 months ago
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