ALL PEOPLE WITH RESUMES ON JOB BOARDS ...BEWARE!

There is a NEW SCAM THAT TARGETS JOB SEEKERS and has cost thousands of people thousands of dollars.

Beware of job offers that contain improper english, vague job descriptions and promises of salaries/remuneration sounding too good to be true for just part time work.

There are some serious scams that are directed toward job seekers right now. Most will pay you by wire instead of check--which looks as solid as a cash deposit --BUT ISN'T!!

If you decide to pursue this or anything similar, take this priceless advice...because it cost a lot of people a lot of money to bring this advice to you. Here it is...

ONCE YOU ACCEPT THIS “JOB” THEN BEFORE YOU TRANSFER ANY MONEY, FORWARD MONEY OR MAKE ANY PAYMENTS, CALL YOUR BANK AND GET THE NAME OF THE INSTITUTION THAT GAVE YOUR BANK THE FUNDS. CALL THEM AND MAKE SURE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE DEPOSIT TO YOUR BANK AND THEY ARE NOT PLANNING ON CALLING THE DEPOSIT BACK!

HERE IS HOW THIS SCAM WORKS:

You receive an email offering you a great paying part time job. They usually get your name from your resume' on a job board.

They say they will give you a salary of about $3-$5, 000 per month for about 10-15 hours of work per week along with incentives and bonuses. All you have to do is sign their contract (with their signature as well and an official looking rubber-stamped seal that is signed) and give them a copy (fax'd or scanned) of your driver's license or other official ID.

They usually use the name of a real business based in the U.S. SO EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY HAVE AN EMAIL SUFFIX (example: [email protected]) THAT LOOKS LIKE IT IS FROM A POPULAR, LEGITIMATE COMPANY, DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING ITS LEGITIMACY.

Many of these scammers can also get your Social Security number from your driver’s license...the copy you sent them!

They will ask you for an account and routing number where they can deposit or wire you money (after all, they need to know where to send your salary, right?)

At this point understand that ANYONE who has your routing number and account number can empty your bank account via electronic transaction. Even from a home computer! No, they do NOT need any passwords. Yes, those are the ONLY two numbers anyone needs if they are computer savvy. I was shocked when I discovered this but it was confirmed at the highest levels of two of the largest US banks. Check with yours. MOST PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE THIS.

Back to the “job” you will be doing; they will ask you to transfer money or ship packages. Keep in mind that your actual “responsibilities” of transferring money will usually not be in the original job description when you are offered this position.

Some of these scammers will set up a time to “interview” you over the phone to seem more legitimate. They will usually be from another country including the UK and Canada. If they do not focus on your work history, BEWARE!

So, they tell you you’re hired, then…

They tell you to watch for a wire deposit of "x" dollars and to contact them as soon as you receive the wire. You contact them (usually email) and they give you a list of names & addresses for you to transfer the money that you were just wired. They will give you a few options for how to wire this money. Usually it is at a check-cashing place. Their goal is to quickly take this money out of your control as soon as possible. In fact, usually if you turn these transfers around quickly (within 12-24 hours), they give you a bonus.

BEWARE: Many of these companies will have websites looking like they are in the business of "International Currency Trading". This way, you think the money transfers are completely legitimate. Don't be fooled no matter how polished the web site may look. Keep in mind, these scammers will try to look like legitimate companies so they just may use that company's web site.

So, you have made all the transfers requested. You figured that since the money was wired, it's as good as cash, right? WRONG! This scam even occurs when cashier's checks are deposited to an account.

A couple of days later you get a call from your bank saying the original institution that gave your bank the deposit is calling it back because it was fraudulent...and YOU ARE NOW LIABLE FOR THE ENTIRE AMOUNT YOU JUST TRANSFERRED!

Also, when they say they are going to pay you your "salary", do not go through Paypal thinking that being paid through Paypal will be any safer. They will direct a payment from one of their "customers" to you. Their "customer" pays you and the customer never receives their merchandise. The customer requests a refund through Paypal after you have spent the money. Depending on the circumstance, Paypal refunds their money. At that point, you are on the hook to Paypal for the refund amount to the customer since you are seen as the seller (because the customer sent YOU the money).

I researched for 3 hours before I got involved and got burned by this scam. After my conversations with several bank fraud departments and authorities I can tell you that tens of thousands of people have lost and are losing a lot of money from this scam.
LET YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ARE SEEKING JOBS KNOW ABOUT THIS!!!. It is very easy to get sucked into. I wish I had seen a warning like this before I was scammed. Believe me when I say I am very savvy and do a lot of homework...but it still happened to me.

NOTE: It does not matter if you have their names, addresses or phone numbers. These people can change them tomorrow.

If this will help one person from getting scammed by this, it will have been worth the effort.

So just be aware of any job offers that sound too good to be true. No legitimate company is just going to offer you a good paying job without interviewing you in depth AND ASKING-IN DEPTH- HOW YOUR PAST POSITIONS AND EXPERIENCE RELATE TO THIS JOB POSITION.