This has got to be a scam

My sister is applying for jobs and ran across an ad for an Executive Assistant. She sent in her resume and in response a recruiter sent her this email from the prospective employer:

Hello ,
How are you doing today? I’m very happy that you want to becoming part of that company by working for us. Thanks for the mail...Are you serious having this part time job?
I am looking for someone who can handle my personal and business errands at his/her spare time.
Someone who can offer me these services: Mail services:
Receive my mails and drop them off at UPS(nothing illegal)Shop for Gifts Bill payment ( pay my bills on my behalf)Sit for delivery( at your home) or pick items up atnearby post office at your convenience.
Let me know if you will be able to offer me any/all of these services. Where are you located? I would love to meet up with you to talk about this job but I amcurrently away on business. I am in Australia so there will be no interview.
I will prepay you in advance to do my shopping. I will also have my mails and packages forwarded to your address. If you will be unable to stay at your house toget my mails, I can have it shipped to a post office near you and then you can pick it up at your convenience.
When you get my mails/packages; you are required to mail them to where I want them mailed to. You don't have to put money out of your pocket, all you have to dois have packages shipped to your house and do my shopping. You are allowed to open the packages to reveal its content.
The content of the packages are computer and electronics, clothings business and personal letters.. All expenses and taxes will be covered by me. You willworkbetween 15 and 20hrs a month..
How much will you charge per month? I will pay $450.00. That is not a bad offer is it? I need your service because I am constantly out of town. I work in realestate and I own an Art Gallery in Australia. I will return to USA in September.

Here is the rest of the email:

If you don't mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can talk about the possibility of making this long term. Well, let me know if you are able to handle the position.
Hope to hear I will email you the list and pictures of what to shop for when I am ready. No heavy packages is involved! You can do the shopping at any nearest stores.
You will be shopping for Electronics and clothing's.
I will provide you my personal UPS account number for Shipping.
All you have to do is provide my account number to UPS and shipping charges will be applied into the account.
I will provide clear set of instructions for each task I need done as well the funds to cover them.
If I were to mail you money to do my shopping plus upfront payment for your service, where would you want it mailed to? How should your name appear on the money?
Maybe you can provide me with the following details below [snip]

One of the advantages of being an American, we can read right away when this is an international scam. (For most internationals, American grammar is too hard to put together).

LOL. That's funny, I just got this email yesterday and I was like "for real? what a joke!"

mary in Tampa, Florida said: One of the advantages of being an American, we can read right away when this is an international scam. (For most internationals, American grammar is too hard to put together).

So true; the sentence should read: (CORRECTED ENGLISH IN CAPS)
I will provide you WITH my personal UPS account number TO USE for Shipping.

__
I get these all the time. They are looking for personal info. And, after you give them some insignificant info, (seemingly) they will probably need your SS#, bank#, etc.
If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is.

If you do fall for this scam. DO NOT OPEN ANY PACKAGES!@! Please!

I receieved an email from a recruiter stating he had a position working at the RRC (railroad commission)...I called the phone number on the weekend, and it said his name, and leave a msg... red flag there. (no company identified on vm)..i left a msg, he called back and left me a msg, heavy middle eastern accent. We finally talked, and he sent me an email with some attachments the most important stating that before he submits me to the client I MUST GIVE MY SS#...i was like yea ok...NOT.. i replied i'll pass, he was like "what happened?"...be careful to ALL out here.

I got this same email. DEF a scam. ugh.

I got the same email. I wonder what the scam is if there is one? "Pay my bills on my behalf" sounds bad to me.

This is a S C A M! They will pre pay you (with a fake money order) try to cash it and it will bounce from your bank. Not only will you be out the money you are instructed to spend for anything but if you bank charges for the rubber check you will be on the hook for everything. The check will look real and even bank tellers are fooled an will cash it, but it will catch up with you later when they try to take it out of an account that does not exist. BEWARE of any kind of jobs that give you a paymnet up front. When you work for a real employer don't you have to work the hours then get paid?

I got one like that. I set up a yahoo email, replied to a few craigslist (most are scams, but not all) ads for jobs. If it sounds fishy, it is. If you are unsure, copy and paste the letter into google and if it is a scam, you will soon find out.

Yeah! It definitely sounds like a scam. Why would somebody in Australia be contacting you in America for a job?

From: Mike Gordon <mike.gordon01@hotmail.com>
Date: December 19, 2011 3:09:08 PM EST
To: nenarena@gmail.com
Subject: Assistant Needed
Reply-To: michael-gordon33@hotmail.com

I'm looking for someone who can handle my personal and business errands at his/her spare time.
Someone who can offer me these services:  Mail services: Receive my mails and drop them off at UPS,Shop for Gifts Bill payment ( pay my bills on my behalf) Sit for delivery( at your home) or pick items up at nearby post office at your convenience.
Let me know if you will be able to offer me any/all of these services. Where are you located? I would love to meet up with you to talk about this job but I am currently away on business. I am in Australia so there will be no interview.
I will prepay you in advance to do my shopping. I will also have my mails and packages forwarded to your address. If  you will be unable to stay at your house to get my mails, I can have it shipped to a post office near you and then you can pick it up at your convenience.
When you get my  mails/packages; you are required to mail them to where I want them mailed to. You don't have to put money out of your pocket,  all you have to do is have packages shipped to your house and do my shopping. You are allowed to open the packages to reveal its content.
The content of the packages are Art Material and Painting, clothing's business and personal letters.........All expenses and taxes will be covered by me.
You will work between 15 and 20hrs a month..
 How muc

Nanlisa in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania said: Yeah! It definitely sounds like a scam. Why would somebody in Australia be contacting you in America for a job?

I got it and I didn't answer it. A Nigerian King is going to send me 10 million dollars just as soon as he gets my check for $1,000. tee hee!

All kinds of scams like this are going around. Also emails that I inherited a large sum of money. These are sent out to millions, they often are in my junk email box, which I always check the subject and sender before deleting for good. I never respond to these jokers, but I am sure some who get them respond.

I got the same Micheal Gordon personal assistant email on 1/16/12

ANOTHER SCAM HERE BEWARE!!!
Harry Powell powellagencyhr@gmail.com

to me
Attn:

I am looking for someone who can handle my Personal and Business errands at his/her spare time. Someone who can offer me these services: Mail services, Receive my mails and drop them off at the Post ,Shop for Gifts Bill payment ( pay my bills on my behalf),Sit for deliveries( at your home) or pick items up at nearby Post Office at your convenience.I would love to meet up with you to talk about this job but I am currently away on business. I am in Australia so there will be no interview. I will prepay you in advance to do my shopping.
I will also have my mails and packages forwarded to your address. If you will be unable to stay at your house to get my mails, I can have it shipped to a post office near you and then you can pick it up at your convenience. When you get my ails/packages; you are required to mail them to where I want them mailed to. You don't have to put money out of your pocket, all you have to do is have packages shipped to your house and do my shopping. You are allowed to open the packages to reveal its content. The content of the packages are computer and electronics, clothing business and personal letters. All expenses and taxes will be covered by me. You will work between 15 and 20hrs a month. How much will you charge per month? I will pay $1,400. That is not a bad offer is it? I need your service because I am constantly out of town. I work in real estate and I own an Art Gallery in Australia. I will return to United State by ending of March 2012 so this process will be on going till then. If you don't mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can talk about the possibility of making this long term. Well,let me know if you are able to handle the position.I will email you the list and pictures of what to shop for me when I am ready. No heavy packages is involved! You can do the shopping at Sears, Walmart, and other stores.

Rest of the message:
You will be shopping for Electronics and clothing. I will provide you my UPS account number for Shipping. All you have to do is to provide you my UPS Account Number and bill the shipping charges on it.. I will provide clear set of instructions for each task I need done as well the funds to cover them. If I were to mail you money to do my shopping plus upfront payment for your service, where would you want it mailed to? How should your name appear on the Pay check? so if you still have interest you're to reply me back with all this following details.

1. Full Name :
2. Full Street Address(Not PO Box) :
3. City, State, Zip Code:
4. Age:
5. Present Occupation:
6. Cell Phone Number:
7. Home Phone Number:
8. Email:

Your Urgent reply back will be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Mr Harry Powell.

Oh by the way the so called "job" i applied for was 2 months ago. if it was so urgent why is he contacting me now??? way to fishy for me. id rather be on the safe side with this. BEWARE PEOPLE. SCAMS ARE ALWAYS GONNA BE OUT THERE!!! BE SMART!!!

I did respond with my name and address, just today received 2 fedex's with $7,500 check in each. Now, I have to ask, who would just send $15,000 based on a name and address? This has to be a scam!

DON'T cash those checks, you will regret it. They are fakes.

I stopped reading after the second sentence of his email and realized it was a scam: "I’m very happy that you want to becoming part of that company." A fourth grader has better grammar than that!

feel stupid in Ballwin, Missouri said: I did respond with my name and address, just today received 2 fedex's with $7,500 check in each. Now, I have to ask, who would just send $15,000 based on a name and address? This has to be a scam!

Dear Feel Stupid,
You should probably turn the checks over to Local Law Enforcement or the Treasury Dept. Or Homeland Security. Oh, BTW, I can't believe you gave them you name and address. !!.

Well, you got the "money" for nothing.

Now, where are the free chicks?

He called this am. I told him this was a scam and I was turning the checks over to officials and with his heavy accent, hung up on me. Imagine that!

I got the same email but a few things were different, he said in mine he'd b returning in June n in someone else's it says September!! and a few other differences!! lol!

So, I got this email from Michael Gordon, same as above, and I have had my resume up on several job sites just to see what is out there being new to my area. I received an email a few weeks ago thinking nothing of it, I am very gullible, and thinking it came from one of the local companies that reviewed my resume. I have gone back and forth with Michael now with 4 emails and 1 phone call.

I have been speaking with my mom regarding this all week, letting her know what was going on in my life. She wasn't sold this idea at all. She absolutely thought there was something fishy about the situation, all the while I was promoting it.

Needless to say, I did give my name and address and I did receive a package today with a check for $7500. Within minutes of opening the package, Michael called me, I was on the line with my mother therefore I did not answer. He did not leave a message. While on the phone with my mom, I was going over the contents with her, just some details...the package came from a woman named Jacqueline Williams of Brooklyn Park, MN. The check came from the Citizens National Bank of Texas. Now that was what made my wheels turn...a little slow...sorry...my mother is always right! I hung up with her and called Michael, he didn't even say hello, just asked had I deposited the check yet? I said hello a few times trying to actually get to know my new "employer" he absolutely had a heavy accent that threw me off considering he said he was from Georgia...

Anyways, I will bring this package along with my emails and phone records to the police tomorrow. As well as a call to my mother to let her know she was right all along.

I just want to thank the people on this for sharing your stories as well, because I may have ended up in a bad situation...

I received the same email a couple of days ago after responding to an ad on Monster (now they are even hitting the pay sites, not just free ones like Craigslist list) it was the exact same letter except his name was Darrell Elis and he was returning to the US in July 2012

Glad I copy/pasted in to Google, Thanks Everyone!

Wow, considering that the world is starting to use LinkedIn, in addition to all other Job websites, posting CV online on multiple outlets in the web... isn't the web giving information for free to scammers?

I mean, I am sure scammers or even worse will find ways to make use of all the information we put out there.

I never thought putting CV on a jobsearch website would be such a bad idea.

feel stupid in Ballwin, Missouri said: He called this am. I told him this was a scam and I was turning the checks over to officials and with his heavy accent, hung up on me. Imagine that!

You should have told him to send cash instead since you couldn't cash the checks.. :) LOL, wouldn't it be nice to scam the scammers?

As usual if you receive an email and think it was a scam why would you serious it. In some case, you will be receiving a message telling that you win and they will need your bank account. Be sure who's messaging you.

The latest scam I'm aware of is the one where they first call your voice mail and leave you a message about having won a free trip. Obviously, that's a scam.

Well, now I've even received a letter saying just about the same thing. It's an obvious scam. Nobody gives away things for free, especially if you never entered yourself into anything.

How it relates to my employment search is that it's very possible they got my name, address and phone number from a resume I sent out blindly. I can't confirm that, but it's somewhat likely. I get calls and email that are scams fairly regularly, probably thanks to resume fishing. Not exactly the type of contact you want as a result of sending resumes out.

I used to have my phone number on resumes I posted online. After getting a few too many calls from an insurance company (no names, but think duck in the commercials) asking me to come in for a group interview and no calls for legit jobs, the only contact I now have is an email address. I have never put more than my town (no street) with online resumes.

My daughter put her resume on Careerbuilder and now she gets phone calls 10 times a day wanted her to interview as a saleperson! Why would a staff accountant want to sell insurance or books?

Yes, scams abound on the internet. I still have resumes posted online, the only contact being email. Thankfully, I have not been the receiving end of a full inbox of spam YET, it may happen.

My resume is no longer posted on any of the job sites. I learned my lesson.

Still, I think some job ads are simply mining for email and phone numbers because I get phone calls, texts and emails connected to fake jobs, health insurance and credit card reorganization.

I don't see how you can't have your phone number on your resume. You don't want to give an employer any reason to ditch your resume when they're looking for any little tiny thing to do so.

i got this email today but his name was changed to benson perry lol