This has got to be a scam

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!"

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.

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

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.

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

I received the same email less than an hour ago - well, almost the same. Michael.gordon29@aol.com wanted me to go to the post office & mail packages, sort through incoming mail, shop for gifts (paid in advace with his money) and pay his bills, all from the comfort of my own home. He of course is "out of town on business" in Australia, so "there will be no interview".

He offered $300 per task. Umm... surrre, buddy!

All he needed was my full name, address, home & cell phone number, email address, occupation, and bank name.

The part that get me mad is that I can't tell which employment site or job fair registry he used to get my email address. I just clicked "report phishing" and let it go at that. The header was a redirect, so no doubt that it was mass mailed. Hopefully there's enough for Gmail to plug the leak, but I get a feeling this jackass is going to be at it for a while to come...

echo6delta in Jacksonville, North Carolina said: I received the same email less than an hour ago - well, almost the same. Michael.gordon29@aol.com wanted me to go to the post office & mail packages, sort through incoming mail, shop for gifts (paid in advace with his money) and pay his bills, all from the comfort of my own home. He of course is "out of town on business" in Australia, so "there will be no interview".

He offered $300 per task. Umm... surrre, buddy!

All he needed was my full name, address, home & cell phone number, email address, occupation, and bank name.

The part that get me mad is that I can't tell which employment site or job fair registry he used to get my email address. I just clicked "report phishing" and let it go at that. The header was a redirect, so no doubt that it was mass mailed. Hopefully there's enough for Gmail to plug the leak, but I get a feeling this jackass is going to be at it for a while to come...

Sounds like its off of Craigslist.

I received the same Michael.Gordon email, and I don't have a resume posted anywhere, because I'm not looking for a job. Wonder how EYE got into the loop!

Hello,
         I just received your email,that you are interested in the job.I am replying you back this job offer,because i really need someone urgently to start working for me as my personal assistant.My name is DONALD BENSON,I would have love to meet up with you to talk about this job,but I am currently away on business trip. I am looking for someone who can handle my personal and business errands at his/her spare time. Someone who can offer the services such as receiving calls and reporting back to me what information you got from clients,replying emails and printing invitation for exhibitions,shopping for gifts and materials,paying bills as well as receiving payments from clients when am not around.You will work on the average of about 5-10hrs per week and I will start by paying you $300 per week which will rise to $400 depending on how effective you are,the job will start from the moment you start running errands.This job is temporary and could possibly be a permanent one for you based on how you deliver your duties, we will talk more when am back and you can take part more in my successfully growing business.I will email you the list and samples of pictures of what to shop for when I need you to shop for me and will be 
precise on what and where, funds will be giving upfront and the shopping must be reported in detailed manner. No heavy packages is involved! You can do the shopping at any nearest stores. I will provide clear set of instructions for each task I need done as well the funds to cover them.Pleas

This is fishy to me, but i just need reassurance that its not just me being paranoid:
I applied for a job with arkema to be a front dest receptionist, and then it turned into the vp needing a personal assistant. now i received a this cashiers check for a lot of money and im freaking out. this is just too good to be true. am i crazy here?

I've been receiving such emails even when I was not looking for a job. I think it's just random spam

Caguilar1985 in San Antonio, Texas said: This is fishy to me, but i just need reassurance that its not just me being paranoid:
I applied for a job with arkema to be a front dest receptionist, and then it turned into the vp needing a personal assistant . now i received a this cashiers check for a lot of money and im freaking out. this is just too good to be true. am i crazy here?

Hi, my name is leann I recieved the same thing! What did you do??

Leann Tellez in San Antonio, Texas said: Hi, my name is leann I recieved the same thing! What did you do??

Oh do not cash the check I've been following this for awhile the whole job thing!and looking into it! its a scam.

Oh and another thing in other states this is a scam too but its not the company it's people using their names and other info! They say they do not send job emails and to look out for titles saying: Pa wanted for job site soon to be built or contractors, or any other jobs they might throw out there. They use the name "Arkema".

i got a cheque as of today this morning and it is 2784$. Then my boyfriend is freaking me out about this so I went to my bank trying to deposit the cheque. Before doing so, I asked the teller if she can confirmed it first before putting it into my account. She said that the way the cheque's number is written was not the right way a cheque's number should be. Now I am going to call the bank from the place he sent me the cheque.I will let you guys know what will happen next.

Its me again. I called already the bank and they said that its a fake. I called the company who sent the cheque on my name and they said it wasn't theirs. So pls for all the people here who got scammed be careful next time, don't get blinded by the money :)

Here's one way to tell, if you're unsure. Recruiters will not send you long, windy emails. Their emails will be short and to the point -- usually a request to see you or ask if you are interested in the position. Job details will be discussed, usually, in person or over the phone.

If you get a response that sounds like a lot of specific instructions asking you to do things, delete it. Also pay attention to spelling, grammar and formatting. If it looks unprofessional, it's most likely a scam. I've gotten a couple so far, deleted them.

ana in Montreal, Quebec said: Its me again. I called already the bank and they said that its a fake. I called the company who sent the cheque on my name and they said it wasn't theirs. So pls for all the people here who got scammed be careful next time, don't get blinded by the money :)

What did you do once you received the packages and checks? Did you report it to the police or you just left it alone?

Krystine in Miami Beach, Florida said: What did you do once you received the packages and checks? Did you report it to the police or you just left it alone?

I filled a report. But because I don't have much time because I am working I didn't make any follow ups .. I really want this scammer to get caught and stop his craziness .. When I received the cheque I was so excited .. but my boyfriend loves me so much that's why he didn't stop to look for evidence that I was being scammed ., I went to the bank and asked them if the cheque would work .. they've told me that it was a weird cheque ., the numbers are incorret .. so at that time i stopped..

Just received this today from someone named Derek. Hey there, I have an unusual job that you might be interested in. I've been looking for someone open-minded who wanted to make some money while doing something fun, but haven't found the right fit yet (it's hard to find sane people on craigslist!). Like I said, it's a bit weird but it's very easy, and no, it's not illegal. It's not a replacement for a full-time job, but it's a great way to earn some cash on the side and won't get in the way of other responsibilities you may have. If you are interested in hearing about the details, let me know! It's kind of embarrassing for me to bring up, so I'd rather know you might be interested in a non-traditional gig before spilling the beans.

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).

Yes this is a scam!!!! Unless they actually hand you a business card of theirs and actually live in your city, DO NOT give them any personal information like credit card number, cash, or anything until you can verify and prove without a shadow of a doubt that they are who they say they are. They should have a legitimate website and agree to meet with you before you do any kind of job for them. My wife and I run a 100% legitimate errand service for people in our area and we do not accept credit cards or checks as a form of payment for what we do. That would sound very suspicious to me if I came across an ad where someone says they will take any form of payment. That is a HUGE red flag! Be damn careful about wearing your heart on your sleeve. You need to guard it hard.

Bluetea in Texas said: 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!

Sounds like a bargain... Tell them "If I won a prize just send me the money, here in America they don't charge us money to collect a prize. Your full of crap and probably just a stupid scam artist trying rob honest people out of their hard earned money."

You want my advice, I would just delete every single piece of email that you get from overseas and not even read it. How would they even know who you are if they live overseas in the first place? I was the victim of Nigerian romance scam back in 2009 and got conned out of $2,000. They pulled every trick in the book that they could to get my money and it worked until I started noticing patterns. There will always be some excuse as to why they need money. I got sick and am in the hospital, can you give me $4,000 to cover my medical treatments or I got evicted from my place to live, can you give me enough first and last for rent? When that happened to me I finally said, "Why in the hell should I? I don't even believe now you are who you say you are." Almost all scammers stories will sound scripted with the way they are written, and they spelling is atrocious. Pay attention to that one. They always seem to know just the right things to say to you as well in order to get you to communicate with them. DON'T DO IT!!!

mhb in ponchatoula, Louisiana said: Use your job performance review ratings.....until now, it is not available for any recuiters or companies to see. I found a site on a job search posting forum on about and it gives you a printable form for all former employers to enter it into their system....and made available for you when you need it. it is virtuallysimplify website click on employee portal and select myrequest from the menu, print it and send it in to your former employers. Until now your job performance reviews are just papers with your previous employers. I requested mine. they are on twitter and fb and linked in. check them out and I have researched it, it is true that these are nowhere for recruiters to see.....and if they had them it would change the game....for everyone. Please pass this along to everyone that may need it........as for some reason, when I try to post this to people I see in need of help, it gets deleted. And that is just not right, for sites trying to help!

Okey, we get it! Now stop "helping" us.

Hatch108 in Gainesville, Florida said: 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. !!.

What they should do is a buy gun... I did after I got scammed and I haven't regretted my decision to purchase one.

Like that buying a gun will stop scams.

There is a time and place for everything, including violence. Not in this case.

Hopefully you are kidding.

OMG. same here.

my guy is David Bray and
yeah, I just got a fedex envelope but I don't dare open it.
he sent me an email that said that there is like USd 3816 in it.
and told me to put 400 for myself (as confirmation that I am now in his employment) and put the rest USD 3416 on money gram to send to someone in TExas

what the HELL man.
also he was really rushed. the grammar is bad (I know that this is no reason to think badly of someone because that's just mean but...) and everything is just moving too quickly. who sends money to someone else on the 3rd day. and he mentioned in the job description that I have to pass a background check and I bet he hasn't had the chance to do it yet.

I don't quite understand this tho...if he is a scammer, what does he get out of all this? it's not free fun, he just fedex me something overnight shipping. what's his game?

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).

I know where you are going but as an international student from an asian country, this is offensive. don't be so self-satisfied.

I recently didn't know about this scam, and I went to my local Wells Fargo and attempted to cash the cashier's check. I explained to them that it was sent to me but my boss and was told to cash it. I didn't have a clue about these scammers. If anyone could tell if i could be punished or give me guidance as to what I should do that would be gladly appreciated. Because I do not want trouble Law enforcement regarding this bs. And im on 19 years old. I was emailed since he seen my resume through careerbuilder.com

Rashan in Norristown, Pennsylvania said: I recently didn't know about this scam, and I went to my local Wells Fargo and attempted to cash the cashier's check. I explained to them that it was sent to me but my boss and was told to cash it. I didn't have a clue about these scammers. If anyone could tell if i could be punished or give me guidance as to what I should do that would be gladly appreciated. Because I do not want trouble Law enforcement regarding this bs. And im on 19 years old. I was emailed since he seen my resume through careerbuilder.com

Take your resume down. Especially, if it is on Craigslist. The site is filled with scammers.

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).

We're seeing evidence of this over in the "frustrated" thread.