Although the fake check scam is an old one and about 65% of the
population are aware of it, scammers are constantly finding ways to
improve their techniques and trap even the most computer/internet savvy
of people.
So as technology progresses along, so does the online crime.
Heed
my warnings to beware of any offer that you receive utilizing a
"cashiers check" over the amount of what is being asked. The newest
scam to date is the "phony job offer" coming through online job boards
such as CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com, Dice.com, HotJobs.com etc. etc.
How it Works
You
are notified via e-mail with a job offer to act as a "Donations
Processor" or something similar. You are e-mailed a link to a (fake)
contract and asked to sign and fax it back.
Within a few days, you
will receive a FedEx envelope containing a Cashiers Check in the amount
if either $4500 or $7500. Your main contact will notify you via e-mail
requesting the status of the funds. Once you have the funds available,
which you likely will considering the banks will immediately release
the monies of a cashiers check under $5000, you will be given
instructions on how to and who to send the funds. You will likely be
asked to wire the funds via Western Union but strongly instructed not to
send the money as a "business" transaction but rather a "personal"
transaction. Note: the needy somebody you are sending the funds to is
always in Ukraine!
You will also be strongly instructed to not
send the funds online, but to walk in to a Western Union office. You
are told to keep 10% of the cashiers check for your time and efforts and
to pay for the wire transfer funds out of the cashiers check as well.
It is also likely that your wire transfer will be sent in two (2)
different transactions to two (2) different names.
Within days,
you will be notified by the bank that your account is being closed and
that the check you deposited was a counterfeit. You will also be
notified that you are possibly facing felony counterfeit charges for
passing a fraudulent/counterfeit check.
Your original contact will fall off the internet planet. Your e-mails will be rejected and the website will be long gone.
Sound Stupid?
Yes,
while reading this article, it probably sounds obvious that this is a
scam, but when you receive the job offer with the CareerBuilder.com logo
and transaction numbers listed along the bottom, you are not apt to
suspect anything fishy. This is the trap!
Every victim of this
scam fell for it because the original job offer came via e-mail shortly
after submitting their resumes to CareerBuilder.com.
About 90% of
the job offers are using CareerBuilder.com as their primary form of
contact, although a reported few have come from Monster.com and
HotJobs.com.
What to do if you are a victim?
Every victim
has filed complaints with the FBI, FTC, IFCC, Western Union, FedEx,
their local General Attorneys and police department with no success or
response. I spoke independently with a representative from the Secret
Service that claimed in essence, this is the perfect crime. No
representative of the United States will step forward to assist with
prosecution or extradition because the neighboring countries won't
assist. What does this mean? It means that so long as the public isn't
aware of what to watch for with these internet scams, then basically
the victim is victimized 10 times over.
The victim has to foot the
financial bill in addition to possibly facing jail time for passing a
counterfeit cashiers check. This also means that money is being stolen
from Americans and could very possibly be used to support terrorism.
Sound a little far fetched? I don't think so, we don't know who is
running this internet scam, the only fact known is that they have made
millions, possibly even billions of dollars stealing from us, the
Americans.
Online organized crime continues to slip through the cracks making scammers and possibly terrorists rich.
Efforts
have been made to contact CareerBuilder.com asking for their assistance
with notifying newly registered job seekers of the dangers that easily
leak through their system. CareerBuilder.com steps aside from their
responsibility by stating that a "fraud" link at the bottom of their
pages provides warnings of what to watch for. They neglect to admit
that this particular scam isn't listed on that page. They also neglect
to admit that they don't inform you that your personal contact
information including everything on your online resume is sold for
profit. CareerBuilder.com has the funds and the means to assist with
putting a halt to these types of scammers, however, they don't and they
won't.
If you are angered by the negligence of CareerBuilder.com, feel free to send written correspondence to the following:
1. Chairman -- Robert Montgomery - Robert.Montgomery@careerbuilder.com
2. CEO -- Matt Ferguson - matt.Ferguson@careerbuilder.com
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