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apparent scam recruter fishing: " Veston Group"
Submitted by johnlogic on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 1:22pm.
::
Can anyone tell me that this *is not* a money-laundering scam...
FYI: Some of the first chatted returned by Google includes an amusing thread.
- John
---
Dear [your name here] ,
Veston Group is a large international company working with electronic money
transfers. And we are looking for new employees!
Now we need people to work in regions. Your job is to receive and process
payments from our worldwide customers.
You'll have to work only 8-11 hours a week! Full time job also can be offered soon.
Our employees are well paid: you'll receive 2300 USD+ commission a month during
test period (30 days) and 3000 USD monthly after it! Please note, that full-time
employees get much more money.
If you are interested in this offer and would like to learn more, please fill in
the form below and e-mail to: job.veston.amy@gmail.com
Our human resources managers will contact you within 2 days.
-------------FORM-FORM-FORM-----------------
Name: ____________________
Contact phone: ___________________
Preferred call time: _____________________
-------------FORM-FORM-FORM-----------------
We found your resume at www.hotjobs.com. This letter confirms that your resume
has been duly processed and your skills completely meet our requirements for
Financial Manager vacancy.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Amy Ryan
Veston Group Inc.
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Oh yes, I got one of those emails a few days ago - probably should have publicized it. I haven't used HotJobs since 2001 (that was a clue); and although this variant is in better English than most, it's still the classic "Nigerian 419" setup. The usual tooth-fairy rule applies: If it sounds too good to be true, that's because it is.
Yes, that does smell like a scam...
Notice American sounding contact and company name, but horrible English grammar and diction, suggesting that the message originated outside the US. No native US-English speaker would say "Full time job also can be offered soon.", that just sounds stilted and unnatural. An American would more likely say something like "Full time jobs will also be offered soon.".
#1 red flag...the email address @gmail and not through company domain.
"Now we need people to work in regions."
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that poor attempt at correct English grammar, I'd have no nickels.
Scam
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
My door64 Blog
enweave
I just got a similar scam email... Note the stilted pidgin "Engrish", bad grammar, the fact that the (probably hijacked) email address it came from is a free account, and that the (also free account) email address for reply don't match...
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:08:11 -0700
To: deleted
From: Pitsa Renner
Subject: Vacancy
Good Afternoon
Finance Corporation International company offers a job for the vacancy of the account manager.
Well-paid from $2500 up to $4000 a month ! And it is not a limit !
This job is only for the people who are in the territory of the USA. the
city and the state doesn't matter.
You are a responsible goal-seeking person who is able to solve his purposes quickly.
This job doesn't suppose you will invest anything- you will simply fill in a contract which will be sent to you per e-mail as soon as you will have answered this message. After that you'll start working.
Minimal requirements:
-You must have bank account.
-At least 18 years old.
-Internet and Email skills.
Write here (e-mail) : kollaris.atis@gmail.com
Best regards
Manager of Finance Corporation International
Atis Kollaris
Are they laundering money? Maybe? Or have folks found easy ways to transfer money out of accounts?
That "You must have bank account" part makes me wonder...
- John
Well, I think they are just wanting people's bank information so they can directly steal the money, but if this was a "legit" job, then your money laundering suggestion would be likely. I think what they do is forge checks on those accounts and then get other unwitting dupes to cash them and then forward legit checks, money orders, western union, etc. to them which they then disappear with. I wonder how many desperate unemployed people fall for these scams?
As mentioned below this is a real (fraudulent) scam of the sort called "money mule," or "third party receiver of funds."
It is not a recruiter.
It is neither fishing nor phishing.
Here is a good work up on this specific piece of nonsense: http://www.bobbear.co.uk/financecorpinternational.html
Turn it over to the FBI and move on.
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
My door64 Blog
enweave
Excellent find threew... Makes you wonder why the various governments around the world can't catch these scumbags and hang them from the nearest tree.
I wanted some real data on how many people actually fall for this stuff and the extent to which they are ripped off so I went to the source.
The FBI/IC3 compiles statistics. What good would a governmental agency be without statistics, eh ;~)
No surprise: Most internet fraud involves auctions -- primarily non-delivered merchandise.
Median loss for internet fraud looks like this...
Of those complaints reporting a dollar loss, the highest median losses were found among check fraud ($3,000), confidence fraud ($2,000), Nigerian (west African, 419, Advance Fee) letter fraud ($1,650).
A snapshot of perps location is interesting but seems to mostly follow states with highest populations so it's not as interesting as it could be.
Among perpetrators, 77.4% were male and half resided in one of the following states: California, New York, Florida, Texas, District of Columbia, and Washington. The majority of reported perpetrators (66.1%) were from the United States; however, a significant number of perpetrators where also located in the United Kingdom
Overall losses are just north of $264 million for 2008, a record.
The full report makes interesting reading.
http://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2008_IC3Report.pdf
As mentioned previously, recipients of internet spam/scam should report the perps to the FBI and IC3. Do it here: http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
My door64 Blog
enweave
Financial fraud of all types is a big deal and is treated seriously by the various agencies. To a great degree, it is the FBI that investigates these things. Has anyone (else) ever turned someone into the Treasury Department, or DHS, or FBI?
Over the years -- and I've been a lot of years online -- I've seen many hundreds if not thousands of these things. At one time I would report the obvious illegal ones -- phishing, Nigerian princes, and the like. I'll still report phishing but not much else.
This stuff usually lands in one or the other of my spam folders via those filters that have gotten better and better over time. I always check the spam folders (nothing auto deleted) because occasionally something real lands there. Nothing comes to the inbox except from a trusted source so mail from new folks goes to spam first. I never open anything in the spam folders except legit email and I keep images turned off as well. I have email security scans running on all online and offline email programs.
I'm sure most everyone here does something similar because both spam and scam email have become big business and dangerous business.
In reality I don't really care much about it (spam and scam) anymore and don't pay much attention to it either.
The two instances noted in this thread are obviously scams in the "third party receiver of funds" category. They are not from recruiters and most of the time they didn't get the information from a job board either. I suspect that if we checked with HotJobs, they'll tell us the folks who sent the email do not have an account with them and are not connected with HotJobs in any way. It's spam with a scam and probably went to thousands of people some of whom may or may not have a profile on HotJobs... some may have never heard of HotJobs.
Police departments, including Austin, state, and national agencies will take this stuff if someone sends it to them but it is difficult to investigate. Further, it's not actually illegal to ask someone for their bank account number. In other words, at the point the email is received (if no action is taken by the recipient), no monetary damage has occurred and not much in the way of prosecution is possible.
It is probably fraud and may be conspiracy to commit fraud -- obviously illegal -- as well as "spam" which is illegal under some circumstances. However, until someone is actually defrauded of funds, there's not a lot that law enforcement can do about it.
That being said, the best course of action for recipients of this stuff who feel strongly about it is to hand it over to law enforcement and forget about it. You can report it to the FBI here: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx
William W. (Woody) Williams
Senior Project Manager
Software Development, PMO, IT Governance
My door64 Blog
enweave
New scam via Monster.com: I received the following message this morning. (Using an email funnel and unique addresses, I can trace this back to my resume posted at Monster.com on January 12, 2009.)
I just filed a complaint via the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and Monster.com.
- John
===
Good day,I want to inform you that I have deposited your Confirmable Bank
Draft of $800,000,00 USD United state dollars to the Fedex Delivery services
here in West Africa. Due to, I have waited enough to hear from you so that
your funds will be transferred through CENTRAL BANK OF AFRICA (BOA) here,
but because of the late response I now decide to deposit the Bank Draft with
the fedex delivery services with your previous information as you listed it
that time.
I have paid to them their delivery charges & insurance coverage fee, the
only fee to be paid again is their security safe keeping fee of $225 dollars
only.I would have paid that but they said no because they don't know when
you will contact them and in case of demurrage.I will be travelling to IRAQ
to see my boss and I will not come back till next two months,Therefore I will
advise you to contact the fedex shipment officer with his contact
information as listed below for the avoidiance of increase of their security
safe keeping fee.
Note that I packaged the Bank Draft inside a magazine where nobody will
notice the content, I also told the shipment officer Mr.Johnson Smith, that
it is ordinary African magazine I want to deliver to my friend abroad to
avoid further delay unless you delay to send their security safe keeping fee.
Below is the shippment officer contact information including his email
address with the parcel reference number, note that without you indicating
your parcel number as listed below the fedex delivery services will not
listen to you they will be imagining if you want to steal another persons
parcel.
E-mail: fedex_nigeria13@yahoo.com.hk
Tel: +234-706-239-4854
Shipment Code:CPEL/OWN/9856
Parcel Number: EG2272-NG
Also below is the information they need to deliver the Bank Draft in form of
African Magazine to your address, this is to avoid wrong delivery as i
already gave them your delivery address but you have to re-confirm it to
them ok.
Full name......................
Home address..........
Country....................
Telphone...............
Please make sure the information is complete as they promised that once
they receive their security safe keeping fee within 2 to 3 working days
the magazine will arrived your door step according to the shipment
officer.Once again, the Fedex delivery services do not know the content of
the parcel, I registered it as an African magazine they don't know it
contains of the Bank Draft inside, this is to avoid them delaying the
delivery and besides I don't want you to lose your inherittance
funds.Thanks.
Mr Frank Larry.
See, now this one I like. First, it's only $225, so you know in advance exactly how much you're being taken for, and second, you're going to get a cool West African magazine for your money.
So this is more along the lines of the "Make Money Fast" ads in the backs of magazines ("send us $5 to get our booklet on how to make money fast", and you get a booklet with instructions on how to place ads in magazines) in that you get *something* for your money, just nothing worth what you paid for.
My favorite is still the newspaper ad - "Last chance! Send $5 now to ". No attempt to sell anything, no deception, just asking for money, but with that touch of urgency. I understand that one worked pretty well, but the postmaster finally found some reason to shut it down.
Greg