The Inspiration

Greetings fellow internet wanderers. For my first post I'd like to talk about my inspiration for starting this blog. Like many of you, I often seek out new financial opportunities on the internet and do my best to background check any sources that sound promising, but unfortunately there are many crooks out there and they are always concocting new ways to take advantage of the unsuspecting public.

I responded to an ad posted on craigslist that was looking for an Administrative Assistant that could provide light office support telecommuting 20 hours a week for a whopping $500. Here is an example of one of the emails I received:

Hope you are having a pleasant day to your self .I received your e-mail and it was a pleasure hearing back from you. I hope this marks the beginning of a good working relationship all together. From the details you have sent to me, I would want to give you the opportunity to be my new assistant; I do hope my decision will be worthwhile. I'll be using the next couple of weeks to test your efficiency and diligence towards this, also to work out your time schedule and fit it to mine. I really need to find the perfect person for this job, I'm confident you can take up the challenge and on the long run we should have a relatively sound working relationship between us. I hope we can get a head start with things as soon as possible. I have had to put a hold on a lot and I would appreciate it if you can be available for me immediately. I do have a couple of urgent tasks for you which will include you making some purchases and payments on my behalf. You will receive a payment check and some money orders via mail which will also cover your wage for the week as well as all other purchases and payments needed to be made on my behalf. I will update you further on this giving you a comprehensive list on how to go about them. My daughter also has a birthday coming up by next weeks Friday, I have a surprise party planned for her so you will also be working hand in hand with the planner in organizing gifts and anything else for the party. Kindly reply this e-mail as soon as possible to further signify your interests in working with me. I have a confidence in you and I am looking forward to a good working relationship between us. I hope you will be up to, perhaps better than my presumptions about you. Hope to hear from you again soon. Regards.Nicolas Thomas

The format was neater that it appears in this crude cut and paste, but if you read carefully you can tell that whoever is writing this does not have a full command of the English language. This message raised some serious doubts for me so I decided not to respond. A few weeks later I received a package from Fed Ex containing three money orders for $955! There were no instructions in the package, but when I checked my email I found another message from Mr. Thomas:

A pleasant morning to you, hope you had a wonderful night rest. To further update on my previous email, I do have an assignment for you today and it would mean quite a lot of you can attend to this with all urgency. The next couple of days ahead will be relatively busy and I hope you can be very handy for me as a reliable assistant.
I have had a package sent to you via FedEx courier service with a tracking number 8631 9285 5020 . Tracking results shows it is currently in transit to the address you provided me in your application and it will be delivered to you on Monday . The payment was issued in your name.
Here are the instructions to follow;
-You are to take the checks to your bank or any other check cashing point to get the check cashed. -After you get the check cashed, deduct your $500 which is your wage for the week -You are to take the remaining cash to a western union outlet and transfer it to the information below.
Name : ADAM ISMAILAddress : 8/9 jalan tun razak klState/City : KUALA LUMPURCountry : MALAYSIA Zip Code : 57100
After deduction your wage ,you also deduct the western union money transfer changes from the balance you will be sending out. You are to give me a detailed account of the transaction by sending me an e-mail with the following:
- MTCN of the transfer (which is the 10 digit code of the transfers made)- - Sender's Name and Address as used at western union - Funds left over after the transaction is completed.
This wire is my personal donation to aid the recipients on their various course in life, please treat this with all importance bearing it in mind that you are also touching a life in a way as you do so. I'm counting on you to get this done for me today at whatever cost, the financial aspect of any working relationship is a very sensitive and if we are able to build a confidence and trust in one another right at the beginning with this, it should be a smooth sail all theway.
Keep me updated as soon as you receive the package and get the tasks done. I will be online later to give you further instructions.
RegardsNicolas Thomas

After reading about check cashing scams online I sent Mr.Thomas an email telling him to send me a copy of his passport and license so that I could authenticate his identity. He immediately contacted me over the phone (he had my number from when I sent my initial application with attached resume) and was very aggravated. He claimed he was Australian, but his thick middle eastern accent did little to persuade me.

The way these scams work:

The money grams sent are actually forgeries. Unfortunately, most banks will allow the funds to be immediately withdrawn for a money gram, so when the money clears you may think you're home free. However, a few days later after you've transferred the money through a wire transfer as he instructed, your bank comes looking for the $3000 that bounced on the forgeries. Don't get caught off guard by this one!