I replied to a job ad on Craig's List for a Production Assistant and got an e-mail back from a company called Adlink Internet Media describing the job description. This is what they said.
"What this position entails: You have to post classified ads, such as sales ads, employment ads or real estate ads in your local newspapers and magazines.
The company is located in Germany and prices for newspaper ads are almost double for foreign citizens/companies, this is the main reason we need your services in the US for the specified position, Newspaper Advertiser. You will spend max. 2-4 hours weekly, in your spare time. You do NOT need special skills or degrees. The position is very easy and can be done by anyone without the necessity to leave current job! It's as easy as placing an ad in a newspaper.
This work does not require any money out-of-pocket from you. We will provide the money to post in newspapers. Once you have received the money and the ad content necessary for the postings from us, all you have to do is place the ads from home by calling newspapers' toll free numbers or by using their online services. There will be 4-10 ads placed weekly, for each ad you post you are paid with $100, you will deduct your share from money we send you to post the ads. For example, if we need to place an ad that costs $500 we will send you $600, you pay $500 to newspaper or website that places the ad and you remain same day with $100 commission. This is possible because for a foreign company the same ad costs around $900-$1100.
Almost all of our ads are employment ads from various European companies that want to have ads in the US. We may also have some ads from US companies wanting to advertise in European newspapers.
Requirements:
- Reliable internet access OR the ability to check your email daily
- You must be over 20 years old
- 2-3 hours free during the week (mainly in the evening / non-business hours) for communication;
You will enjoy working independently from home in a way that meets your scheduling needs. You can earn a full-time income in as little as 2-3 hours/week. This is an excellent way to supplement your current income. It is possible to work for us for a few hours daily and increase your income by up to $800 weekly. If you have any questions about an assignment, you will generally receive a response from us within the same day, often within few minutes. NO account SETUP fees or fees of any kind are required for this work.
To start the job today please reply with the information below:
First name, Last name:
Full Street Address - NO PO Boxes please:
City, State, Postal Zip Code:
Two E-mail addresses:
Phone#:
We will select papers from the US where the classified ads will be placed and send you the funds to post. You need to place the ads in max. 48 hours after you receive the money from us! This is the only condition we ask. How you are paid for your services: As specified above, there will be 4-10 employment ads placed weekly. For each ad you post, you are paid $100. You will deduct your share from money we send you to post the ads. After a satisfactory 30-day trial period, we will establish a long-term contract with you. You will be registered as our employee and we'll pay taxes every time you will place an ad. You will then receive a 1099 form at the end of each year from us.
Although the requirements for this position are very simple and all terms are clear, please do not apply for this job if you are not responsible. Your agreement will be considered a US binding contract, so we expect you to follow through on your commitment to our requirements.
Thank you"
I sent them my contact information and they sent me a cashiers check for $1,925.00 to place the ads along with these instructions.
"The $1,925 payment that you received splits in:
-$1495 that you need to send for ads.
-$130 is the cost of Western Union transfer
-$300 is your commission that you must keep for this task.
Please cash the received check at your bank today. You must send the funds to Austria with Western Union "Money in Minutes" method. That will be the entire task. Below you have the name and address of the receiver:
Receiver's Name: Erwin Stern (Please verify to write the receiver's name without errors, is very important to double check the name to be correct)
Address: Schneerson Platz 1 B
City, Zip Code: Vienna, 1020
Country: Austria (careful, not Australia)
Western Union has online transfer method to transfer the funds with your card online at www.westernunion.com or you can go to a near Western Union office from your town to make the transfer. Online you may have sending limits if you use for the first time this service. You can also call their toll free number 1-800 CALL CASH. Process is very simple and fast, you just need to say that you need to send money and they will assist you 100% until is done.
Once the Western Union payment has been made, you must immediately email us with the following information in this format:
1. Your Full Name (name of sender from Western Union - your name if you sent the funds)
2. Exact Dollar Amount of Money Transfer
3. Date sent
4. Your address
5. Money transfer control number generated by Western Union (10 digits number-Transaction Number MTCN).
6. Name of receiver
Thank you"
I deposited the $1,925 cashiers check at my bank and waited for the normal two day waiting period. The money was then posted to my account and I took out the money for the ads as instructed and sent it Western Union.
The next day, the cashiers check for $1,925 was returned and I was negative $1,925 on my account. I immediately called the fraud department at my bank and started an investigation. It is still pending.
I just want to warn anyone and everyone about job ads like this one. I thought I was safe because they sent a cashiers check. I had no idea that cashier checks could be faked. The joke was on me. Before I had any dealings with this company, I looked on usacomplaints.com.Com to make sure there wasn't any complaints on this company and I didn't find anything, so I thought they were a legitmate business. I was wrong. Very wrong!
If anyone else has had the unfortunate experience of being scammed in this way, please feel free to tell your story. I would love to hear about it.
0 comments