About a year ago this same scam artist contacted me via e-mail only they called themselves the 'Optimus Group.'
Two days ago I applied for a Design job through Craigslist. The add read: Assistant Director of Design Hospitality needed to join top Hospitality firm!
Creative Interior Designer with managerial experience in all aspects of hospitality and hotel design.
Qualifications/minimum requirements
Strong organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines.
Ability to manage multiple projects and work both independently and as part of a team.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
If interested email your resume
Within seconds of sending my resume to [email protected], I received an e-mail. The e-mail gave a specific job description. The same job description I received about a year ago:
Job Description: You will post advertising ads in USA newspapers andmagazines, such as sales ads, employment ads or real estate ads. You will spend max. 2-4 hours weekly. You do NOT need special skills or degrees. Every week you will post 6-10 ads, for every ad listed you are paidsame day with $100 commission, no need to wait for paychecks. The position is very easy and can be done by anyone without thenecessity to leave your current job. If you ever placed an ad in one newspaper, is that easy.
This is a scam! This is a scam from Europe. What they do is get you to sign up. They then send you a 'fake' check for the amount they say it will cost to place the ads in the newspapers, magazines etc. They then ask you to cash the check and immediately wire money to an address in Europe. You have 24hrs to do so. The company is very adamant that you do so in 24hrs. Well, an out of state personal check takes 7-14 business days to to through the bank.By the time you have withdrew and sent the money, the fake check is found fraudulent and you are out the amount of money you sent as well as the wire transfer fee.
I know from personal experience because I received a check for $2200. I was told that I didn't need to worry about placing the adds at this time. That they had already been taken care of. I did however need to wire the money. I went to my bank, cashed the check and proceeded to wire $2000 to an address in Amsterdam. I was told to keep $200 as my commision as stated in the add.
Feeling overwhelmed by what I had just done, I went online and found this website. Fortunately, there was a post from someone else with the exact information as I had. I ran back to where I had transferred the money and luckily, the transfer hadn't gone through. I was only out $250.
After doing so, I checked my e-mail and had received a nasty e-mail from the Optimus Group stating that they needed their money now. I responded by telling them that I was turning them into the FTC. Never heard from them again.
0 comments