So I have been applying for jobs on craigslist, which actually does have many legitimate jobs to be gotten, but it is also a haven for scammers from all over the world, and from west Africa in particular, most notably Nigeria. For those in the know this scam is not hard to spot, it's essentials being pretty much constant over time, but it is such a flexible and adaptable scam that it is used in a wide variety of ways and situations.
Employment is a main channel of income for fake check scammers, although they also use the scam in many other ways, such as to purchase goods, and trick unwary people into helping them with funds transfers.
Well this morning I got a reply about a caregiver job I'd applied for, and my radar got a strong blip almost immediately. The job was caring for a 17 year old person in a wheel chair, and the response told me I was hired for the job, with suspiciously good pay, $420 a week, with living in being an option and all I had to do was check on this person four times a week. Well that seemed too good to be true, especially since I'd not been interviewed at all.
I was asked for all my personal information, probably for identity theft purposes, and told they needed my address so that they could find housing for this mythical person within ten miles of me. The person writing this email used poor English syntax and grammar, which was another big red flag.
They said they were in California but would be moving here soon. Another red flag. This scam is always by a person at a great distance so that you cannot possibly locate them, and if they give their location it's always a lie.
The final red flag, and the dead give-away was this:
Also we will be paying you the first week wages upfront via a Certified Check because you will help her to get some medical tools like one touch basic machine,acu-check machine and test trips in any nearest pharmacy store around. So I want you to feed me back with the following details so that we can ensure you are ready for the work.
Well why doesn't this disabled person already have those supplies?
Of course a certified check from a person at a distance who doesn't know me from Eve's cat is the major alarm bell. I would be sent a counterfeit check for far more than my pay and instructed to cash it using my bank account, and send the balance to a third party via Western Union, after which the bank would discover it to be fake and hold me liable for the entire amount, $3000-$5000 being common in such instances.
People, countless unfortunate persons have fallen for this nasty scam, and they were almost all in a tough financial situation and in desperate need of funds. If you are emailed anything offering to send you a certified check by someone you have not met it's a scam, period.
Do not fall for this!
