Scam Email: Fred Thomas

This is not art related but someone forwarded this to me. It was an interesting example of just how flooded craigslist is with scammers. And typically scammers do not spend money of their own in order to get other people's money, but this scammer spent the cost of placing a fake job ad on craigslist. I don't know if this is true but it is possible they paid for it with a stolen credit card not yet reported that will result in a chargeback for craigslist but in any case, this scammer posted a fake job in order to lure his potential victims in.

The person who forwarded this to me had replied to the job and attached a resume, as any unsuspecting person would. She got this reply back. From the looks of it, it almost looks like they are going after identity theft rather than hard cash but one never knows if a later email will not have the classic step of sending money (with some story as to why) and asking for a large portion to be forwarded to someone else via Western Union... which is just them at the other end. But this scammer would appear to be going after identity theft.

------ Original Message ------

From : Fred Thomas
Sent : 5/14/2012 9:49 AM
Subject : RE: Part time Admin. Assistant Position

Hello Applicant,

Hope you're having a pleasant day today? You contacted me applying for the position which I advertised on Craigslist. Do take time to go through this introductory mail and feel free to pass any questions on.

Fred Thomas is My name.I have been a Fashion Designer for over 30 years and i have been teaching too and i also has been running a fabrics company for 20 years. I bring a unique teaching style to students which will guarantee creative and fun learning by all student fashion designers while elevating them to new, exciting designers heights that they have only dreamed of.I often conduct LIVE slide/talk lectures on Understanding Exposure, the Art of Seeing, throughout the USA, Great Britain and Asia.At the moment, I am in a work-ship in the England.I will be here for a month after which I will fly down to Philippines for a Live-slide/talk show lectures with some students.

YOUR DUTIES AS MY PERSONAL ASSISTANT.

While I am out of the United State,I need some one who can stand in the gap for me.His/her duties will be the following

1.To receive letters and mails on my behalf.

2.Receive cheques and money orders from clients who want to attend the forth coming workshops or Live shows.

3.Schedule appointments for me.

4.Book my flight tickets.

5.Send letters and mails from my clients.

This position is home-based and flexible part time job,you can be in any location to carry out any of the activities.All you need do is to check your emails twice daily and keep your phone on most times in case i might need to call you from anywhere i may be.I do have a number of things you could help me with this week if you will be available to start.This can act as a stable foundation to our working relationship.Let me know if you have any of the office equipment (If not,I will make arrangements to send them to your address

Printer:

Personal Laptop/Desktop:

Internet Access:

Scanner:

Fax machine:

Laminator:

Paper Cutter:

For proper review(since i am not available now to set up a face-to-face interview) supply out correctly the information below .

FIRST NAME ......................LAST NAME...................

ADDRESS.................

CITY ............STATE............................

ZIP CODE............COUNTRY..................

PHONE NUMBER (S) ........................

PRESENT OCCUPATION..............................

GENDER.............MARITAL STATUS........

AGE..............NATIONALITY.................

Email....................

Scanned copy of your ID:(You can provide that later when you are employed)

Note: It will be of added advantage if you can provide 2 references from your past employments.

Qualification:

1.Educational background is not a criteria.

2.You must be Organized and able to take instructions well Dependable, Reliable, Trustworthy a must

3.Must have excellent English language skills (both spoken and written)

4.Have great work ethic and attitude, as well as people skills, pay-attention to detail, capable of multi-tasking, and works well under stress at times.

Benefits:

- Yearly performance bonus
- Paid vacation/sick/personal days
- Medical benefits

Salary:

500 USD weekly(2,000USD monthly)

Also,there will be compensation for efficiency and hard working.

Thanks

Fred Thomas.

Scammers Target Job Seekers

Okay, this isn't art related, but artists very often need secondary jobs to get by, so I thought it would be good to post this alert:

The Better Business Bureau is warning people about a scam that is targeting job seekers. The scammers hire unsuspecting job hunters and then try to take their money.

Carmen Prather, a graduate student at UNCG, was in need of a job. She turned to Craig's List and eventually found one.

“I was supposedly chosen to be a personal assistant to a photography company and it turned out to be a huge scam,” said Prather

She said there were clues along the way like she had never met her new employer and talked only through email. She said that the first hint that something was wrong was when she had to deposit a check without ever having met her employer or spoke to them over the telephone.

Prather didn't deposit the check and called the Better Business Bureau. Officials said it's a growing problem.

“The level of the scammers is getting higher, they're doing a better job on their end, and I think also with the way the economy is people are also more susceptible,” President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Central N.C., Kevin Hinterberger said.

Prather says she learned a very valuable lesson when it comes to job hunting. “Just be very suspicious of everything, check everything twice,” said Prather.