Employment Scams

The latest scam to hit the Internet has just arrived:   Jobs for people seeking part-time positions—called “mail assistants”— for work done at home. Vacancies are posted on employment websites. Job seekers are typically college students looking for summer work, seniors and stay at home moms. They are told they will provide mail forwarding services for expatriates, international travelers, and seasonal workers around the world. They are asked to perform simple tasks:

• Receive mail at home.
• Scan the front of each envelope received.
• E-mail scanned images to the company.
• Ship accumulated mail biweekly, using prepaid UPS or FedEx postage labels provided via e-mail.

After two weeks on the job, assistants get an e-mail promising an $800 paycheck, plus an extra $200 bonus. But to test their “integrity,” they’re told they’ll get a check for $2,800—and must return the overpayment to the employer. The money is usually returned to the employer via a wire transfer service.  The $2,800 check may look legitimate but—big surprise—it’s bogus.