Money mule scams
By ladyslew
@ladyslew (91)
United States
February 13, 2008 1:23pm CST
It wasn't so bad when you just got a spam email suggesting that you should accept payments from clients in the US for some company based in a foreign country, cash them, and keep 10% for your efforts. That you knew was a scam, you deleted it, no big deal.
But more than once now I have repiled to what appeared to be legitimate freelance bookkeeping jobs only to find that the response from the potential client is a description of a money mule scam! They are placing ads in legitimate employment sources that use legitimate sounding job descriptions. The ads will talk about wanting people with accounts receivable, collections, or general bookkeeping experience. They describe duties that are normal for these positions, so it's nothing that sounds like a money mule scam. My guess is that they are copying real businesses' ads to use in their scam.
The really bad part is, by the time you discover this is a money mule scam and not a legitimate client you've already sent your resume! They've got your home address, your home and cell phone numbers, your references. So far as I know this has not yet been a problem for me, but I do worry about it.
I always report to the job database website I find these on so they will remove the ads and hopefully not a lot of people will get stuck. This is particularly a problem on Craigslist where the advertiser is not charged a fee. But I've even found these ads places like Career Builder, WorkBaltimore.com, Yahoo! Jobs, Guru, gofreelance.com, just lots of places.
Watch out for these scams. The checks they ask you to cash are phoney, and if you deposit them in your bank account you will get into BIG trouble. There have been cases where people forwarded money to the scammers before the checks actually cleared and then they were stuck paying the bank that money, plus fees.
2 people like this
2 responses
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
14 Feb 08
This is scarey - I wonder if there is any way you can detect these scams before you provide your information. It's sad that a wonderful tool like the internet is so often used for ill doings. There are so very many honest people who are looking for legitamite jobs.
@hd1027 (257)
• United States
16 Feb 08
You are so right , that one is very convincing, and a lot of us out there fall for it just because we want to make an additional supplemental income(which there is nothing wrong with ,if you ask me,it is your God given right)and then to be manipulated like that each and every time , I will make this also a SCAM ALERT! in my colom and my blogs on the eight blogs and sites that I am joining now to make sure other innocent people don't fall for thia , thank you for being so alert and may God Bless you!;-)
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
18 Feb 08
I must admit I've stayed clear of Craigslist because it seems like every time I turn around I'm hearing something bad about them.
As a rule if it involves money I am going to do a lot of researching before I give any information - I do however have my resume posted online with name, phone, and e-mail address but anyone with a little computer knowledge can get that information with or without a resume.
@ladyslew (91)
• United States
29 Feb 08
Again! Just happened to me today. This one looked so real:
Accounting Assistant Needed
Accounts Receivable/Payable with general office experience. Lane Furniture Company is seeking an experienced person to manage our accounts receivables and payables as well as assist with other administrative functions. Responsibilities:
Provide accurate accurate bookkeeping including payments, deposits, invoicing, and recording.
A/P: Track incoming bills, allocate expenses, pay bills, keep accurate vendor files.
A/R: prepare billings, track past dues, make bank deposits, maintain client files.
Answer phones as needed.
Collect and track time sheets.
Maintain office files.
Complete various administrative projects and other duties as assigned.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
Must be detail oriented and able to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
Must be able to work independently and within a team environment.
The response I got back, so fast that it had to be an autoresponder, describes what sounds like a legit furniture manufacturing business. They even give you a link to the real Lane Furniture's website. But the response email is a Hotmail address. Of course, they tell you that they want you to start out collecting payments part time, keeping 10% and sending them the other 90%. But it sounds so much more legit than what I have seen before. I wish I had a high enough rank to paste it here. It's too long to type. If somebody wants to see it though PM me and I can forward the email to you.
