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Tuesday
Jul142009

Odd Job

In looking for a new job, I have signed up for every known Job Board out there (Monster, Dice, Careerbuilder, etc...). Most of the responses I get are scams, jokes and in no way follow any of the job type / category settings I have setup and have listed.

The other day I received an email telling me that they noticed my resume and thought I would be a perfect match. This is pretty much the common email response I get before they dump a horrible position description in my lap.

But this one was different. This one made me think: "Is this even legal???"

It came from an overseas company, and offered me a work at home position. First it explained that due to some international law, they could not setup a bank account in the US so they can work with other US companies. Then they explained that to get around this, they would hire me, and all I had to do was receive an $8,000 wire transfer from them to my bank once a week, then transfer $7,000 to their partner / customer company in the US, keeping $1,000 for myself as a salary.

WTH!!!

I have received almost every Nigerian Letter (also called the 419 fraud) email in the book, sometimes I receive them as much as 2-3 a day, but I have never seen something this ludicrous.

So I ask you: Is this even legal???

Let me know...

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Reader Comments (2)

The question you ought to be asking yourself is: given you're presently looking for a job, do you even have time to care if these things are legal?

I'd just ignore them and move on.

A few years ago, I went through a rough patch and started looking for part-time work (which is a very weak market over here), and the lead times between submitting CV / resumé and agencies getting back to me was about 3-4 months.

I really hope it's not that bad over there in New York.

In the mean time, make the most of social media and get as many eyeballs looking your way as possible!

July 14, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterWayne Smallman

It is legal if all the proper taxes are paid and the proper notices are made. Still, that clearly won't be the case. I can't remember the webpage, but there is a webpage dedicated to scamming the Nigerian scammers. It's pretty entertaining and it teaches you how to scam them by sending them packages that are postage paid on delivery and things like that. The scam you were asked to take part in seems safe. Shortly after the scam starts they ask that you deposit a few thousand dollars in good faith money so that they know you are serious. That's where it becomes unsafe. At this point, if you refuse, they then start threatening you. In some cases they even send someone to your home. My wife's classmate was recently sentenced to 12 years in prison for helping perpetrate these scams. He made over $20 million. A lot of people fall for these. It's amazing!

November 19, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterRobert B.

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