# Is this a scam or a possible illegal activity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624 "2007-03-12T16:48:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/1 "2007-03-12T16:48:16Z")
I received the following e-mail today. It didn’t have any company information or telephone numbers, just the text you see. It’s ringing alarm bells, and it’s not something I’d be terribly interested in, but I’m curious if it’s a scam. > [@](#): > > We have found your resume at [monster.com](http://monster.com) > > We would like to suggest you a job of a Transfer Manager in our company. > > Your goal will be to process payments between our company and our clients through the bank checques with remote Internet operations. There will be detailed instruction with each payment order. It is a commission based position. > > We guarantee that you will get about 10% of each processed payment. > > This job allows you to: > > - Get financial independence working only 3-5 hours per day; > > - Efficiently work at home; > > - Get additional free time; > > - Develop high selfrespect and esteem. > Common requirements and abilities: > > - Internet and e-mail skills; Experience in online work; > > - Prior customer service experience is a good benefit, but not a must; > > - Ability to create good administrative reporting; > > - Willingness to work at home and take the responsibility to set up and achieve goals; > > - Effective interaction with customers; > > Salary: $700-$1300 per week > Current Vacancies: 5 > > If you are interested, or if you need some more information, please contact me directly at via my personal email address. > > I will need > > - your full name > > - mail address > > - your mobile telephone number > so I can send you the contract and other paperwork necessary for > > you to get started. I am looking forward to hear from you soon as possible. What say you, dopers? ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/2 "2007-03-12T16:52:04Z")
phishing scam… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/3 "2007-03-12T16:54:36Z")
Scam. For one thing, if a company is responding to your résumé for an open position they have they would probably address you by name. There may be legitimate companies who solicit applications from everyone whose résumé offers skills that match their open positions, but in that case they’re not looking for _you_. They’re hoping for some responses from qualified applicants. But IMO most of the ‘We found your résumé on [monster.com](http://monster.com)’ emails are scams. I’m pretty sure that your specific email is for something like this: The ‘company’ sends you bank checks (like cashier’s checks), which you deposit into an account. You mail payments to a third party and keep a 10% commission. The bank checks are bogus, and you’re on the hook for the amount. Meanwhile you have already sent real money to the ‘third party’. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/4 "2007-03-12T17:44:49Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Scam. For one thing, if a company is responding to your résumé for an open position they have they would probably address you by name. \ [/QUOTE] And have your full name, address, and phone number, also. You wouldn’t need to send it to them again. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/5 "2007-03-12T18:10:25Z")
Look at the money angle. $700 to $1300 a week to do a small amount of financial processing, plus 10% of every transaction. Maybe they would send you checks to process as the middle man in a scam that is traced back to you from the legal system investigating scams. The employer is safer, because the elctronic transfers were done by you. It might take you a week or two until the lack of the salary payment, has you alerted that something is wrong. It sounds like a bad deal to respond to. Total yearly salary to be upto $67,600 before the 10% bonus from every transaction. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/6 "2007-03-12T18:35:20Z")
1. **We would like to suggest you a job of a Transfer Manager in our company.** 2. We guarantee that you will get **about 10%** of each processed payment. These two things alone clued me that this is suspicious at the very least. On #1, it was the syntax; on #2 it was the approximate amount. Even if that changed for some reason, I don’t think it would be expressed this way. Oh, yeah, like others have said; if they found your resume on [monster.com](http://monster.com), they would at least have your name, if not your address and phone number. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/7 "2007-03-12T18:57:26Z")
Thanks, everybody. I was naturally suspicious, but couldn’t put my finger on why. I suppse the next contact would ask for my bank account number. StG ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/8 "2007-03-12T19:05:59Z")
I have received the exact same email as well, addressed to me in a similar fashion. It’s a scam of some sort. ---
**Author:** ![Spiral\_Stairs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Spiral\_Stairs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiral_Stairs)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/9 "2007-03-12T19:13:56Z")
[QUOTE=StGermain] Thanks, everybody. I was naturally suspicious, but couldn’t put my finger on why. I suppse the next contact would ask for my bank account number. [/QUOTE] Why, you _do_ want your lucrative commissions direct-deposited into your bank account don’t you? Of course! ---
**Author:** ![Kalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/df705f/32.png) [@Kalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalypso)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-scam-or-a-possible-illegal-activity/395624/10 "2007-03-12T19:18:57Z")
It sounds like an overpayment scam to me. [http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/overpayalrt.htm](http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/overpayalrt.htm) They would probably be asking you to receive checks, cash them, keep 10% and send them the rest. Of course, the checks would be bogus.