Work-at-Home Scam Alert for Mail Assistants: Internet Independent Workers
The latest scam to hit the Internet has just arrived from Nigeria: Jobs for people seeking part-time positions—called “mail assistants”— for work done at home. Vacancies are posted on Craigslist.com under the name of ABS Consulting. Based in the country of Luxembourg, ABS purports to have facilities throughout Europe, referred to as “Forward Luxembourg.” It claims to be a leading global provider of risk-management services.
Job seekers—typically college students looking for summer work—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.
- Email scanned images to the company.
- Ship accumulated mail biweekly, using prepaid UPS or FedEx postage labels provided via email.
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 mail a check back to return the extra money.
The $2,800 check may look legitimate but—big surprise—it’s bogus. So instead of getting paid, the college student now has to pay the bank the full amount. Worse, the scammer now has access to the student’s checking account. And the student is committing a criminal violation by scanning victims’ mail.
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