Just in Case You Haven't Seen This One Yet

Fraud is rampant on the Internet and one of the most used is the wire transfer version. Actually it's such an old scam that it has whiskers, but it still appears, as it did for me only this morning. Thus I'm posting this article so you won't be taken in by these vipers.
I drop by craigslist.com every once-in-a-while just to see if there are any part time jobs listed that I might be interested in just to pick up some loose change. There usually isn't anything there that interests me, but yesterday there was a listing for a short term, part time driver. I responded and received an email this morning from the principal. Here is a copy of the email:

Hello,

Thanks for your response, i need to do a brief introduction about my self, i am Dr.Stephen Kaite,i am the present CEO of DE' ALANS CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, site #117 new port,Scotland,we are specialized in taking exhibitions,holding lectures and special events for both adult and youth education activities in architectural development. i would be coming over to the United State for a private research on educational architectural, and construction design and would be working with The United State Architecture Foundation (USAF) and i am glad to read from you as regards the driving job. I have good preparation concerning our pick up and for other purposes which we might need you for, which everything is okay with us, We believe you are fit for this position in as much as you will prove yourself a reliable, loyal and good person. We will be arriving on the Sep 10 2009.I will prefer you have your car available and if your car will not be available due to our schedule let us know so that we can make arrangement to hire a car,

I am offering you $600 weekly and I want to know if you going to be available through out our stay and we will be staying for 8 weeks. Youwill make yourself available 5 times a week to our schedule for 3 hours each day and that should be after sunset around 3:00 Pmto 6:00pm each working day, you will be working on Monday,Thursday, Friday . You will be picking us up from the airport to the hotel on our first arrival and we will be arriving in the morning around 9:00Am to 10:00Am and after our arrival you will be picking us up from the hotel to anywhere we wants to go, Also I want you to know that my Personal Assistant here in united state will be sending you a Paycheck that will cover your first week payment which is $600 and our travel expenses and after you have cash the Paycheck you will deduct your first week payment $600 and the remaining funds will be sent to our Travel Agent through western union money transfer or money gram for our travel expenses, accommodation and any other expenses like gas for the vehicle and more. The paycheck is going to be an instantly cash because we don't want to have any delay and it will be well prepared soon and send out to you.All details regarding our travel will be provided to you as soon you receive the Paycheck and send the remain money to the travel agent for our travel expenses , hotel accommodation, gas for the car and some other necessary things. Get back to me as soon as possible with the following details to prepare the Paycheck with my personal assistant and send it out to you, if you are good with the offer so that we can have a good and comfortable preparation before our arrival schedule.

FULL NAME:
MAILING ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
CELL PHONE:
HOME PHONE:
GENDER:
D.O.B
MARITAL STATUS:
BEST TIME TO CALL:
PRESENT JOB STATUS/POSITION:
Did you accept my offer?

All i need from you is total honesty and sincerity. I know you will be committed to the work ,You will also have a nice period of working with my wife. I will look forward to your e mail with the required information.Here is my phone number +447024035747 please dial as presented for international calls ,

I will be waiting to hear from you

Regards

Stephen

Now I don't know what Steve's doctorate was in but it sure wasn't English. The text is sloppy with poor grammar, usage, syntax, and punctuation. This is the first sign of fraud; the author is a foreigner so poorly grounded in the English language that he seems unaware of his ineptitude. He (she?) claims to be from Scotland but it could be from anywhere; Nigeria and Russia are major sources of Internet scams.
The scenario Steve presents is rather elaborate and is baited to entice the sucker using money and sex.
The money sounds good: $600.00 a week for 15 hours? Not bad! But Steve seems to think that sundown in Dallas, Texas, is around 3:00 to 6:00PM. But the itinerary is otherwise wonderfully detailed; pick him up at the airport, drive him to his hotel, and pick him up at sundown (3:00PM)and return at 6:00PM, after dark I suppose. Not much time to do whatever Steve and company are supposed to be doing. Doesn't seem too clear. Anyway, he wanted me to be available 5 times a week; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (Steve obviously didn't major in math either) to take him "wherever we wants to go." Yo, bruthuh, maybe we cruise the 'hood wheah I gots mah crib.
The hook is buried in the financial details. Note that Steve wants to send a "Paycheck" from which I am supposed to deduct my first week's pay and send the balance to his travel agent by Western Union or Moneygram transfer. Pretty cute.
The "Paycheck" would most likely be a very genuine-looking cashier's check from some bank in the United States. The last time somebody tried to pull this scam on me the guy was in Wisconsin but the supposed bank was in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And did it ever look good! Counterfeiters can dupe up a check that even fools banks. That time the check was made out for $5,500.00; I was supposed to cash it at my bank, take my cut (I think it was $500.00) and send the rest off somewhere. The check looked so real that the bank would have cashed it, and it could have taken up to six weeks to discover that it was a bogus check. When the check bounced the deficit would be charged back to my account and I would have been out $5,000.00. I responded to this pitch just to see what would happen, so take my word - that check looked genuine!
The sex part of Steve's pitch is suggestive only, but also having a nice period working with is wife opens up a lot of possibilities. What kind of work?

Well, you've got the idea. Do not engage in any financial arrangements that involve cashing checks and wiring sums of money to unknown destinations. The deals sound legitimate and this makes them easy to fall for. One of my friends has a roommate who called me one day about two years ago to say that he had just received a check for $5,000.00 to spend as a "Mystery shopper". He was assigned a couple of stores to visit and report on the kind of service he received. He was to spend about $200.00 and get to keep what he bought. Finally, he was to mystery shop Western Union when he went there to wire the balance to wherever. Good thing he called because he was so taken in by the scam that I had a little trouble convincing him that it was a fraud.

A word to the wise.