What About This Email Scam

[jakesideas]

I just replied to a post about printing checks in Thailand. While I don't want to accuse anyone of starting a scam like this one I received yesterday. Watch out for these guys and don't fall for their check cashing tricks!

****Lucrative Part Time Job Opportunity****

Good Day,

H & S International Limited is a Latvian textile company. We produce and distribute clothing materials such as batiks, assorted fabrics and traditional costume worldwide.We have reached big sales volume of textile materials in the Europe and now are trying to penetrate the US market.Quite soon,we will open representative offices or authorized sales centers in the US and therefore we are currently looking for people who will assist us in establishing a new distribution network over there.The fact is that despite the US market is new for us we already have regular clients also speaks for itself.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR US.

But we have a problem thats setting us back. We have some problem collecting our payments from our US clients.The international money transfer tax for legal entities (companies) in Latvia is 25%,whereas for the individual,it is only 7%.There is no sense for us to work this way, while tax for international money transfer made by a private individual is 7%.That's why we need you! We need agents to receive payment for our textiles ( in money orders,cheque or bank wire transfers) from our clients in the US and to resend the money to us via Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer.This way we will save money because of tax decreasing.

JOB DESCRIPTION

1. Recieve payment from Clients.

2. Cash All Payments at your Bank.

3. Deduct 10% which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed.

4. Forward balance after deduction of percentage/pay to any of the offices you will be contacted to send payment to(Payment is to be forwarded either by Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer).

HOW MUCH WILL YOU EARN?

10% from each operation! For instance: you receive 7000 USD via cheques or money orders on our behalf.You will cash the money and keep $700(10% of $7000) for yourself! At the beginning your commission will equal 10%,though later it will increase up to 12%!

ADVANTAGES.

You do not have to go out as you will work as an independent contractor right from your home or office.Your job is absolutely legal. You can earn up to $3000-4000 monthly depending on time you will spend for this job. You do not need any capital to start.You can do the Work easily without leaving or affecting your present Job. The employees who make efforts and work hard have a strong possibility to become managers.Anyway our employees never leave us.

MAIN REQUIREMENTS.

(1).18 years or older legally capable,responsible and ready to work 3-4 hours per week.

(2).You must have PC knowledge,e-mail and internet experience(minimal).

And please know that Everything is absolutely legal, that's why you

have to fill a contract!

If you are ready and interested to start this Job, please fill in the form below and reply this mail (Note that all respond and Communication should be made to my personal E-mail Box: - ([email protected] ) in order for me to reach you fast). THIS IS OPENED TO CANADIANS AND UNITED STATES BASED ONLY. Just Click Reply and Fill this Form with the Ref number and Batch no.

Reference No:- LSLCA/2031/ 8161/05

Batch No:- R4/A313/2-60

EMPLOYMENT FORM

Full name:

Address Line 1:

City:

State:

Zip:

Country:

Home Phone:

Cell Phone:

Gender:

Email:

Marital Status:

Age:

Nationality:

Employed or not ???

do you have a checking account??

Additional information about yourself :

N.B:- DO SEND ANY REPLY TO (email deleted due to Thaivisa rules)

Thanks for your anticipated cooperation and we hope to hear from you soon.

Yours faithfully,

Thomas Smith

For H & S International

[think_too_mut]

Technically, there is some truth in it. They are not asking you to provide any bank details. The numbers (7% and 25% commission by the processing ends) look high and I can't believe it is so much.

The process is known in other countries. If a check is processed by a bank, they would charge, say, 2% of each check. However, if the checks are batched and processed by a building society, the whole batch (that may contain 100s or 1000s of checks) is charged some small, nominal, sum. Then, international transfer cost different too.

That is what "Community Banks" in the US do for their customers. Businesses should explore how to plug into that rather than sending emails around. That makes it scent like a scam.

[jakesideas]

Or maybe they go to Panthip and print up a bunch of checks using bank accounts that they bought on the internet or stole off of a bank website. Then they have you transfer the money to their account. By the time the checks are known to be fakes and are bounced back to you for payment their account is closed. Anyways it is your responsibility because you tried to deposit a bad/ fake/ bounced check! Yeah real legit business with "some truth in it". If you want the contact details for this reputable Latvian company feel free to ask me for it.

[Thaddeus]

If you want the contact details for this reputable Latvian company feel free to ask me for it.

Thanks, but don't need to..... just google "H & S International"

Link

[think_too_mut]

Or maybe they go to Panthip and print up a bunch of checks using bank accounts that they bought on the internet or stole off of a bank website. Then they have you transfer the money to their account. By the time the checks are known to be fakes and are bounced back to you for payment their account is closed. Anyways it is your responsibility because you tried to deposit a bad/ fake/ bounced check! Yeah real legit business with "some truth in it". If you want the contact details for this reputable Latvian company feel free to ask me for it.

The process is true.

Not that I want to vouch for the "scamer" but what you are saying is not how it works in practice.

Like subscriptions to magazines - when paid by check, it kicks off only when the check is processed and funds available (could be 2-5 days between the 2 events). If a check is a bogus, nothing happens and the magazine company is not responsible for someone's attempt to rip them off.

But, the process is not that important here, I won't go further into that.

[tingtong]

Thaddeus, the link has all the aswers anybody would need, to say a fast no, no for this.

[jakesideas]

Or maybe look further down on Google- it's not always the first site that comes up... 5 down I found this link website about how to protect yourself from this.

www.banksafeonline.org.uk/money_mule_dec05.html

[tingtong]

exactly, that was the one I wanted to refer

[Thaddeus]

exactly, that was the one I wanted to refer

That's the one, it kind of leaps off the page at you. If a Dot Org says stay away, you stay away.

[undercover]

Sounds like a compleat scam to me, what business would allow a compleat stranger to put 7000 dollas in their bank and hope they gave 90% of it back ?

[think_too_mut]

Sounds like a compleat scam to me, what business would allow a compleat stranger to put 7000 dollas in their bank and hope they gave 90% of it back ?

Yes, the first email sounded like they are inviting to be scammed themselves. Probably the explanation is in the second email that would come to those interested.

2 months ago I read in FT a story by their journalist who "took a bite" and played the game with a Nigerian scammer. He got them to send pre-paid DHL envelopes to send them something (can't remember what) and finally got them to make calls to his house but the number was a premium rate 055 phone line that had at least 10 mins waiting time (betting on dogs races or something) around the hours he told them he is best contactable.

It would be interesting to see how these Litvanians go. I have a day job, can't play with them most of the day, if I were retired or on holiday, maybe.

[steveromagnino]

Sounds like a compleat scam to me, what business would allow a compleat stranger to put 7000 dollas in their bank and hope they gave 90% of it back ?

Yes, the first email sounded like they are inviting to be scammed themselves. Probably the explanation is in the second email that would come to those interested.

2 months ago I read in FT a story by their journalist who "took a bite" and played the game with a Nigerian scammer. He got them to send pre-paid DHL envelopes to send them something (can't remember what) and finally got them to make calls to his house but the number was a premium rate 055 phone line that had at least 10 mins waiting time (betting on dogs races or something) around the hours he told them he is best contactable.

It would be interesting to see how these Litvanians go. I have a day job, can't play with them most of the day, if I were retired or on holiday, maybe.

try this

www.419eater.com

some great fun.

also there is a post about the apple i-book that is a classic read.

[topfield]

Thomas Smith ? seem to remember .......is that not the pseudonym for Dr Obongo Obonga of Lagos, Nigeria ?

[Crushdepth]

I get a load of these every day, but recently I've seen a couple that looked like they had been tailored specifically towards me, the details of the 'offer' being relevant to my nationality, industry and particular field of work and allegedly from an institution we sometimes deal with, which when put together are a pretty obscure combination.

Or maybe it's just a case of you get enough of these things you eventually stumble on one that almost seems credible.

[h90]

Thomas Smith ? seem to remember .......is that not the pseudonym for Dr Obongo Obonga of Lagos, Nigeria ?

No that is his brother in law, who found the 80 Million USD. If you can assist with the money transfer you can get 10 % of it.