JOB seekers responding to an offer in several newspapers, including the Limerick Post, have been put on full alert to what is essentially an international money scam.
The Limerick Post unwittingly, accepted an advertisement, via email, believing it to be genuine, only to be later told by several readers who had made enquiries about the position, that it was not genuine. The advertisement, paid for by credit card, was for an accounting bookkeeper position.
The person named in the advertisement, and with whom interested parties were asked to contact via email, provided the name of a company in the UK where he was allegedly employed, but when the company was sourced, they denied any knowledge of him.
It has since emerged that people in other countries have been caught up in what is an international money scam.
The rip-off involves getting applicants to cash fraudulent traveller’s cheques, which have been sent from overseas.
They are then told to keep 10 per cent of the money for themselves as a form of commission – but to send the rest back to America.
The scam has been exposed by a woman in New Zealand after she replied to a newspaper advertisement for an accounting bookkeeper position.
People were asked to email their CV as part of the application process.
According to a newspaper report exposing the scam, the reader received a reply saying she had the job, despite the fact the company continued to advertise the position. The primary task, she was told in an email, was to receive payments from customers or clients.
A Federal Express courier package arrived at her home with five US$500 American Express (Amex) traveller’s cheques.
The recipient was instructed in another email to immediately cash the cheques, take 10 per cent and forward a money order for the balance via global payment services organisation Western Union Company to the regional accountant in the US state of Georgia.
Worried about the authenticity of the traveller’s cheques, she took them to their local bank.
After an examination, they were cleared to take the cheques to a teller and they cashed one.
Later in the day, they tried to cash another one at another branch.
Again they asked for an opinion on the authenticity of the documents – but this time they were told the traveller’s cheques were counterfeit.
