"You're hired! To get fleeced!"

July 24, 2008 7:51 PM

Is this a job offer or a scam?

I responded to an ad on Craigslist looking for a typist to work from home for $250 a week. I sent a reply, and got the following reply. I really need extra income, so though I feel more sure by the second that this is a scam, I'd just like to make sure. Sigh. Here's the reply:



Hi Ben,



Thank you for showing interest in this position. I have read your e-mail and I am happy to tell you that you are eligible for the job position. I have sent you a little more information telling you about this job. If you have any questions that I can answer, please feel free to contact me again. I do hope you decide to join us, and I look forward to seeing your success!



Sincerely,

Sarah

[e-mail]



INFORMATION
We are seeking self motivated individuals with the desire to work with online advertising. You are required to have a computer with Internet access, a valid e-mail account, and basic typing skills. You can choose to work full or part time. The position involves processing typed responses from advertisements placed online. These responses vary in length according to each client that you work with. You can consistently process 5-10 orders per day, and make approximately $200-$800 a week. Further inquiries about processing will be explained in specific detail in the training materials. All transactions will be processed through your e-mail account. There is no contract to sign with this position, and the amount you choose to process is entirely up to you. As with any position, you must be able to respond to advertisements in a timely manner. The benefit of this position is to work from home around your own schedule.

REQUIREMENTS
Basic Internet knowledge
Good typing skills
Willingness to learn and set goals

COMPENSATION
You will be paid $9.00 to $29.00 for each order that you process. The amount of money you earn is entirely up to you, but please be advised that you will be responsible for keeping track of your earnings during tax season, as we do not take out any taxes or provide you with a 1099 form.

TRAINING
The training material you will receive will give you step-by-step instructions on how to get started. Once you receive your training materials, you may begin working immediately. There are no special software requirements for this position.

METHOD OF PAYMENT
You will receive your payments through PayPal for each application that you process. There is a ONE TIME non-refundable fee of $10.95 USD. This covers the cost of the training materials being sent to you via email. Once you process your first response, you will have made back this fee. This is just a small processing fee, protecting from those who are not serious about doing this work. No business can cover administrative costs, wasted time or provide costly materials to everyone who inquires about this position. If this is not acceptable to you, or you cannot afford the cost, please disregard this e-mail. The training materials and information will be sent to your e-mail within 24 hours of payment, and you may begin working that very same day.

Payments are accepted via online through PayPal. If you do not have PayPal, you can set up a free account at http://www.paypal.com use [e-mail]

as your reference for signing up. Paypal is a safe and secure way to pay online, and you can transfer the money to and from that account directly into your checking or savings account. It is easier and much quicker for everyone. The sign up is free! Send your payment through Paypal to the payment address [e-mail]

for your training materials.

After payment has cleared, you will receive your materials within 24 hours. If you do not, please e-mail me with your PayPal address so I can confirm receipt.
***

I tried to find the original job posting, but it has been flagged for removal. I feel stupid, because I was pretty excited about the job. It's fake, right?

posted by Darth Fedor to work & money (26 comments total)

Scam.
posted by box at 7:57 PM on July 24, 2008

Seconded
posted by prodevel at 7:59 PM on July 24, 2008

By which I mean, 'Well, yeah, of course it's a scam. I'm sorry you got excited about it, but, yeah, it's as fake as a three-dollar bill with a picture of Lil Wayne on it.'
posted by box at 7:59 PM on July 24, 2008

Scam. Real jobs pay you, you don't pay them.
posted by Forktine at 7:59 PM on July 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

If you have to pay money up front, for a job: It's a scam.
posted by ruwan at 8:06 PM on July 24, 2008

Rocketmail? Red flag right there... unprofessional at best.
posted by crapmatic at 8:08 PM on July 24, 2008

The original posting, in my defense, was very innocuous. Oh well. At least I can still feel good about all that money I sent to the Nigerian consulate.
posted by Darth Fedor at 8:09 PM on July 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

Scam. One of the oldest.
posted by Kalden at 8:13 PM on July 24, 2008

There is a ONE TIME non-refundable fee of $10.95 USD

Scam.
posted by flabdablet at 8:24 PM on July 24, 2008

Note how there is almost more detail about the training materials (justifying why you need to be charged for them & how to pay) than there is about the actual details of the job.

Aside from that, why on earth would any business pay up to $29 to simply process an order? It's not like you're making a sale & eligible for commission. It's basic paper-pushing stuff, for which people would be lucky to be paid $9 an hour, working non-stop. And those people would have access to the company's order fulfilment system to enter the fucking thing & get the ball rolling. An extra link in a chain of emails makes *zero* sense from a business process perspective.

Here's an Australian Government SCAMwatch site describing this and other kinds of work-from-home scams.
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:27 PM on July 24, 2008

Pretty much all these type of AskMeFi questions can be answered with the same simple adage: If you have to ask whether it's a scam or not, it probably is.
posted by joshrholloway at 8:28 PM on July 24, 2008

The position involves processing typed responses from advertisements placed online.

I can't understand what the hell this would actually involve. I guess that's what the $10.95 is for.
posted by desjardins at 8:29 PM on July 24, 2008

I might be tempted to investigate further IF the "employer" included a verifiable, traceable physical street address or other way to get in touch. A scammer would either not provide this or would provide something that wasn't a real, permanent address. If you could confirm that this was an actual business, that could, for instance, be sued if they _were_ committing fraud, then maybe I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise, no go.
posted by amtho at 8:37 PM on July 24, 2008

This is the old "Make money at home stuffing envelopes" job. You pay your money, and they send you instructions and a template for putting ads in the paper for a "make money at home stuffing envelopes" job. Suckers pay you ten bucks for the "materials" which is basically the same crap you got, and they (in theory) try to sucker more people.
posted by stefanie at 8:39 PM on July 24, 2008

You pay your money, and they send you instructions and a template for putting ads in the paper for a "make money at home stuffing envelopes" job.

That would explain why the position "involves processing typed responses from advertisements placed online"
posted by UbuRoivas at 8:49 PM on July 24, 2008

Darth - I just want to say there have been so many times in my life when I wanted these kinds of jobs to be real.

Basic Internet knowledge
Good typing skills
Willingness to learn and set goals

Staggering to think how many people could confidently say, "Hey, I meet these job requirements!"
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 9:19 PM on July 24, 2008

If this ad is still on Craigslist, be sure to flag it as a scam.
posted by dirigibleman at 9:55 PM on July 24, 2008

I might be tempted to investigate further IF the "employer" included a verifiable, traceable physical street address or other way to get in touch. A scammer would either not provide this or would provide something that wasn't a real, permanent address.

amtho, ever heard the phrase "fly-by-night"?

Darth Fedor, sorry to hear you are at a low financial ebb, but this IS a scam. Period. No doubts about it. Might as well be three cups and a ball, on a fold-up table on a city sidewalk (but without the entertainment value). And they're preying on your vulnerability.
posted by IAmBroom at 10:03 PM on July 24, 2008

You can consistently process 5-10 orders per day, and make approximately $200-$800 a week.

Yeah, that's the equivalent of "Lose 8 pounds a week eating whatever you want, just buy my diet book and I'll tell you how!"
posted by Solon and Thanks at 11:04 PM on July 24, 2008

Basic Internet knowledge
Good typing skills
Willingness to learn and set goals

Staggering to think how many people could confidently say, "Hey, I meet these job requirements!"

Also staggering to think how many people get fired for not meeting those expectations. Throw in "good spelling" and you're practically elite.

Nthing "scam", anyway.
posted by rokusan at 11:16 PM on July 24, 2008

I'm guessing that it's less of a fly-by-night scam than a variation on a pyramid scheme, as described by stefanie.

The quoted $9-29 earned per order would be what you'd profit for sending out 1-3 "training kits". (It's not entirely inconceivable that people might sometimes order three - for their knitting circle or whatever).

The quoted weekly earnings are also consistent with ripping people off for approx $10 a pop, and the amount you earn per week is proportional to the effort you put in - spamming Craigslist, taping flyers onto telegraph poles, handing out ads at train stations etc.

If you read the ad with that setup in mind, through all the equivocation it doesn't seem to be actually lying about the "job" - it's unethical, maybe, but not necessarily criminal.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:21 PM on July 24, 2008

Usually you're not working for them at all. What they have (and what your $10 pays for) is a list of websites/services to sign up for that have these 'opportunities'. Each one has their own account system, you sign up you fill in the adverts/click on the links (whatever the particular scam is) and you start to rack up funds - but in 10 - 20 different 'accounts' for various services and as soon as you start to get near the payout limit - oh, suddenly the work has dried up and theres no way to earn that last few dollars.

It works because they charge a low enough price that people are willing to risk that small amount for the chance that this $250 a week for 5 minutes work is real. And I guess they're either too embarrassed or figure they've wasted enough of their time already when it turns out to be a scam. Or the hoops you have to jump through to follow the instructions in their 'material' are so much that you give up - you can't really complain to them since they provided what they said they would.
posted by missmagenta at 12:03 AM on July 25, 2008

Its a scam. But here are 101 idea for "giving up your day job and making money online". I am waiving my $10 fee for this introductory offer only.
posted by rongorongo at 3:05 AM on July 25, 2008

All transactions will be processed through your e-mail account.

Scam that leaves you on the hook while your "employer" disappears into the woodwork.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:48 AM on July 25, 2008

Nthing shenanigans. No real job ever asks you to pay them, ever.
posted by Citrus at 7:22 AM on July 25, 2008

I have found jobs with more or less the same skill requirements doing more or less the same useless tasks.

Even if this wasn't a scam, and wasn't asking for money, you need to consider how soul-draining this kind of work is. Far better, if you are capable, of getting some pure physical labour type of job. At least you can feel good about doing some honest labour rather than some ultimately useless processing.

These scams, and actual jobs, are aimed at those who don't feel they have much to offer. The truth is, you do. All THEY want is money.
posted by steppe at 12:01 PM on October 7, 2008