Beware Check-Cashing Hiring Scams

reveurgam (60)in #scam • 6 years ago (edited)

Last updated 3/24/19.

There are lots of scams. I get calls regularly for my car warranty (I don't have a car), a student loan forgiveness (I don't have a student loan), threats of legal action because of back taxes (I don't owe any), "free" vacation packages because of my booking or a friend's, and so many others I can't even keep track of them. Every once in a while, I mess with the scammers, wasting their time, but most times I just press 2 or 9 to get off their list (it doesn't usually work, though), or tell them to take me off the list. Last year, I tried doing one of those online surveys in order to win a free package of tools (they advertise via video games a lot), and that helped get me on a bunch of other lists for Social Security Disability, back-pain medicine and several other things I don't want or need. It gets a bit irritating at times, but most of them I can screen in seconds when I hear the robocaller's voice.

Everyone should have heard by now that two of the most popular remote scams involve accepting checks and sorting mail/packages. Monster's article, How to Spot Money-Laundering and Reshipping Scams should give you a good idea, and there's an obscure website that has Watch Out For the Package Shipping Scam.

Now I'm getting scams in my email. It's all about employment, since I'm looking for work, and a great number of emails come from headhunters (always Indians who match me with jobs I'm not qualified for or are in areas I can't get to - even other states). Those seem to be legit but this one isn't! I got one a couple of weeks ago from a lady claiming to represent German Schult Healthcare company that has US clients. I've been stringing them along, responding every few days, and the lady, "Lydia Ruhl," keeps writing back.
Uh oh! Sleuth hat on!

I'm going to share with you how I deduced it's a scam so that you can avoid it, along with offers of millions of dollars from some African general/minister/businessperson, the inheritance of some long-lost European relative, or the blandishments of some love-struck Russian/Asian/Indian (insert name of poor region here) woman/man who has fallen madly in love with you and will eventually send you doctored nudies...and ask you to send money via wire!

Dear applicant,

You have responded to an open position in our company. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding the job offer.

In order to become a registered applicant, please email me your full name, correct, current and most convenient mailing address (including zip code and apartment number) and your phone number.


We will contact you within 3 hours to complete your application.


The position will involve dedicated training to becoming a skilled professional. We would like to hire you for one month but will extend it for much longer if things work out.

Look forward to hearing from you soon.


Sincerely,
Lydia Ruhl,
Schult Healthcare

Now, I never "applied" with them, so that was my first tip-off. My second was that it was pretty obvious that something was fishy because they were offering me a job right off the bat in return for my name, address and phone number. Third, if you try to search for it, it can't be found (how can you get clients overseas if you can't search on the Internet?) but their lame-duck website is at Schult Healthcare if you want to look. It's obviously fake. If you search for the address, it's an apartment building, and if you search for the company address, it's in Frankfurt. Her IP address dead-ends in the US.

Lambachstrabe 11, 32 Dortmund, Germany

Notice that this appears to be a residential area. No street-level view is available.
(Images Ⓒ Google Maps.)

I find it interesting that Google Maps can't be loaded...

In addition, I wrote to the companies that supposedly certified them. Not even ONE of them bothered to write back, which is strange, don't you think.

Moorfield's Eye Hospital
American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
ACLS Certification Institute
BioHeart
The National Dental Board of Anesthesiology (NDBA)
Harleystreet Paediatric Group
Independent Doctors Federation (IDF)
GE Healthcare

What's more fun than messing with criminals? Well, I already filed a complaint with the FBI (but they haven't written back, probably because of the shutdown)... 😆 I wrote back to her: "Would you please direct me to your website and provide me with your address and phone number?"

She quickly wrote back:

Thank you for responding to my previous email.

We are pleased to offer you the position of Manager in our company.

The starting salary is $56,400 per year and is paid on a monthly basis. As was mentioned before, you will be eligible to be considered for an incentive bonus for each assignment. The commission is calculated as a percentage of completed tasks. It will start from 10% and may increase upon its experience.

Schult Healthcare offers a flexible paid-time-off plan which includes vacation, personal, and sick leave. Time off accrues at the rate of one day per month for your first year, then increases based on your tenure with the company.                      

As a specialized medical brand, our focus is on addressing the health and wellbeing protection needs of clients worldwide, through the delivery of straightforward, innovative solutions that make each client feel understood, confident and valued.

The available position entails immediate responsibility for assigned tasks and keeping a record for the achievement of the best results. 

To find out more information about our company, please visit our website http://Schult-Healthcare.com

You will be the first person that a customer would send a check to. Checks will be written out to your name. They will be mailed by our customers in the USA. Please note: the client pays taxes before transmission the money to you. You would handle checks, cash, and withdrawals and transfer money to our customers. You will work with low-cost and easy to use systems such as Money Gram or Bitcoin. This will be an important step in realizing the task. Responsibility would be important as you will deal with finance and customers’ personal information.

If you are interested in pursuing employment opportunities with our organization, please provide the following information: your full name, correct, current and most convenient mailing address (including zip code and apartment number) and your phone number.

We do not share your information with any third parties without your expressed consent. 

Please let us hear from you if you have any additional questions concerning this type of position.

I think it's quite clever that they're so open to answering questions. and offering a good position and fair salary - it's a great way to pacify anyone who is suspicious, but not me! The fact that CHECKS will come in my name and I'll have to deposit them and then send MONEY out via wire or Bitcoin immediately rang my alarm bells! First, why would they use my name if they're legitimate? They should have a company presence here. Second, why is their website invisible (and lame)? Third, why do checks come to me but I send out real money? That smacks of money-laundering or fake checks! Also, note that she didn't give me her phone number and address - that's a telltale sign of fraud!

So, I wrote back: "I would like to know the responsibilities in detail, if you don't mind. I want to make sure that I'm a good fit for your company as I don't want to take on a job that I'm not qualified for. I'd also like to know how you found me."

She wrote back after the weekend:


We strive to make our hiring process as smooth as possible – from the moment you respond to our proposal to the moment you receive the first assignment. The key point is that we are not trying to find an employee with experience. We will be glad to share our practice and knowledge with smart and honest people.

Actually, all you will need to do is to cash checks which will be sent to you by mail, take out your commission (10 percent of the check amount) and transfer the rest of the money from your local Money Gram office or Bitcoin system to clients whose names will be in instructions. All additional fees paid from the total amount to be sent.
                                                                                                                                                                   
You will receive 10% from every check plus regular monthly paycheck. Also, we will issue W2 form at the end of each year.
 
Checks will be written out to your name. They will be mailed by our customers in the USA.
I'll send you a detailed instruction about check processing by e-mail after the check is mailed to you.
                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Checks are of a different amount, usually from $1,500 to $3,000.
They are sent one at a time. Each next check is mailed after the previous task is completed. 

We offer a trial period, so you'll be able to decide whether this job is right for you or not.

So, notice that I'm getting over $50,000 PLUS $150-300 per check. That adds up - and it stinks to high heaven! The fact that checks are sent one at a time doesn't make sense - who's coordinating their US customers to ensure that happens? WHY do it that way? It doesn't make sense - because it's a scam! But, hey, they sweeten the deal with a trial period! What a nice lady! 🙄 You'll notice that they don't want someone with experience - a management job with no experience? That's playing to a person's ego! Also, she didn't answer my question about how she found me! Avoiding questions like this is a bad sign - trust me!

And so I took the bait: "Thank you for the explanation. If I want to have the trial period, how do I proceed? When would I commence training, and how would it be done?"

Her very specific response:

In order to become a registered applicant, please email me your full name, correct, current and most convenient mailing address (including zip code and apartment number) and your phone number.


Thank you.

Is it just me, or is she getting terse? 😈 Did you notice? She didn't answer my questions about training!

I looked them up on ICANN and they are using a Canadian company called Contact Privacy Inc. to hide their contact info. On 3/22/19, I sent a complaint to [email protected]. An automated response was sent to me. As the next step, I have filed a complaint on the Internet Crime Complaint Center and will do so on the FTC's complaint site if necessary.

Ok, so now you know a little bit about detecting email scams - I hope it'll help you!