Money Transfer Agent Posted on February 8, 2008 at 06:51:00 PM by McLean
You are contacted via e-mail or telephone in response to a resume you have posted on-line. The person solicits you for a job as an international money transfer agent. They will send you official bank instruments to deposit into your personal bank account. You will then be required to immediately wire the proceeds out to a variety of international locations, keeping an agreed-upon amount for your services.
It sounds easy enough, so you agree. As such, you follow the con's instructions and deposit the checks and then wire the funds out. When the checks are returned as uncollected because they are all deemed counterfeit, you are left with a gaping hole in your bank account.
In addition to contacting the appropriate financial institutions as outlined in the Receipt of Suspicious Checks / Verifying Authenticity section, there are others who you should notify as well if you are in receipt of a counterfeit item and associated e-mails or correspondence regarding this "job opportunity." They include:
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Fraud Complaint Center (Scams that may have originated via the internet): www.ic3.gov
US Postal Inspection Service - by telephone at 1-888-877-7644 , by mail at U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100 or via e-mail at http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm
Federal Trade Commission (FTC): by telephone at 1-877-FTC-HELP or by filing an electronic complaint via their internet site at www.ftc.gov
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canadian Scams): by telephone at 1-888-495-8501 or via e-mail at [info@phonebusters.com]. Their website, www.phonebusters.com , provides additional contact numbers.
Originator's Mailbox Provider: If the correspondence was received in the form of an e-mail, notify the originator's mailbox provider that the originator's email address is being used to solicit illegal activities. For example, Yahoo and Hotmail have the following email addresses set up: abuse@yahoo.com; abuse@hotmail.com.
On-line Job Search Database Service: Notify the on-line service you utilize to post your resume of this scam.
Most importantly, do NOT make contact with the con artist; they can be extremely dangerous. If at anytime, you feel physically threatened, you should contact your local police department immediately.