AU PAIR/NANNY scam - Steven Syring

As was mentioned earlier, we don't like to give too much detail about how we know that a mail is a scam as the scammer can visit here and learn how we investigate things, but this mail has many other faults that show us that it is a scam.

It seemed that you needed definite proof so that wasn't hard in this example.

Telling lies is hard work to do properly and scammers are lazy. If a scammer quotes an address it's amazing what we can find out about it.

How can I report it to the police?
He can't go on with this.

The truth is, there is very little that can be done, as this scammer is most likely in Africa. We might be able to confirm that he is in Africa through the email headers. If you don't know how to show extended headers, tell us how you check email (e.g. Outlook
express, thunderbird, yahoo, hotmail) and we can help you. Then you can paste the headers here and we can check the IP's.

I'm Italian and I don't understand these things
However, I receve Emails in Yahoo. Can you help me?

The truth is, there is very little that can be done, as this scammer is most likely in Africa. We might be able to confirm that he is in Africa through the email headers. If you don't know how to show extended headers, tell us how you check email (e.g. Outlook
express, thunderbird, yahoo, hotmail) and we can help you. Then you can paste the headers here and we can check the IP's.

The fact that you are Italian isn't a problem. You can clearly speak two languages so you are intelligent. You just need to be more careful and get to know what to look out for in these mails.

We are always here if you are in any doubt. The best thing to do is to find another Italian who has worked in the UK and find out how she got the job.

Another idea

http://www.bapaa.org.uk/displaypage.asp?page=5

The British Au Pair Agencies Association (BAPAA) is the only recognised Trade Association for the au pair industry in Britain. This organisation was formed in 2003, on a non-commercial basis, with the purpose of setting standards for the au pair industry and protecting the au pair experience as a rewarding cultural exchange programme.
Members must meet firm business and ethical standards and, in turn, agree to abide by BAPAA's Code of Conduct, which signifies competence, fair dealing and high integrity.

This appears to be a much safer and better way to find an au pair job.

Q Why do I have to use an agency? Can I not just pick a family from an internet site?
A You should never look for, or accept a family, that you have found on the internet. It’s not a safe way to travel and work as an au pair. Always use a reputable BAPAA agency (see list of BAPAA member agencies in the Directory). A BAPAA agency assists with the careful matching of an au pair to vetted families in Britain. Many agencies look after the same host families year after year; they know the families well and this ensures successful and safe placements. Once in the UK, you will be well looked after by the BAPAA agency you choose to use.
****
Q There are no au pair agencies in the country where I live. What should I do?
A Contact one of the BAPAA agencies on this site and they will advise you who to contact and what the next step is.
****
Q Do I need to provide the agency with a medical report and police check?
A A Medical report is essential and so is a police check. It’s very important that the BAPAA agency ensures that you are physically and mentally fit to work as an au pair and also that you have no criminal background.

Also see this page

http://www.bapaa.org.uk/displaypage.asp?page=41

It will be more difficult to find a job, but the risks of having your money stolen or getting into trouble are too great to take a risk.

I cannot give my personal recommendation to these people as I have no experience in this area, but it appears to represent the proper way to find an au pair job to me.

I hope this is of some help.

To get full headers in yahoo:

1. Click on “Mail Options” (located in top navigation bar).
2. Click on the “General Preferences” link.
3. Locate the “Headers” section (under “Messages Options”) and select “Show all headers on incoming messages”.
4. Click on the “Save” button (at bottom of page).

You will see a lot more text at the start of the email. Copy the entire contents up to where the message starts, and paste here. Then replace your own name/address with XXX. From there, if he is not using a proxy, we can get a location.

Thank you very much!


Mod edit: Removed full quote of GomerPyle's post -Jillian

under "General Preferences" I don't have any Messages options, I tryed to find it but some bar are "Pardon our appearance during construction"..

Mod edit: Removed quote of previous post -Jillian

Hi Lily,

If I read correctly, you're using Yahoo. Another way to get a header, for one email at a time is: When you're reading the email, look down on the bottom right side of the screen. There should be an option that says "view full header". If you click on it the email will open up with a lot of coding at the start of it. That coding is the header and the part that you should copy and paste here. Make sure to remove all instances of your own information, as Dotti advised.

I

Great!

And the winner is:

203.82.81.49 Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)*

So your scammer pretending to be in UK is actually sitting at a computer in Malaysia. He is most likely a Nigerian in Malaysia on a student visa--this has become an increasingly common scenario.

Because he is likely at a public computer, is not easily traceable (every bit of information he has given you is fake) and he is not in your country or UK, you will find that there is little the authorities can do at this point.

so now can I do something? =D


Mod edit: Removed quote of previous post -Jillian

Lily - do you mean like get him arrested ? The answer to that is simple - no.

We don't know his real name or address, and even if we did, trying to provide evidence is very difficult, and many foreign police forces aren't interested. Do you know what he looks like ? What will you tell the Malaysian authorities ?

If you are seriously looking for a job as an au pair, and expecting to work for a respectable family who are going to trust you with their children and house, do you really think you will get a job like that offered to you as a complete stranger ?

What qualifications do you have ?
What experience do you have ?
Do you have references ?

People who are intending to trust a stranger from abroad with their house, belongings and children aren't going to give a job to a complete stranger. If you are offered a job, it is either someone who intends to steal your money , or a criminal who is not someone you should trust meeting in a foreign city.

You have to be careful and serious if you are looking for a job like this. If you have no qualifications and no experience, no one will employ you at all, not even with a bad salary. If you look for an au pair job this way you will only receive offers from scammers.

I know. I just tried to find something cause my friend found a job with that site Aupair. So, he will continue to do this things, Mr Steven Syring?


Mod edit: Removed quote of previous post. Please use the "Reply" button instead of the "Quote" button when responding. -Jillian