Virtual Assistant - The Virtual Agent Ltd.

Another wrinkle to this crime is that anyone duped into receiving laundered funds in this way is liable to lose any benefits they're receiving, or be prosecuted for not declaring receipt of these funds, because money received in to your account in your name, is your money and will appear to be income, irrespective of whether or not you give it away at a later date.

The criminal who initially contacts you will endeavour to make his job description obscure and vague and may never even mention receipt and onward payment of funds but any job involving the handling of payments of any sort where you have never met your employer in person, must be treated with extreme caution. The last thing a criminal wants is for the money he steals to go through his bank account because he knows what will happen if he does,

[AlanJones]

This is the type of excuse that these mule "companies" use to persuade their victims to launder money for them

Afternoon,

There will be more assignments for you this week, starting tomorrow. I'm currently speaking with a client with major health issues, who would like us to help send some financial aid to his family by Western Union, as he's physically unable to leave the house. Now, I'll expect to get a confirmation from him tomorrow morning, and as soon as I get it, I'll message you ASAP.

FYI: The transfer will include ALL commissions, you won't have to pay anything out of your pocket.

Regards,
Amanda

Hi the other week i received the exact same email as the people above. They claimed to have got my email address from a job website. Now they send me this email. I am so glad that I had enough sense to do some research on this company! Something did not sit well with me when i received these two emails. The only thing they have of mine is my email address. Thank goodness.

Virtual Assistant Paperwork‏

Amanda Sanders Attachment 16:12 Keep this message at the top of your inbox Documents
To: [email protected]
[email protected]
Outlook.com Active View
2 attachments (total 171.9 KB)
Download VBF.pdf (71.1 KB)
VBF.pdfView online
Download VEA.pdf (100.8 KB)
VEA.pdfView online
Download all as zip
Good afternoon,

My apologies for a late reply! Please feel free to visit our website to learn more about The Virtual Agent and the services we offer to our clients (which will be typical tasks you will be performing as a Virtual Assistant): http://virtualagentltd.com.

In the attachment you will find our standard Employment Agreement and a Banking Form to fill out. We offer a 1-year contract, which is prolonged automatically, so this is permanent employment. Moreover, we are very interested in working with you for a long time: there is a great demand on experienced VAs in the job market, and it's much more convenient to work with people you have invested time and resources in, rather than constantly look for new ones.

A Banking Form is required, since you will be receiving your pay via a wire transfer from our company; plus some of the tasks may require handling finances, so the company will be sending you funds to cover all expenses in advance: our employees NEVER pay anything out of their pocket. Should you have any other job-related expenses, such as phone bills, travel fares, etc., please email them to us, so that we could add reimbursements to your paycheck, which is wired into your account every month since the start date.

Regarding the pay: as a UK-based employer we are obliged to deduct PAYE and NI from payments to our employees, that is why we require all Virtual Assistants currently living and authorised to work in the United Kingdom to provide us with their National Insurance numbers and P45 forms from previous employers. Employees from other countries will work on a self-employed basis and will be responsible for paying national income taxes themselves. Also, we pay in British pounds, so payments to Virtual Assistants from other countries will be converted to Euros.

Finally, the training: I will supply you with the materials to read, explain our general procedures, and in less than 1-2 days you will be ready for your first assignments. I will be giving you 1 task per day or even for several days to get you a better understanding of the job, and then we'll see if you can multitask.

In order to proceed, please print out the Employment Agreement and the Banking Form, sign them and email back to me (you can either scan or make photos of the signed docs). If you have questions, please feel free to send them to me, plus I will be calling you after reviewing your paperwork to continue with the employment. We're looking for people who can start working with us ASAP, there's always work to do.

--
Best regards,
Amanda Sanders
The Virtual Agent Ltd.
Call us: +44 (0)20 3290 4905
© 2014 Microsoft Terms Privacy & cookies Developers English (United Kingdom)

Hi I got in touch with Amanda Nowak and did some task for them ... I was curious from the beginning and thought to give it a try. But then Amanda asked me to do some Western Union transaction and honestly bell started ringing... can this be real?

[AlanJones]

can this be real?

As stated numerous times in this thread, no it is not - if you receive any money from them into your bank account then you will be involving yourself in fraud and money laundering and when it all goes pear-shaped, you will be the one with the frozen bank account, criminal investigation and possible jail time, while they are happily spending your money.

It's real michaelbuechler, but you're dealing with a criminal and you won't earn any money from anything you do for them and at best you will end up losing money and having your account closed.

In spite of the fact that they have gone to great lengths to make their communications sound 'official' and business-like they are littered with silly errors and clunky grammar that indicates that the person is merely imitating a legitimate company.

Well after looking through their website... it is full of mistake! Great I got scammed fun way!

I have also been contacted by Amanda Novak at VA Workshop. As soon as she mentioned Western Union and Moneygram alarm bells started to ring. This unfortunately was after I had sent her my bank details, address and date of birth and a signed contract so she has a copy of my signature. As soon as I told her that I would not be accepting any funds via my bank to transfer she terminated my contract.

I have taken steps to report this to the Safer Jobs board and have been advised that this is a scam widely used in the USA but that there have not been many cases in the UK. Amanda (if that is her name) had an American accent and much of the correspondence used American English. I also contacted Action Fraud and was advised that this is indeed money laundering and to report it to the National Crime Agency.

I got the same email from Amanda Novak and registered last Friday. Sent the Employment registration form with my address and the banking form with my bank's name, iban and swift numbers. I emailed Amanda requesting that she phone me as I had some questions. She emailed Friday late afternoon, apologising for the delay and that she'd phone me Tuesday(Monday being a bank holiday). Tuesday morning, I received my first task, to find accommodation for a German couple on honeymoon, plus places of interest. I phoned and emailed Amanda again to contact me. No response. This morning I left another message for her and she called me at around 1pm. Very bizarre conversation. She turned everything I said around, as if I was to blame. My questions were responded to with questions from her. When I realised the conversation was going nowhere, I told her I didn't think we'd have a good working relationship as we'd started off on the wrong foot. She agreed and told me I'd made assumptions and judgments and would not make a good virtual assistant.
Late this afternoon, I found this website - just wish I had found it last week! I contacted my Bank who informed me that my banking account is safe as I had not divulged my xx digit card number. My head is still reeling from the whole experience!

Could you post the emails from Amanda telling you what to do? They will help to shut these sites down.

Whatanidiotivebeen: I had the exact same task emailed to me on Tuesday! This 'german couple' had a budget of 2000 euro and I did do a quick bit of research in curiosity. I emailed Amanda on Tuesday morning and again told her I would be unwilling to do any money transfers and told her that expecting accommodation in a honeymoon suite in a good London hotel, dinner out in a London restaurant and dong activities to suit both the husband and wife on their honeymoon was unrealistic, She sent a very short email back saying that she would not send any financial tasks but as I did not seem to be committed my contract would be ended and my details purged.

Unfortunately due to the fact that some of the emails were via their own secure web panel I cannot retrieve the last few emails. I will now find the some of the emails and post them on here as requested.

Email sent 24th April:

Hi,

Thank you for your interest in the Virtual Assistant position with Virtual Assistant Workshop! We are a team of experienced virtual assistants with headquarters in the United Kingdom and employees practically in every part of the world! Due to the seasonal increase in the number of clients, we're looking for new Virtual Assistants to join our team.

What Do Virtual Assistants Do?

Virtual Assistants perform the same functions online as personal assistants to individuals, businesses and especially disabled persons. We do NOT sell anything, advertise or actually pick up groceries or laundry for the clients and meet them in person. Typical tasks for a Virtual Assistant may include the following:

- Managing email correspondence: sorting and answering messages;
- Booking tickets, scheduling appointments, arranging meetings;
- Performing Internet research on locations, services, products;
- Transcribing voice/video recordings, typing and editing documents;
- Assisting with billing, sending out payments, delivering bills, etc.

Since a person in this position will be working from home, they will need to have a computer with the access to the Internet; however, no special software is required for purchasing, standard office programs and a default web browser would be sufficient. In order to work as a Virtual Assistant, one must also have a working phone number, which can be used for job-related calls.

Typical Work Day of a Virtual Assistant

Virtual Assistant shifts take 6 hours and start at 9am GMT, Monday to Friday; we are closed on weekends and national holidays. A typical day starts with logging into the corporate website and receiving a list of tasks for the day. Each Virtual Assistant is assigned to a supervisor, who provides instructions and any additional information or materials needed for the completion of the tasks. A supervisor will call Virtual Assistants and monitor their activities during the day; by the end of the day Virtual Assistants prepare a short report on the completed tasks and send it to the supervisor and log off.

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a base salary of 31,800 GBP per year paid monthly. In addition to the guaranteed fixed salary we also offer flexible bonuses based on your individual performance and clients' feedback. In other words, if you successfully perform your tasks, manage to meet deadlines, assist multiple clients and they are satisfied with your services, your average pay per month can be doubled with bonuses. We also offer a 3-week vacation, paid holidays and sick days as well as an opportunity to get relocated to our head office in the UK in 6 months, if you demonstrate outstanding results and performance.

To apply for the Virtual Assistant position, please reply to my message and let me know when you would be available to get started. I will forward you the employment documentation for review as well as answer your questions. Please note that neither our company, nor our affiliates require any entry fees, investments or other payments in order to ensure the employment!

---
Best regards,
Amanda Novak, Team Lead
Virtual Assistant Workshop Ltd
Call us: +44 (0)1227 39 2674

Email sent 26th April:

Good morning,

My apologies for a late reply! Please feel free to visit our website to learn more about Virtual Assistant Workshop and the services we offer to our clients (which will be typical tasks you will be performing as a Virtual Assistant): http://vaworkshop.co.uk.

In the attachment you will find our standard Employment Agreement and a Banking Form to fill out. We offer a 1-year contract, which is prolonged automatically, so this is permanent employment. Moreover, we are very interested in working with you for a long time: there is a great demand on experienced VAs in the job market, and it's much more convenient to work with people you have invested time and resources in, rather than constantly look for new ones.

A Banking Form is required, since you will be receiving your pay via a wire transfer from our company; plus some of the tasks may require handling finances, so the company will be sending you funds to cover all expenses in advance: our employees NEVER pay anything out of their pocket. Should you have any other job-related expenses, such as phone bills, travel fares, etc., please email them to us, so that we could add reimbursements to your paycheck, which is wired into your account every month since the start date.

Regarding the pay: as a UK-based employer we are obliged to deduct PAYE and NI from payments to our employees, that is why we require all Virtual Assistants currently living and authorised to work in the United Kingdom to provide us with their National Insurance numbers and P45 forms from previous employers. Employees from other countries will work on a self-employed basis and will be responsible for paying national income taxes themselves. Also, we pay in British pounds, so payments to Virtual Assistants from other countries will be converted to Euros.

Finally, the training: I will supply you with the materials to read, explain our general procedures, and in less than 1-2 days you will be ready for your first assignments. I will be giving you 1 task per day or even for several days to get you a better understanding of the job, and then we'll see if you can multitask.

In order to proceed, please print out the Employment Agreement and the Financial Form, sign them and email back to me (you can either scan or make photos of the signed docs). If you have questions, please feel free to send them to me, plus I will be calling you after reviewing your paperwork to continue with the employment. We're looking for people who can start working with us ASAP, there's always work to do.

--
Best regards,
Amanda Novak, Team Lead
Virtual Assistant Workshop Ltd
Call us: +44 (0)1227 39 2674

Email sent 29th April

My apologies: I planned to call you this afternoon, but got immersed in meetings and have only returned to my desk now. I will make sure to call you tomorrow though, if that's OK with you.

Now, to start working as a Virtual Assistant, you need to get registered at our Web Panel first, where you will receive all training documentation and tasks. Please follow the instructions:

1) Visit the following link: http://vaworkshop.co.uk/panel/

2) Once a page opens, click at the 'Registration' link. We don't provide you with a ready login (username) and password, since it would be more secure if you create them yourself.

3) The 'Registration' link should get you to the first registration screen. Please create a username that you will be using, type and confirm your password and provide a valid email address in order to receive notifications about new tasks and messages at the Web Panel. Once you're done, please click at the 'Next' button below.

4) The second registration screen requires you to provide your first & last name, along with a middle name or initial (should there be any, this is not mandatory). The system would also ask you for your date of birth, just to make sure you're over 21 and can work with us. Simply select the month, year and day of your birth from a drop-form; once you're finished, please click at the 'Next' button below. Contact information, such as your address and a phone number is also needed.

5) If you did everything correct, your registration should be successfully completed. Just click at the 'Login' link and log in using the username and password that you created. As soon as you have registered, you will need to log into the Web Panel every day, it will be your work interface. Please don't forget to log in once you have registered!

I will send you a welcome message during the day, which would require your reply, so you need to log into the Web Panel again to receive and answer it. Your profile may seem a bit empty at first, however, I will add training materials and information to get you started tomorrow.

--
Best regards,
Amanda Novak, Team Lead
Virtual Assistant Workshop Ltd
Call us: +44 (0)1227 39 2674

Just to add: I had an email today, apparently from my bank, welcoming me back to online banking. This email was blocked by my Internet Security and labled as a phishing email. Just be careful to not respond to any emails that seem to be from your bank. They may be from the scammers trying to get money some other way by getting you to reveal your online banking details.

Yip, mugtattooedonmyhead, my emails are identical to yours - even the apology due to being in meetings all day. Strangely though, I recall that Amanda's voice had no natural inflexions, she maintained a monotone even whilst declaring her annoyance with me.

I signed up on the site, using completely fake info, and noticed:
*The date format is wrong and inconsistent; the site does not validate that a date entered in backward order (used in much of Europe) matches the jumbled format the calendar widget uses.
*The currency symbol is not the right one for England or Europe.

This is the text of a PDF PMed to me by one of the posters above; as it is the text of a PDF file, some text is in wrong order.

BANKING FORM
ALL fields MUST be filled, please do NOT leave empty fields!
IBAN stands for International Bank Account Number and is a number attached to all
accounts in the EU countries. The IBAN makes automatic processing of cross-border
payments easier and enables the bank to check, immediately upon receipt, whether the
account numbers are correct. This ensures a fast credit to the account. At the same time,
you avoid fees for manual processing of transfers.
The bank assigns an IBAN to each of your accounts. You cannot automatically calculate an
IBAN yourself, as each bank might have different methods of registering their account
numbers in the IBAN. The IBAN appears on account statements and in the bank's
online systems.
A BIC (Bank Identifier Code) or SWIFT code uniquely identifies a particular bank. The code
is used when transferring money between banks, particularly for international wire transfers,
and also for the exchange of other messages between banks.
The BIC is the same as the bank's SWIFT address and is made up of 8 or 11 characters.
I hereby authorize The Virtual Agent Ltd. (Company No. 08811680) to send transfers into
the provided bank account solely in work purposes related to duties of a Virtual Assistant.
Employee’s signature
BANK NAME:
(the name of your bank)
IBAN:
(up to 34 characters)
BIC (SWIFT):
(8-11 characters)
ACCOUNT HOLDER:
© 2014, The Virtual Agent Ltd., Company Reg. No. 08811680. All information contained in this document is considered
confidential and cannot be disclosed without the prior written permission of an authorized representative.

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Employment Agreement (the Agreement)
is made effective as of __ / 5 / 2014 (Day/Month/Year), by and between:
The Virtual Agent Ltd. (the Company) located at
44 Upper Mulgrave Rd,
Sutton, Greater London SM2 7AJ,
United Kingdom,
and the Employee (collectively referred to as the Parties).
The Parties agree as follows:
1. TERM
The Parties agree as follows:
1. TERM & CONDITIONS
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company hereby engages the
Employee as an employee to perform the services of a Virtual Assistant, and the Employee
hereby accepts such engagement.
The Employee shall provide services to the Company pursuant to this Agreement for a term of
1 (one) year beginning from the day of signing this Agreement. The Agreement shall be
extended thereafter by a mutual agreement, unless terminated earlier by operation of and in
accordance with this Agreement. Either of the Parties must terminate the Agreement upon a
written notice provided in 10 (ten) business days before the planned termination date.
The Employee must provide valid banking information in order to receive paychecks and
position-related expenses coverage from the Company.
The Employee’s duties shall include:
Full name:
Full address:
Phone numbers:
Home/Landline:
Mobile:
E-mail:
© 2014, The Virtual Agent Ltd, Company Reg. No. 08811680. All information contained in this document is considered
confidential and cannot be disclosed without the prior written permission of an authorized representative.
- Reading, monitoring and responding to the clients' emails,
- Answering calls and handling queries,
- Managing incoming and outgoing correspondence on the clients' behalf,
- Sending out authorized clients’ payments, delivering bills,
- Coordinating and scheduling travel arrangements,
- Transcribing voice/video recordings, typing and editing documents,
- Planning, organizing and managing appointments and reservations,
- Conducting Internet research on locations/services/products,
- Creating documents, reports and presentations,
- Maintaining personal and professional files,
- Performing other job-related tasks as assigned.
2. EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION/BENEFITS
2.1 WORK HOURS AND MONTHLY PAY
Employees have the established schedule of 9.00am to 4.00pm GMT, with an optional lunch break of
1 hour included and a total of 35 work hours per week. The Company ensures a fixed monthly salary
of £2,650 (before taxes) paid every month since the established start date by a bank transfer. Any
overtime is paid at the rate of £22 per hour.
2.2 HOLIDAY, TIME OFF AND SICK PAY
Employees are entitled to 28 days of paid holiday per year; bank and public holidays are included as
part of an Employee’s statutory annual leave.
An Employee may take paid days off to deal with an emergency involving a dependant (a spouse,
partner, child, grandchild, parent, or someone who depends on the Employee for care). Such time off
will not be covered by the Company.
Employees who have been off work sick for 4 or more days in a row are eligible for statutory sick pay
in the amount of £87.55 per week, if they are too ill to work. It’s paid by the Company for up to 28
weeks. Employees must inform the Company about their unavailability for work due to emergencies,
sickness or other reasons as soon as they learn about them.
3. EXPENSES
The Company will reimburse the Employee for the reasonable expenses incurred by the Employee in
the performance of his/her duties during the term of this Agreement. Such expenses may include, but
are not limited by the cost of stationery, billing/mailing expenses, gas expenses/taxi fares, cell phone
bills, etc. Reimbursements will be made in with the closest paycheck, upon receiving copies of bills
verifying the amount and nature of expenses.
4. CONFIDENTIALITY
The Employee acknowledges that he/she may have access to the Company’s confidential and
proprietary information. Such confidential information may include, without limitations: i) business and
financial information, ii) business methods and practices, iii) technologies and technological strategies,
iv) marketing strategies and other such information as the Company may designate as confidential
(“Confidential Information”).
© 2014, The Virtual Agent Ltd, Company Reg. No. 08811680. All information contained in this document is considered
confidential and cannot be disclosed without the prior written permission of an authorized representative.
The Employee agrees not to disclose to any other person (unless required by the law) or use for
personal gain any Confidential Information at any time during or after the termination of employment,
unless the Company grants express, written consent of such a disclosure. In addition, the Employee
will use his/her best efforts to prevent any such disclosure. Confidential information will not include
information that is in the public domain, unless such information falls into public domain through the
Employee’s unauthorized actions.
5. NON-SOLICITATION OF EMPLOYEES
The Employee agrees that for a period of 6 (six) months following the termination of his/her
employment, he/she will not induce, recruit or solicit any of the Company’s Employees to terminate
their employment or enter into another employment arrangement with a third party.
6. OTHER RULES AND POLICIES
The Employee agrees to abide by any other rules, policies or procedures as communicated by the
Company that are generally applicable to Employees of the Company.
7. CONTINUING OBLIGATIONS
Notwithstanding the termination of this Agreement by the Employee for any reason, the provisions of
paragraph 4, 5, 6 and 7 of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect following such
termination.
8. BINDING EFFECT
The covenants and conditions contained in the Agreement shall apply to and bind the Parties and the
heirs, legal representatives, successors and permitted assigns of the Parties.
9. WAIVER
The failure of either party to enforce any provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver or
limitation of that party's right to subsequently enforce and compel strict compliance with every provision
of this Agreement.
10. SEVERABILITY
If any part or parts of this Agreement shall be held unenforceable for any reason, the remainder of this
Agreement shall continue in full force and effect. If any provision of this Agreement is deemed invalid
or unenforceable by any statute, ordinance or court of competent jurisdiction, and if limiting such
provision would make the provision valid, then such provision shall be deemed to be construed as so
limited.
11. ENTIRE AGREEMENT
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties and supersedes any prior
understanding or representation of any kind preceding the date of this Agreement. There are no other
promises, conditions, understandings or other agreements, whether oral or written, relating to the
subject matter of this Agreement. This Agreement may be modified in writing and must be signed by
both the Employee and the Company.
© 2014, The Virtual Agent Ltd, Company Reg. No. 08811680. All information contained in this document is considered
confidential and cannot be disclosed without the prior written permission of an authorized representative.
12. GOVERNING LAWS
The validity of this Agreement with the Company shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the United Kingdom.
13. ATTORNEY’S FEES AND COSTS
If any legal action is necessary or brought in any court or arbitration proceeding, to enforce or interpret
the terms of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to reasonable attorney's fees, costs,
and necessary expenses, in addition to any other relief to which such party may be entitled. This
provision shall be construed as applicable to the entire Agreement.
(Employee’s signature)
(Employee’s full name) Head of The Virtual Agent Ltd.

Did you get the PDF after signing up on the web form? Did it come through email or the web?