Thinking this is a scam...

Kinda desperate for a job right now, so doing what I can to get employed...this includes the kinda foolish Craigslist hunt. Sent an e-mail to one of the ads...

SEEKING A PART-TIME OFFICE CLERK TO JOIN OUR SMALL BUSINESS

MUST HAVE:
-Excellent verbal and written communication skills,including grammar and spelling.
-Clear speaking voice and good telephone manner.
-Basic Computer skills,including e-mail and word.
-Willingness to learn,with ability to understand and follow written and verbal instructions.
-Ability to work independently.
-Good attention to detail.

It was a pretty simple e-mail. Just asking for clarification on business name. This is what I got back...

Thanks for your interests in the PART -TIME OFFICE CLERK Position


I will deeply appreciate all genuine efforts to help me monitor and keep up to date with all my activities. I most very often get my hands occupied because am working with many companies both states and outside,so it is imperative for me to have a worthy assistant who can monitor and keep me up to date with my activities.


AS MY ASSISTANT YOUR ACTIVITIES AMONGST OTHER THINGS INCLUDE :::


* Running personal errands
* Printings of letters , Documents and files
* faxingand typing letters Web research
* posting ads Quality communication etiquette skills and good organizational skills .


Serious sense of humor is required .


Basic Compensation 500weekly




Little About me ::::


My name is Mr Mark Fish , A Multi Business Holder .Am 51yrls old man i have two Kids ..I work for so many companies both in and Out of The state, this makes me travels alot thats the reason why i need an assistant to handle affairs for me on the home front when i am away on business which is usually quite often.



This position is home-based and flexible you can be in any location,working with me is basically about instructions and following them, my only fear is that I may come at you impromptu sometimes, I need someone who can be able to meet up with my i irregular timings.There is also a very sensitive issue on trust and accountability which I believe will resolve itself as time goes on.

This is only an introductory e-mail, as time goes on we should be able to arrange a proper meeting to get things started officially.

I do have lot of things you could help me with this week if you will be available for me. This can act as a stable foundation to our working relationship.


Note:


This position is home base office work you can be in any location and work with me from your home. Let me know your interest if you are ready to work with me from your home Mon-Fri @ 9am-4pm..
contact for assistant , Quick chat Online Messenger :::: [email protected]




So Fill This Application And Email It Back Here Asap!!!

First Name______________________

Middle Name___________________________

Last Name_____________________________

Street Address & Apt Num___________No PO Box __________________

City, State, Zip Code______________________________________


Age __________________________________

Gender __________________________________

Cell Phone Number (___)___________________________________

Home Phone Number(___)___________________________________

Email:____________________________

Current Job:____________________________


Fill the Details and Email it back to me .. Pls no Attachment Ok ..

Now, my red flags are flying. It looks copy-pasted. I haven't sent this person any info besides the e-mail address I used to message him in the first place. The e-mail this "Mr. Fish" is using is [email protected]. I can't find much out about him - only that other e-mails featuring a "Mr. Fish" are a scam. Googling the e-mail in the latest message for the assistant also seems to be a "spammer" e-mait.

So. Something smells fishy. Am I correct in this?

Yes Mahare, it is a scam. It is unfortunate many people get stung on craigslist. The writer of said email has also used the names Tony Adams, Mark Harns and Jason Macuch. Using the same words with minor changes.
Did you check the email header, what does that tell you?
It is unfortunate people are taken advantage of when seeking employment, but if you read throughout the forums and familiarise yourself if the same happens again.

That's what I thought. Here's what was in the header:

Delivered-To: ......
Received: by 10.152.9.68 with SMTP id x4cs98684laa;
Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:53:14 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.220.168.15 with SMTP id s15mr355252vcy.256.1316109193181;
Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:53:13 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: <[email protected]>
Received: from blu0-omc1-s14.blu0.hotmail.com (blu0-omc1-s14.blu0.hotmail.com [65.55.116.25])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id h20si728111vcw.58.2011.09.15.10.53.12;
Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:53:13 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 65.55.116.25 as permitted sender) client-ip=65.55.116.25;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 65.55.116.25 as permitted sender) [email protected]
Received: from BLU156-W49 ([65.55.116.7]) by blu0-omc1-s14.blu0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.4675);
Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:52:49 -0700
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Return-Path: [email protected]
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="_76003215-e9b1-4d2f-90ed-499bfb668482_"
X-Originating-IP: [41.155.84.172]
From: Mark Fish <[email protected]>
To: <.....>
Subject: Thanks for your interests in the PART -TIME OFFICE CLERK Position
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:52:49 +0000
Importance: Normal
In-Reply-To:
<CAOzV=ChjUJq1yd9EsyxwcvXJ2YbDh-LBgo3vTyY65COTBCMkGg@mail.gmail.com>
References:
<CAOzV=ChjUJq1yd9EsyxwcvXJ2YbDh-LBgo3vTyY65COTBCMkGg@mail.gmail.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 15 Sep 2011 17:52:49.0726 (UTC) FILETIME=[48B735E0:01CC73D0]

--_76003215-e9b1-4d2f-90ed-499bfb668482_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I wasn't likely to supply him with more info - computer science background has taught me to be paranoid about this sorta thing - but this one seemed a bit less blatant (oddly enough) than some others I have gotten. Just wanted a second set of eyes. Thank you!

And I also have no idea how to make heads or tails of that

Thankyou.
The header seems wrong too. Can't find info on BLU156-W49, so the bottom half of the header is probably forged. There is a blu156.mail.com on a server out of the USA but cannot say if that is the same one? Could be possibly linked to microsoft maybe?

Here are the IP results originating country Nigeria

Header Analysis Quick Report
Originating IP: 41.155.84.172
Originating ISP: Starcomms Limited
City: Ikeja
Country of Origin: Nigeria
* For a complete report on this email header goto ipTRACKERonline

He's a romance scammer too

http://www.webdate.com/main.php?a=user.profile&duid=6190760

Scammers don't understand that being called one name and having a different name for your mail account is suspicious.

I have been speaking with Mr. Mark since around the 11th of this month, I replied to his job posting. I am to receive the check today, but as I have done with the other checks my husband has received in the past, we forward the information to the FBI and report the stolen checks to the bank it was issued on.

I have found that my email bounced around originating from Nigeria, but Mr. Fish is now using Redmond, WA as a IP site to send these emails through too. Glad to know there are sites like this to get help from when we need it.

Delivered-To: Deleted personal information. ~Bubbles
Received: by 10.213.9.212 with SMTP id m20cs53437ebm;
Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:54:06 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.147.154.12 with SMTP id g12mr1241855yao.36.1318359245646;
Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:54:05 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: <[email protected]>
Received: from bay0-omc3-s26.bay0.hotmail.com (bay0-omc3-s26.bay0.hotmail.com. [65.54.190.164])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id t40si9645306anh.150.2011.10.11.11.54.05;
Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:54:05 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 65.54.190.164 as permitted sender) client-ip=65.54.190.164;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 65.54.190.164 as permitted sender) [email protected]
Received: from BAY163-W14 ([65.54.190.189]) by bay0-omc3-s26.bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.4675);
Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:52:14 -0700
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Return-Path: [email protected]
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="_821d8c83-13f1-4a36-80e2-8b9baed4b8ef_"
X-Originating-IP: [41.155.109.27]
From: Mr Mark <[email protected]>
To: Deleted personal information. ~Bubbles
Subject: Thanks for your interests in the Front Desk Reception Position
Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:52:14 -0400
Importance: Normal
In-Reply-To:
<CAB2tr4kZOzes1y774rBx7RaYvmkyUcRT+wNgCyKyqjYjWEp5=g@mail.gmail.com>
References:
<CAB2tr4kZOzes1y774rBx7RaYvmkyUcRT+wNgCyKyqjYjWEp5=g@mail.gmail.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 11 Oct 2011 18:52:14.0587 (UTC) FILETIME=[E44754B0:01CC8846]

--_821d8c83-13f1-4a36-80e2-8b9baed4b8ef_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


Thanks for your interests in the Front Desk Reception Position


I will deeply appreciate all genuine efforts to help me monitor and keep up=
to date with all my activities. I most very often get my hands occupied be=
cause am working with many companies both states and outside=2Cso it is imp=
erative for me to have a worthy assistant who can monitor and keep me up to=
date with my activities.


AS MY ASSISTANT YOUR ACTIVITIES AMONGST OTHER THINGS INCLUDE :


* Running personal errands
* Printings of letters =2C Documents and files
* faxingand typing letters Web research
* posting ads Quality communication etiquette skills and good organizationa=
l skills .


Serious sense of humor is required .


Basic Compensation 500weekly




Little About me ::::


My name is Mr Mark Fish =2C A Multi Business Holder .Am 54yrls old man i ha=
ve two Kids ..I work for so many companies both in and Out of The state=2C =
this makes me travels alot thats the reason why i need an assistant to hand=
le affairs for me on the home front when i am away on business which is usu=
ally quite often.



This position is home-based and flexible you can be in any location=2Cworki=
ng with me is basically about instructions and following them=2C my only fe=
ar is that I may come at you impromptu sometimes=2C I need someone who can =
be able to meet up with my i irregular timings.There is also a very sensiti=
ve issue on trust and accountability which I believe will resolve itself as=
time goes on.

This is only an introductory e-mail=2C as time goes on we should be able to=
arrange a proper meeting to get things started officially.

I do have lot of things you could help me with this week if you will be ava=
ilable for me. This can act as a stable foundation to our working relations=
hip.


Note:


This position is home base office work you can be in any location and work =
with me from your home. Let me know your interest if you are ready to work =
with me from your home Mon-Fri @ 9am-4pm..
contact for assistant =2C Quick chat Online Messenger :::: assist_2002@yaho=
o.com




So Fill This Application And Email It Back Here Asap!!!

First Name______________________

Middle Name___________________________

Last Name_____________________________

Street Address & Apt Num___________No PO Box__________________

City=2C State=2C Zip Code______________________________________


Age__________________________________

Gender__________________________________

Cell Phone Number (___)___________________________________

Home Phone Number(___)___________________________________

Email:____________________________

Current Job:____________________________


Fill the Details and Email it back to me .. Pls no Attachment Ok ..=20


Thanx

Hello Jclausen and welcome to scamwarners.
The person is indeed a scammer and the cheque is a fake. By checking the header you have posted you can see that the mail came from Nigeria which is usally a red flag for any employment offer. But the whole mail you have received is a common format these criminals use.
It was the right thing to report the cheque.
Now you should stop all contact to the scammer and in the future try not to give your personal information to these criminals.

Here you can find some information that will help you to spot possible scammers before they can send you a fake cheque.

Info about cheque scams:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3238

Info about employment scams:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3230

Info about Auctions and Online Selling Scams:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3224

If you have further questions please ask.

Also if that is your correct email address please edit it out of your post. Otherwise you will receive more emails from scammers and plenty of spam as well.

Justin

Editing done. ~Bubbles

I've got the same email and what red flagged was that he asked my age and gender, which employers are not supposed to do.

Could you post the email, including headers? Sometimes scammers change their address, and recipients of scam emails google the address to see if it turns up as scam.