finance assistant vacancy. is this a scam?

After signing up to a few job sites recently I recieved an email on 12/04/13 with a vacancy for a financial assistant. After filling an application form and sending them proof of identification, I now fear that this is a scam due to the training information document they sent me. specifically when i performed an internet search for "Volatility and Variance Products. B2B- and B2C- applications" and the top link the search engine produced was from scam warners - viewtopic.php?f=34&t=54981&p=127866 where i noticed many similarities.

he are the emails sent to me.


Melissa S. Kelty <[email protected]>
Apr 12 (2 days ago)

to me
Finance Assistant - UK

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Finance Assistant (No Experience Required).

Salary - £15,5K (Part Time); £22K (Full Time)


For further details please send your CV asap.


HR Manager

(I sent my CV in and got next reply)


Melissa S. Kelty
Apr 12 (2 days ago)

to me
Hello!
We have considered your candidacy for the post of Finance Assistant, it’s suitable for this position. To continue with recruitment procedure you need to be trained. In case of successful certification you will obtain an office position of Finance Assistant. Please note that the training is paid (by the company), you will receive £ 30 for each training lesson(day) .
The information about the company and job duties is attached, as well as an application form, which should be completed and to be sent to us. The training manager is going to contact you after processing your personal information, also you will get the training material needed for the first lesson.

P.S. Please pay attention to the accuracy of filling the form.




Sincerely , Melissa S. Kelty
HR Department , Hammond Garant Limited

(I completed and sent the application form)


Melissa S. Kelty
Apr 13 (1 day ago)

to me
In order to Avoid the use of false documents & also To continue with Recruitment Procedure please send:
1- Current ID ( passport or driving license, scanned copy);
2- Photo of You with a document( the same one ID) on a gross basis;
3- Copy ( or scanned copy) of the utility bill (gas, electricity), which serve as proof that that you are a resident of the UK.
We're expecting you to work with various accounts and cash also, so it's very important to confirm the legacy of your Identity for future Responsibility.
Your data will be verified shortly.
Thank you.


--
Best regards,
Melissa mailto:[email protected]

(the following is part of the training information they sent me)

1. Your Training Manager (TM) calls prescribe you into the list of trade-trainees and to confirm that everything is ready for the start of practical part of the Lesson. (The training manager will assist you by the phone to report about your skills to organize, calculate, communicate, count, etc.)
2. Then TM informs when the money for practicing with elementary operations and your training wage £30 are available on the account that you have specified for training. (The exact amount can’t be specified at the moment since the training money goes from one training person to another by a chain: company sends the initial amount to the 1st trainee, he/she takes £30 as the training wage and sends to the 2nd trainee the rest of the amount after deduction of the commission for the transaction; the 2nd trainee takes £30 and sends to the 3rd trainee the rest minus the commission etc.(subject to the number of the trainees before you in the training chain, the amount that you receive can be different).
3. You call your TM after withdrawing the total amount to receive new details.
First, £30 you should take for yourself as your personal training wage for the lesson (you may leave it on your account) and the rest of the amount you will use for practicing with Money Gram and Western Union payment systems. Then you go to the nearest Money Gram location to perform a transaction using the data you will receive from your personal manager. Pay attention to the details to be able to compare and learn the differences between this and other financial services.
The Receipt that you get from the Money Gram managers has to be saved.
5. Your TM will provide your practical results according to all references to your local supervisor and compose several questions to check your initial professional level. After you complete the practical part, you will receive theoretical materials. You should answer questions in the test form and send it back to company’s e-mail address within next 24 hours. Some of the questions will concern your practicing for the first training day, some of them will be based on your results (to confirm your skills, abilities, etc).The deadline for sending out the test form: next workday, 6:00 pm.


I sent them a scanned copy of my passport and some bank details in the application though they do not have my security or card number so they cant make purchases from my account. I am worried because the post i was linked to on scamwarners suggested they may be sending stolen money to my account which i would be liablle for so i was wondering what action i should take.

Having read this I have to tell you that it is a scam,no legitimate company would tell you to use Moneygram

It looks like some kind of pyramid thing going on with the 1st trainee

First, £30 you should take for yourself as your personal training wage for the lesson (you may leave it on your account) and the rest of the amount you will use for practicing with Money Gram and Western Union payment systems. Then you go to the nearest Money Gram location to perform a transaction using the data you will receive from your personal manager. Pay attention to the details to be able to compare and learn the differences between this and other financial services.

I would just ignore any more emails, phone calls etc,

I would get in touch with your bank to make them aware of the situation.

Did they give you a website ? if so please post it here as it is probably a fake and we can do something about that

Without doubt it's the usual 'money mule' scam with a different explanation and getting involved would have serious repercussions for any victim.

The only good thing is that it suggests that the standard explanation isn't working very well, and this one is even less likely to be successful.

As the others have already said, it is indeed a scam. This is just an attempt at a different explanation. In reality, there is no training exercise, and there is not a series of other people passing the money on. The money is indeed stolen.

Since you have given your banking details, you should contact your bank and notify the fraud department of what has happened. This way, if the criminals do attempt to transfer stolen money into your account, the bank may be able to take action on the compromised account sooner.

This domain hammondlimited.com belongs to a known scam gang whose many other sites have been previously reported on SW, then reported to the hoster and registrar and killed.

ETA: Gateway, the site is "under construction". I've asked and baited for headers.

Skel has sent headers, and the domain is in the process of being reported for fraud.

I had these exact emails. I was dubious when they asked for my bank details. I showed my jobseekers adviser and he also thought it was a scam. Absolute bastards, taking advantage of people out of a job.

^^^

Yes they are alas they have no scruples at all and if there is a way to scam people they will use it. their only objective is to get money and they do not care how !

Potentially, if you fall for this scam Decapitated1215, the consequences could be far more serious than you realise. You could lose a lot of money, having to repay any money you pay the scammer, get blacklisted by CIFAS and find yourself unable to open or operate a bank account and get a criminal record. You could therefore become unemployable.

I'm pleased to hear that your Jobseekers adviser recognised it as a scam because it was reported here that one adviser actually recommended one person apply for a job like this, presumably out of ignorance rather than with malicious intent.

The problem being that these scams are getting on to official government websites and Jobseeker advisers are under pressure to push people to apply for jobs. Though the guilty people are the criminals, people should be aware that even jobs appearing on the official government website should be treated with caution.

Beyond the risks that you might get tricked in to joining in on this fraud, it's bad enough that the scammer wastes your time and effort in what is usually a long and complicated process when you want to concentrate on finding a real job.

The scammers who are running this fraud float lower than scum.

Yes very true. I'm lucky and have a savvy (read: paranoid) head on my shoulders, but if you were to miss the warning signs and were desperate it wouldn't be hard to imagine how easily you could get hooked by a scam such as this.

I've had an influx of these emails since upping a cv to jobsite, monster and a few others. Must be like hitting the jackpot to these people. Especially as you say Terrance since the govt/Jobcentre/employment sites are so desperate to get people into work in this climate.

Ill continue to post if and when I get any more dodgy emails

We must stay vigilant!