My gut is telling me this job is a scam- HELP

Hello Maranda,

Thank you for your interest in the Childcare position. My Name is Ian Cole, a single father living in Manhattan, New York with my 2 daughters - Brandi (2 1/2) and Johanna (5) their mother died a year ago from Cervical Cancer complications. Am a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Trust Estate Practitioner (TEP). I'm currently on vacation in Niagara Falls, Canada with both of them and will be relocating to your city upon my arrival. I will need someone to take care of my daughters and also handle some household chores. I would be needing your service Monday through Friday (occasionally on weekends) and 3 hours daily.

My daughters are wonderful and very bright kids. They are fun loving, kind and lovely girls. I would be needing your service for the next 6 - 9 months on a temporary or permanent basis and willing to offer you $400.00 per week with benefits as compensation for a trustworthy and honesty. I have a Personal Assistant who is helping me with the moving transition. It's okay if you prefer to be a live-in or live-out nanny as i can drop them at your home everyday and will greatly appreciate if you will be delighted to accept this offer as we would be arriving soon.

If you accept this position, I will instruct my PA to mail you a check for your first week upfront payment by express mail so that i can be rest assured of your availability for the job and wouldn't need to search for a nanny any more. I will as well run a background check on you once we arrive just to be sure my daughters will be safe with you, and I hope you understand my concerns in that regard.

If this employment opportunity is acceptable to you, kindly get back to me with the information below required for confirmation and further proceedings to take place:

Full name:
Contact Address: (No P.O. Box)
Apt #:
City, Zip Code:
State:
Home phone number:
Cell phone number:
Available hours:

Some questions i need you to answer:

1. What hours will you prefer daily to allow us plan my schedule before arrival (9am - 12pm, 12pm - 3pm, 3pm - 6pm)?
2. What academic qualifications do you possess?
3. Do you have any relevant certificate(s) to back up your Babysitting/Nanny Career?
4. Tell me more about your temperament.
5. Can you handle money if you are given an assignment to carry out?

We would be arriving on the 12th of next month but your first pay covers the preparation period for my arrival because i have several small assignments for you to complete prior to my arrival, such as checking my new apartment for necessary supplies, purchasing what may be needed before my arrival, necessary toiletries and cleaning supplies etc which i will provide you with a list.

Please do get in touch on time so that we can start making arrangements with my travel agency while i await your swift response regards this employment offer and the requested details.

Regards,
Ian Cole.

Your gut is absolutely right.

Basically he tells you what he is planning with these two statements.

will instruct my PA to mail you a check for your first week upfront payment by express mail so that i can be rest assured of your availability for the job and wouldn't need to search for a nanny any more

5. Can you handle money if you are given an assignment to carry out?

He plans to send you a fraudulent check and instruct you to cash it and either forward part of the money or buy and forward items from the cash. The check will likely be good enough that the fraud won't be immediately evident, but eventually it will be found out. In the end, you would be left owing the bank money for anything you withdrew (plus penalties for the bad deposit, and maybe even criminal charges for fraud) while the scammer, who was using fake info anyway, has simply grabbed the wired money or the items and disappeared.

He says he's from New York and in Niagara Falls (which is on the border of New York and Ontario). From the way he writes, it's obvious he's from West Africa and has probably never left the region. He is a liar and a thief.

He mentions a travel agent. A common ploy in employment scams (including au pair scams) is for the victim to apply for a work permit or visa to a travel agent (who is actually another character played by a scammer) in the destination country. That is not how one gets a visa or work permit.