Au Pair Scammer - Chris and Pam Hooper - [email protected]

This is a scam. The au pair position does not exist, and the travel agency is fake and will not obtain any documents for you.

If you are looking for a job in the USA, please contact the US Embassy in your own country to check the US entry requirements. You can find the genuine US Embassy website here:

http://www.usembassy.gov/

Do not send money to any agency, embassy, lawyer, or other person introduced to you by a potential employer.

If you require any help with travel arrangements, please contact a travel agency in your own town, which you can visit in person.

Dear Au pair

We just finished viewing your profile on easyaupair.com and we were very impressed. We have been looking for someone to look after our kids since our last au pair left and we feel you are the right choice. We live in the Sub-Urbs of San Diego, California. Its a beautiful city you are sure to love it here. The job pays $700 weekly and you will work for 35 hours a week. There is so much more to discuss so if you are interested get back to us and we will gladly work things out.

Have a nice day
Chris, Pam and Kids

That email is near-identical to the first one sent by the scammer calling themselves Vincent and Denise Lucci, see here:

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=12989&p=39923

This may be the same scammer using different fake names, or may be a different scammer using the same pre-written introductory letter.

Hello

How are you doing, thanks for getting back to us we're really happy you are interested in this job. I wanted you to know more about the boys and our family so I wrote you a little something. William 5 years is older and Neil is 3 the younger one and at such tender ages little brother also want to copy their bigger brothers, so they have basically the same interests.

They both love riding on their bikes, video games and playing outdoors with the other kids. As for sports we all play baseball on Saturdays when I am off work, I take them by their school and we hook up with the other kids and parents and have some fun. The boys do like playing in the pool every now and then but they are not too into it.

When it comes to food I must say we are quite indifferent, We could anything if it is cooked right and the boys are quite the same. When it come to preference we do like Chinese and Jamaican food. We have never had a barbecue but our friends always do and we are always invited.

We live in a very good neighborhood in San Diego, California, lots of families, kids, malls, schools. It really peaceful and a very good place to raise your kids. Some of the other families do have au pairs here I am just not familiar with them but I guess when you come over you can get to know them.

Chris is the deputy director of a museum and I work in an advertising firm, we handle mostly female beauty products.

I hope you enjoy my little write up about my family. Please tell us more about you and confirm you are ready for this job
Cheers!
Chris, Pam and Kid

It was really nice to hear from you again and we are so happy to have you as our next au pair. We had so much fun with our last au pair and wish everything will work out just as well with you. You seem very interesting and we will sure make your stay with us the best time you can have.

Here your job description on a daily basis, how soon do you think you can start and the contract is for a maximum of one year.

From Monday to Friday

You are expected to begin work by 8:00 am in the morning, get the kids breakfast ready and get them dressed and packed for school. We leave for work about 8:45 and so will you when you go drop the kids off. If you can drive there will be a car for you to use if not there is a bus which passes through and the school is only 10 minutes away.

From this time on you will be required to do some housework (Kids laundry, light cleaning). You will also run any errands for us during this time like grocery shopping etc. The kids laundry will be done by machine wash 3 times a week

Afternoon meals for the kids will be prepared by you. When you get here we will work out a meal schedule for the kids diet.

By 12:00 you should be at the kids school to pick them up and take them back home, they eat lunch by 1:00 am. We expect you will help them with their school work where you can and also engage them in any activities to keep them occupied. They have some friends in the neighborhood and whenever they go to visit you will be with them.

We get off by 5:00 pm so we expect to be home before 6:00 pm when you will close for the day. You will have the weekends off however if we need you we will let you know in time and work out the payment.

Your room is a single room with a private bathroom, it comes equipped with a TV, laptop and we will give you a cell phone when you get here so we can call you at any time we need to.

These is just a day in your life while here with us there is still alot more but we will put that into the contract. I need to know you understand the job well so we look forward to hearing from you soon and we can speak over the phone too.

Best Wishes,
Chris, Pam and Kids

When our last au pair was coming over, we contracted travel consultants who handled and arranged his flight here within a short period of time. Here is their website http://www.aupairtravel.webs.com/ and their email is [email protected], send them an email and find out what you will need to get here. They were very efficient and we were all very happy with them. I trust they will do well for you too. We will cover the cost of the actual flight (Plane Tickets), while you will cover the cost of procuring your visa.

I hope your passport is ready because you will need it. I also need you to provide me with your full name, residential address and contact number.

We'd really love to hear back from you so have a wonderful day and don't forget to smile.
Best Wishes,
Chris, Pam and Kids

Short update: aupairtravel.webs.com has been closed down by one of our site killers

I got this e-mail today:

Dear Au pair

We just finished viewing your profile on easyaupair.com and we were very impressed. We have been looking for someone to look after our kids since our last au pair left and we feel you are the right choice. We live in the Sub-Urbs of San Diego, California. Its a beautiful city you are sure to love it here. The job pays $700 weekly and you will work for 35 hours a week. There is so much more to discuss so if you are interested get back to us and we will gladly work things out.

Have a nice day
Gary and Carol Davis

Welcome here leeeeroi.

Could you please post the e mail address the scammer is using now?

Hi
I am a danish girl how have been in contact with this "family" an stupid enough also trusted them. I have reciewed e-mails and phone calls from them. I have been in contact with an agent under the e-mail aupairtravel@blumail and made all the travel arrangements with him and the family. I reconice the mails and the photoes too.
The reason i found this link was because i recived this e-mail and the things diddn't add up with the countries.

Dear [name removed for privacy - CF]

We are mailing in regards to the package sent to you from California, United States by AuPair Travel. We wish to inform you that the package did not pass our security tests as it contradicts section 42.2(b) of US customs laws and it has been stopped. The Section reads:
"...unless otherwise stated in other sections or express approval of the State or anybody acting on its behalf, a resident may not at anytime send or attempt to send traveling documents to a non resident residing overseas, without level 2 security clearance..."
The package sent to you contradicts this section thus, an estoppel has been placed on it pending the time we get an email from you. We confirm that the package contains flight tickets to Australia, Health Insurance Registration and Insurance Certificate. A seal letter to the American Embassy in Australia. There must be adequate security clearance on these documents to before their release can be authorized.

We await your correspondence before we initiate actions required before the release of your documents.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this might cause you.

John Braid
US Customs Security Officer


I hope knowbody else will will experince this - and that's why i posted my experinces.

I'm glad that you were suspicious about this email you received - it will have been sent by the scammer, or one of his scammer accomplices, and this fake customs officer would undoubtedly ask for a fee to be paid to release the documents. The documents and flight tickets do not exist, and no package addressed to you is being held at customs.

Could you post the email address that the fake customs officer is using? That would be helpful to other au pairs who are being targeted by this scammer - they could google the email address and then discover that it is a scam.

Au Pair scammers target many many people and can be very convincing - it is never 'stupid' to have trusted them. It is advisable, though, to become familiar with the legitimate way to become an au pair in any country you hope to travel to, as this can help you recognise scammers. You may also like to read our 'Overview of Au Pair Scams' here:

viewtopic.php?f=34&t=3019

Thank you for sharing your experience in order to help warn other people about this.

Yes of cause [email protected]

Thank you - that will be very useful for anyone else who receives an email from that email address; a google search will enable them to find this thread.

"Hi
I am a danish girl how have been in contact with this "family" an stupid enough also trusted them. I have reciewed e-mails and phone calls from them. I have been in contact with an agent under the e-mail aupairtravel@blumail and made all the travel arrangements with him and the family. I reconice the mails and the photoes too.
The reason i found this link was because i recived this e-mail and the things diddn't add up with the countries."

I was in same situation.
But, i was more stupid : i sended money ( to
Receiver's Name - Gloria Weidner (person contact from Au Pair Travel)
Receiver's Address - 842 Mahone Ave, Bismarck, ND 58503..... and of course, she pick up
Pls, people, lern from my experience !!

This scammer is also using this email address for a fake US Customs Security Officer:

[email protected]

The scammer, or one of his accomplices, is also pretending to be a former au pair called Joe Eastmann, using the email address:

[email protected]