Are theese scams? Cullen Ramsey and Mr Snow

Hey, I got two mails from two different families. And they look almost the same. Do you know if theese are scams?

The first mail i recieved:

Dear Au pair,

We are an easygoing couple with a happy, fun, and healthy kid. We saw
your profile on http://www.kangarooaupair.com and decided to contact you on the
possibility of becoming our new family member. We are looking for an
Au pair who can take good care and be a big brother or sister to our
only child.

My name is Mr Cullen Ramsey and I am 46 years old, Am Admin secretary of
Nuffeild hospital health London. My spouse Juliet is thirty three years old and
also works as a Nurse here in Nuffield health hospital London.

We live in a four bedroom house in 39 Foley Street, Fitzrovia, City of
London, W1W 7TP United Kingdom and have one son Collins age 5 years old.
We spend 3 months at a beach house in East London each year. Collins our
son is so much fun and this age is adorable! You will have the chance
to really impact his life since he is so impressionable now. We are
only interested in hiring someone who is willing to work in the UK.

All Travel expenses shall be borne by us and we shall also provide
fully furnished live in or live out accommodation. Write us soonest
with your picture/resume, introduction and how soon you can start as
we need a Au pair that can start as soon as possible.

You can contact us via email- [email protected] or call me
on + 44 7024052801 or give me a direct mobile number to reach you with
so that we can discuss further.

Best Regards
Ramsey family.

The second mail:

Dear Au Pair,

We are a god fearing family and loving,we are looking for a good Au pair that will that care of my son wave.

We have had an Au pair before and it was wonderful. Wave our son is so much fun and this age is adorable! You will have the chance to really impact his life since he is so impressionable now. We are only interested in hiring someone who is willing to work in the UK.

if you are interested you can get back us with Resume(CV).

Thanks and do have a lovely day.

Mr Snow

Please help me!!

Welcome to Scamwarners nolan and there is doubt at all that the first job offer is from a scammer. The telephone number beginning '44 70' is only used by scammers and some of the details mentioned are ridiculous. If I mention the errors the scammer will be able to visit the forum and change his future scam mails to victims, but I can assure you that most of what he says doesn't make any sense.

It's harder to be so certain about the second mail as so little detail is mentioned, but the style of writing is much like that of a scammer.

100% scam, I'm afraid. The English gives it away first. Those emails were not written by someone from UK--they were written by someone whose first language is not English. The types of mistakes and the phrasing tell me the writer is African.

A few other points:

-This is 39 Foley Street, Fitzrovia: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22335197742 Not exactly a 4 bedroom house!
-The first email uses a 44-70 number. These are redirect numbers that appear to go to UK, but are actually forwarded to another phone virtually anywhere in the world. These are frequently used by scammers in Africa pretending to be in UK.
-The name "Wave" is a typical name choice of someone who doesn't know British or American names.
-http://www.4familycare.com/job_info.php?dz=65673&mena=CAD Look familiar?

As the other members have indicated nolan, it is a scam. Noticing the phone number, an earlier post here viewtopic.php?f=26&t=13567 will give a much better explanation.
Thank-you for posting because it will prevent others from having their fingers burnt.

This part of the first scam mail above:

We spend 3 months at a beach house in East London each year. Collins our
son is so much fun and this age is adorable! You will have the chance
to really impact his life since he is so impressionable now. We are
only interested in hiring someone who is willing to work in the UK.

is used in other scams, for example here:

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=9350&p=30168#p30168

The second scam mail above also contains part of this:

Wave our son is so much fun and this age is adorable! You will have the chance to really impact his life since he is so impressionable now. We are only interested in hiring someone who is willing to work in the UK.

You can see this used in another scam here:

viewtopic.php?f=34&p=49755

Sometimes identical or near-identical lines will be used by different scammers, 'borrowing' sentences from each other's copy-and-pasted emails. Sometimes they will be used by the same scammer, now using a new fake name. But one thing is pretty certain: a genuine family does not copy sentences from scammers to use in their emails to prospective au pairs!

I'm glad that you were suspicious about these emails you received.

Thank you "SCAM WARNERS" ! I am a French man from Reunion Island (near by Mauritius). My daughter is just 18 yo and she wanted to work for one or two years in London to get a more fluent english for her future job in tourism. I payed for her 50 Euro to enter a site for an AU PAIR employment and only two families were in touch with her (an Indian one and this "Cullen Ramsey" !). They sent to her some bad definition pictures and I recognized an americain on english actor ! So I was searching for the address, 39 Foley Street in Fitzrovia and it was only a LDG office (Estate agents).
So I searched more and more and I was happy to find a post from your site with the same history. So, I wanted to thank you very much for your help. I was sure it was a scam but to read the same history confirms that.

Here is one among 3 letters coming from this man. My daughter received too an attached letter "certified" by the UK Home Office Border Agency. There are big mistakes in this offer : she will be payed £550 per week !(instead of per month). She is French and they asked for her to get an interview for visa to the nearest UK Embassy (instead of consulate). French people are frome the EEA and doesn't need for a visa, etc ...

The Indian family, may be is also an "hoax", because they speak French very well ! Except people coming from Pondichery, Indian families linving in England have no reason to speak french !

My daughter is very sad because of this bad action. And me too.
Kind regards.

Inspector Clouzot
__________________________________________________________________________________

2011/4/18 cullen ramsey <[email protected]>

Hello W----,

I hope your week started on a very beautiful note. After discussing
your employment with my wife, we have decided you will be our
au pair so please find the Contract Letter that is approved by
the UK Home Office.

I received approval from the UK Home Office to employ you, I have
attached the approved contract letter issued me for your review.

The UK Home Office would provide you with a Certificate of Eligibility
which is very important to prove that we are sponsoring your travel
down to the UK and to prove that you are eligible to take up a job
position, live and work in UK before they send you Date for Interview
and reference number for you to visit the nearest UK Embassy in your
country. The Certificate of Eligibility would be issued to you with
your Appointment Reference Number and Interview Date to visit the
nearest UK Embassy in your country for Entry approval.

You are to sign the contract after going through it and send a scanned
copy via email indicating your intended travel date (For Flight
Booking which we shall pay for) , to the UK Home Office in charge of
applications for Certificate of Eligibility for their records and
advice to us:

UK Home Office, Border Agency,
PO Box 3468, Sheffield,
S3 8WA,
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]

On receipt of the Form COE-UKIMG2011 by me, I shall courier it to you
with hard contract copies, prepaid flight tickets and any accompanying
permit documents to enable you receive approval from the nearest UK
Embassy following instructions from the UK Home Office as they shall
let you know date to visit UK Embassy nearest to you, hence follow the
procedure as I have instructed you to ensure everything is proper and
that you do not make any mistakes.

If you have any inquiries you can reach me on + 44 7024052801. I can as
as well reach you with your direct number while you start doing the needful.
Keep me posted in regards to reply from the UK Home Office.

We wait to receive you when you arrive. God bless you as you come.

Best Regards
Mr Cullen Ramsey Family.

A quick observation of the 44 7024052801 phone number in the above post.
Can also be viewed in the post at viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9928&p=33097 dated on July 2010.

Here are the complete messages from "Cullen Ramsey family" received by my daughter :


* 1rst message*

Dear Au pair,

My name is Mr Cullen Ramsey and I am 46 years old, Am Admin secretaryof
Nuffeild hospital health London. My spouse Juliet is thirty threeyears old
and works as a Nurse here in Nuffield health hospital London. We are an
easygoing couple with a happy, fun, and healthy kid. We saw your profile and
decided to contact you on the possibility of becoming our new family member.

We are looking for an Au pair who can take good care of our only child
Collins that is four yrs old of age. Because we love our son so much, we
shall pay you very well and there is also a car here that you can use.

Collins our son is so much fun and this age is adorable! You will have the
chance to really impact his life since he is so impressionable now. We are
only interested in hiring someone who is willing to work in the UK. Write us
soonest with your picture/resume, introduction and how soon you can start.

You can contact us via email- [email protected] or call me on + 44
7024052801.

Best regards
Ramsey family.


* 2nd message*

Hello Au pair W----,

We are glad to hear from you soon.

We have received your introduction and Hope our communication will be
a fruitful one.

We shall be undertaking the costs of your Flight Ticket and travel
documents. Accommodation and feeding shall be provided by us. All
these details and other information about our contract offer shall be
sent to you in the approved contract letter once I receive it from the
Home Office Authorities.

I have filed the necessary inquiries on how to go about employing you
from the Home Office here and I shall be sending you the information
once I receive hence wait for update and travel guidance/instructions
so that you do not make any mistake. You can start the preparation of
your travel documents from the UK home office to avoid any delay
and to get you all your travel requirements ready on time.

Attached to this email are some pictures of my family, we do not speak
french but we will love you to teach Collins when you arrive.

My family sends their regards and we hope our e mail finds you in good
health.

Cheers and write us soon.

Ramsey family.


* 3rd message *

Beloved W----,

Hope your weekend was a pleasant one.

We are glad about your lovely comments about our family and thanks for
the pictures you sent us, they are very nice.

Today I shall be receiving the contract letter of employing you from
the UK home office and I will send you are scan copy of the contract
letter for your review after going through it with my wife.

My family loves you and we await to meet you in person as you come.

Best regards and God bless.
Ramsey family.


* 4rth message*


Hello W....,

I hope your week started on a very beautiful note. After discussing
your employment with my wife, we have decided you will be our
au pair so please find the Contract Letter that is approved by
the UK Home Office.

I received approval from the UK Home Office to employ you, I have
attached the approved contract letter issued me for your review.

The UK Home Office would provide you with a Certificate of Eligibility
which is very important to prove that we are sponsoring your travel
down to the UK and to prove that you are eligible to take up a job
position, live and work in UK before they send you Date for Interview
and reference number for you to visit the nearest UK Embassy in your
country. The Certificate of Eligibility would be issued to you with
your Appointment Reference Number and Interview Date to visit the
nearest UK Embassy in your country for Entry approval.

You are to sign the contract after going through it and send a scanned
copy via email indicating your intended travel date (For Flight
Booking which we shall pay for) , to the UK Home Office in charge of
applications for Certificate of Eligibility for their records and
advice to us:

UK Home Office, Border Agency,
PO Box 3468, Sheffield,
S3 8WA,
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]

On receipt of the Form COE-UKIMG2011 by me, I shall courier it to you
with hard contract copies, prepaid flight tickets and any accompanying
permit documents to enable you receive approval from the nearest UK
Embassy following instructions from the UK Home Office as they shall
let you know date to visit UK Embassy nearest to you, hence follow the
procedure as I have instructed you to ensure everything is proper and
that you do not make any mistakes.

If you have any inquiries you can reach me on + 44 7024052801. I can as
as well reach you with your direct number while you start doing the needful.
Keep me posted in regards to reply from the UK Home Office.

We wait to receive you when you arrive. God bless you as you come.

Best Regards
Mr Cullen Ramsey Family.


*THE END* ...

We are very pleased that something posted here was helpful to you and your daughter clouzot. This is the exact reason we are here. Thank you for posting further information.

Hi everybody,

I have received a similar letter than yours. I asked the family to know where about they live and asked me:

"I and my family are from Canada but we live and work in the UK..we live at 39 Foley street,Fitzrovia,city of London,W1W 7TP".

They have even call me this morning on my mobile. I am Spanish but I couldnt understand well what they wanted to tell me.

Thanks God that I have found this web page!!!! The thing is that they are using the same address in London that they told you some years back, unbelievable!!!! (They offered me to nanny a child for 650pounds a week!!!)
He say he is Bill Panter and when I asked to know the Membership number from www.newaupair.com, he said he "decided to disable our profile since we found you". I know everygthing was really odd. I hope this help others au-pair in my situation.

Lorena

Welcome to Scamwarners Lorena.
Fitzrovia is an unofficial name for a small area in London. I'm from the UK and don't think I've ever heard of it before it was mentioned here. I'd like to know where a scammer found it.

Oh my god... i got the same email but they changer the name to Billy and Kate Oliver!!!

Thanks for posting, emily_rose. It is definitely a scam. Are they using the same email address as before? If it's a new one (not appearing in this thread already), can you please post it here?
thank you!