MERLIN SCOTT...

Hi I've sent a picture of me to this Scam...when they told me to contact their lawyer I just google that name and...here I am...I've been sent others scams...It's surprising how people are just...so...assholes. Anyway, be careful and God Bless people who created this site!! There is any secure way to be an au pair without all this scam rubbish?? thanks!

Hello NunnLois, and welcome to ScamWarners. I'm glad that you researched this fake lawyer, and discovered that it is a scam.

For other readers who are looking for more information about the Merlin Scott scam, please click on this link:

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=34342

All au pair websites where host family profiles can be uploaded will also have fake profiles from scammers, so it is safest to instead seek an au pair position through an agency which is a member of the International Au Pair Association (IAPA) or, for UK positions, the British Au Pairs Agencies Association (BAPAA) . You can find a list of IAPA member agencies in your country, or in the country you hope to travel to, here:

http://www.iapa.org/members/member-list/

And a list of BAPAA member agencies here:

http://www.bapaa.org.uk/directory.asp?page=20

But if you prefer to look for a host family online:

- As soon as you start corresponding with a potential host family, google for their country's Embassy website in your own country, and find out how to become an au pair in that country, and follow those instructions only.

- Google the names and phone numbers and email addresses of the family, to see if you can verify them online - some people will have no 'internet presence', but check anyway.

- Google a few sentences from the email in which the host describes their family, to see whether they are original words, or typical sentences from scam mails.

- Never ever send money to a host family, nor to anybody they have put you in contact with.

- Never send money to yourself, or to a friend or relative, on the instruction of a host family or anyone connected to them. Scammers can still steal this money if it is sent by Western Union or MoneyGram, and if they have the payment details.

- Never open a new bank account on the instruction of a host family or anyone connected to them. This would also be a trick to steal your money.

- Never send a deposit for an apartment to live in while you are an au pair. This is another scammer's trick.

And if you are ever unsure about any host family who you are in contact with, we are always happy to help determine whether or not they are genuine, or a scam.