by LizzieK27
Tue May 15, 2012 7:23 pm
Hello!
People have attempted to scam me before (the old UK visa/Moneygram/etc. trick) but, fortunately due to people like you on this website, I have never come close to falling for one. In April I made an account on aupair.com and started sending out interest e-mails to families I felt were legitimate. A few days ago I received a non-generic e-mail of interest from an Italian family I had sent an e-mail to. It was not like any of the scam e-mails I've had before:
You answered my request for aupair in Tuscany for 2 girls 4 and 3 years old. It seems that your profile will fit my request and I hope our family will make your holiday-work enjoyable. I will need your help in the month of July. We leave in a very nice little village in Tuscany: Volpaia (see our web www.volpaia.com ) with 52 inhabitants (in summer there are a lot of tourists) You may go by bus to Florence or Siena (1 h). Your work will consist in playing with the girls and speak English with them (they go to an English school in Milan) You don’t need to help in the kitchen or cleaning you just have to make your and girls bedroom and bathroom (you will have a private bedroom and bathroom) and help them during meals. If you need more details let me know. We may need your help also for the last 2 weeks of June at the sea side but I will be able to confirm this later.
[Name]
I looked up the name and found her on multiple hotel and wine websites (mentioned by others) so she seems well-known in both Italy and America for her family's vineyard. The website also works and is quite top-notch. I also have pictures. I e-mailed her back and we've been e-mailing back and forth and this morning we Skyped and she was very nice and professional and obviously Italian but spoke English well. The pay is modest (which makes me more comfortable than if it was really high such as a scammer would bait with) and she said she would pay for airfare. Yet she would want me to purchase my ticket out on my own (not through her, didn't ask for money or anything) because she wants to play it safe in case she got an au pair that just took the free ticket and then went on holiday without doing any of the work. I'm fine with this since she said after a week she'd give me both part of my monthly salary and start reimbursing me for the ticket out and by the end of my time with the family it would be totally paid back and she would buy the ticket back to the States.
It seems wonderful but that makes me nervous. I want to hear your guy's opinion on this before I move on any further. Is this a scam or actually legit? Should I ask her any specific questions? Thank you so much for all your help both this time and in the past! Have a great day!
People have attempted to scam me before (the old UK visa/Moneygram/etc. trick) but, fortunately due to people like you on this website, I have never come close to falling for one. In April I made an account on aupair.com and started sending out interest e-mails to families I felt were legitimate. A few days ago I received a non-generic e-mail of interest from an Italian family I had sent an e-mail to. It was not like any of the scam e-mails I've had before:
You answered my request for aupair in Tuscany for 2 girls 4 and 3 years old. It seems that your profile will fit my request and I hope our family will make your holiday-work enjoyable. I will need your help in the month of July. We leave in a very nice little village in Tuscany: Volpaia (see our web www.volpaia.com ) with 52 inhabitants (in summer there are a lot of tourists) You may go by bus to Florence or Siena (1 h). Your work will consist in playing with the girls and speak English with them (they go to an English school in Milan) You don’t need to help in the kitchen or cleaning you just have to make your and girls bedroom and bathroom (you will have a private bedroom and bathroom) and help them during meals. If you need more details let me know. We may need your help also for the last 2 weeks of June at the sea side but I will be able to confirm this later.
[Name]
I looked up the name and found her on multiple hotel and wine websites (mentioned by others) so she seems well-known in both Italy and America for her family's vineyard. The website also works and is quite top-notch. I also have pictures. I e-mailed her back and we've been e-mailing back and forth and this morning we Skyped and she was very nice and professional and obviously Italian but spoke English well. The pay is modest (which makes me more comfortable than if it was really high such as a scammer would bait with) and she said she would pay for airfare. Yet she would want me to purchase my ticket out on my own (not through her, didn't ask for money or anything) because she wants to play it safe in case she got an au pair that just took the free ticket and then went on holiday without doing any of the work. I'm fine with this since she said after a week she'd give me both part of my monthly salary and start reimbursing me for the ticket out and by the end of my time with the family it would be totally paid back and she would buy the ticket back to the States.
It seems wonderful but that makes me nervous. I want to hear your guy's opinion on this before I move on any further. Is this a scam or actually legit? Should I ask her any specific questions? Thank you so much for all your help both this time and in the past! Have a great day!
