This is a Scam?

Hello

How are you over there?Anyway not to waste our time here firstly if you want to be my au pair, you will need to get a visa and a working permit by your self, I have an British immigration here in London who has helped my last au pair in providing her visa and working permit within a short period of time you can contact them to get more information about how to get an aupair visa and working permit to Uk with any other things you need , i will be willing to send a letter of invitation to them my self and pay for your flight ticket as soon as your papers are ready, because i don't want to involve in sending my details and invitation to anybody outside UK because the last time i did that , it got me to so much problem and really lost a huge amount of money thinking i will pick the au pair my self at the airport and I don't know she already has plan of going somewhere else,She even ask me to send her a month salary for her family because they are poor and she is the only one helping her family i really pity her and send a month salary to her but i lost all the money because i don't even see her at all.

Well i don't want to talk much get back to me if you are ok with my terms and condition so that i can involve British Immigration before we proceed because i don't want to loose any money on anybody again so i have to involve my lawyer and British high commission and British Immigration here in London so that everything we be in their notice.Then i can give you the immigration E-mail address here and they we help you with all the document you need within short time so that when you go to British embassy in your country they can give you visa immediately.So if you agree with my condition just get back to me Asap.

Regards

This a reply to a job application done through workpermit.com. Any advice is welcome.Thanks.

Welcome here mimosa.

Yes, this is definatly a scam. No real family will ever ask you to get in contact with a travel agency, a lawyer, or an immigration agency, who then say they can arrange a visa, work permit or other travel documents. They will ask you to pay the fees with western union or money gram. Never pay any money to someone you have met on the internet via western union or money gram. What was the name this scammer is using? Could you also post the first email he has send you, and the one with the email address for the fake immigration?

Hello,
Yes i need serious person who can work with my family am a very busy person that's why i need someone with my kids and my old mother.I will like to tell you more about my family.I work as an accountant and my husband is a big time business man.Due to the extremely busy nature of my job and my tight work schedule,i have little time to spend with my kids,so i need two reliable and GOD fearing applicant(NANNY/ CARE) who will take care of my kids and at the same time,do some up keeping of the house,because my husband and I are so busy and my husband always travel due to his business,my husband his trying to take care of his businesses around the world,so you will be in position to take absolute care of our Kids.

The job will require that you relocate to London if you are willing to pick up the offer.Your salary will be very attractive and also negotiable,it will be something around 1400 pounds monthly (just to encourage you to perform well),there is a comfortable accommodation and personal car available.If you are willing and ready to accept this job,please email me back so that i can contact British high commission immediately for the procedures of getting your travel documents and working permit.The post is needing an urgent applicant and we are seeking someone who can work with us for one year or more.I really need someone who's trust worthy and can take care of my kids very well.

Our kids love's playing games and the amusement park but most of all they love going for movies. We live in a friendly environments with lovely people..... You will just have to take them to movies occasionally and you will bath them when they are back from school.We want you not just taking care of our kids alone but as part of the family because it has to do with our children and we love them very well. We once had an aupair and she work with our family for two years and some month before she go back to her country to meet her family we miss her so much and our kids loved her so much.

DURATION
We will like you to choose the duration you will like to be spending with our family, you can stay as long as you like
WAGES
we will pay you GBP 1400 per Month and an extra GBP 100 per week.
DUTIES
your duties will be to take the kids to school and bring them back home, if you can drive then you will drive them to school and bring them back home,During School- you will take them to school around 7:45am and you will bring them back around 4pm, you will be free from 8am-4pm.During Holidays- You will take the kids to pre-school lessons, that will take lesser time and a maximum of 3 hours.
BENEFITS AND FREE PERIODS
You will be given chance to visit friends and family and you will also observe all public holidays, you will be free from 8am after you have taken the kids to school till 4pm.During that time you can fix your yourself a classes. You will also be free by weekend because i will be at home to take care of the kids, you can use your free periods for what ever you prefer.
ACCOMMODATION:
A room well furnished with modern and internet facilities has already been prepared for you.
FAMILY'S HOBBIES
Cole like playing football, Jane likes watching TV or reading novels, i like watching news, sports or discovery channels, my husband likes football or watching movies when his around or his free time
YOUR ARRIVAL
We will be picking you up at the airport when you come over.I would appreciate if you can come over in earnest, as I need someone urgently.Also communicate to me anywhere i may be of help to you.
Kindly reply ASAP.

Regard

Fixed quote tags - Michael

I am waiting for an email with the fake immigration officers email address I will post it as soon as i get it.
this is the email address of the employer who send the mail. orlando Alarcon <[email protected]

orlando Alarcon <[email protected]

Scammers come up with weird names sometimes.

Hello,

This is their e-mail address is <[email protected]>This email address is being protected from spam bots.When you contact them just tell them you are coming to work in UK with Mr/Mrs Orlando Alarcon so that they can attend to you very well and they we help you get everything you we need to get visa and work permit.Just let me know how it goes after you contact them Good day.

As requested the email with the immigration address. London.com? I'm sure a government ofice would have a departmental address!!!!!

I don't think their au pair needs to attend classes as much as the

accountant and my husband [who] is a big time business man

This is very poor English and nothing like you'd expect from an accountant.

Like many scam offers, it's full of detail that doesn't make sense

.....you will take them to school around 7:45am and you will bring them back around 4pm, you will be free from 8am-4pm.During Holidays- You will take the kids to pre-school lessons

The suggestion is that there are lessons before 7.45 am ? That wouldn't happen even if the children were at a boarding school, but then they wouldn't need an au pair anyway.

I sent a mail to the bogus immigration official just to see what kind of BS came back. To start with I was very upset that this was all a scam, now it's just funny.
"[email protected]"

DEAR APPLICANT
OUR OFFICE HAS RECEIVED YOUR Mail :
BRITISH IMMIGRATION OFFICE:

British Immigration wishes to thank you for contacting us regarding the arrangement of your Traveling Documents to the U.K. We promise to Offer you the best.You will be needing a UK NON-SETTLEMENT(WORKING)Visa and work permit to be able to work in the United Kingdom, we assure you of getting one under 12 working days once you comply with our instruction.. To proceed you we need to fill the form attach to this mail and get back to us with the details below in order to hasten your job opportunity here in the UK.
Here are the details needed from you:

*SCANNED COPY OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT
*SCANNED PASSPORT PHOTOGRAPH.
Also Kindly answer the questions below and get back to us ASAP:
1-HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO THE UK BEFORE?
2-IF YES,HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DEPORTED FROM THE UK BY THE UK GOVERNMENT?
3-HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CAUGHT FOR A CRIMINAL OFFENSE/ACT?
4- MARITAL STATUS?
5- OCCUPATION?
6- NATIONALITY?
7-CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER
8-AGE (DATE OF BIRTH)


All Documents will be processed and arranged here in our Office after which it would be forwarded to the British High Commission in your country excluding your Flight Ticket. Also,some Copies of this Document(s) will also be sent to you.
We will begin in earnest once we receive all necessary Details.

Regards

Hi mimosa20,

Thank you for posting the email address and the email from the bogus immigration official - this will be very helpful to other au pairs who receive correspondence from this scammer.

Now that you know it is a scam, however, please stop all communication with the scammer. He is a criminal who has some of your personal details. If you just stop writing back to him, he will assume that you lost interest in the (fake) au pair position - or that you realised it was a scam; and he will soon forget all about you.

What you don't want, though, is for him to find out that you were only continuing to write to him to gather information to post here!

Whenever you are asked for any scanned document - you know you are dealing with a scammer.

I cannot renew or obtain a passport using any scanned document and the British Embassy in your own country will want to see your original douments.

Scanned copies of documents cannot be used to obtain a work permit or visa in any part of the world. Anyone saying thay can, is lying.

It's good that you aren't upset by it but many people spend or borrow large sums of money hoping they can achieve their dreams and it can wreck their lives. We can't help people get jobs or become au pairs but we judo our best to stop people having their money stolen and hopes dashed.

Stealing from people who can't afford to lose the money is much more than just a crime.

Hello everyone.

I have just gotten the following:

"From: Nova Telecoms Limited
Cooperate Address
41 Davies Street London MIK 5DA
United Kingdom.

Dear Aupair.

We are a Canadian family living in UK We read your profile at aupair-options.com and we found you as the ideal aupair for our child. We currently have an energetic child who is 5 years old, we looking for a Au Pair or Nanny from Any Country that can speak English and is willing to stay with us for a minimum of 6month(s)

About Our Family

We are a professional couple, living in a big UK city. My Child is fairly easy going and relaxed, he would enjoy someone with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Having English as a first language is not required and in fact, we would entertain the nanny speaking to him in her own mother-tongue.

We only seek a Aupair for basic child care and light housework. If you accept take a position with us, you would be paid GBP2200 with a weekly pocket money of GBP300. I guess you'd say this is much, but our company pays us well and I love my only child so much. Hence we are doing anything that would motivate the intending Nanny to put in her best in taking care of our child.

Should you accept the offer, we are willing to undertake the full cost of your traveling down here in UK. We would recommend a reputable travel agency immediately here in UK that would process your travel documents.

We want you as a part of our family and would do anything to ensure that your stay is a memorable one.

Please communicate your interest to me through my direct mobile line +447024099675 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +447024099675      end_of_the_skype_highlighting so that we can discuss your travel arrangements and also we want to you to send us your full CV and a current pictures of yours so that we can evaluate you more.

We sincerely look forward to hearing from you.

Best Wishes

Mr and Mrs Dr Walter Irvan
Vice President Management
Nova Telecoms Ltd
Tel: +447024099675 "

The next scam that I would like to share is the following.

The first letter is from john scort ([email protected]):

"Good Day ,
I hope this letter of mine meets you in your best mood so as to read with much enthusiasm.My name is Mr John Scott,I am a Business man and Manager of a Fabrics company on an island in Austin by profession,Located in Austin,Texas.According to my Profession,I am well known around the corner of Austin city. I am a father Of two kids I am Looking For An Au pair / Nanny at this moment To Look After My kids while I am always off to my business and my wife is always away from home to Georgia and the children are away at home in Austin, Texas ( U.S.A).I pay my nanny a reasonable and valuable offer other criteria will follow if you are interested, i will appreciate a prompt reply On my email: [email protected] is my contact address and fax # below! Address:815 Brazos St. Suite 1100. Austin, TX 78701-2509. Fax #:(+1 206-666-5685) Regards"

the 2 letter that came from him was:

" Dear ,
It pleases me to have received your email
which you have made me to understand that you would want to work for
me as my next nanny and at the same time being part of my family, as you
may not know I have lovely children who I would do anything for and
this children mean so much to me and my husband that is why we have find
out time to look for someone that is capable enough that we can
entrust them to while we are away from home, as you can see I am a
busy man and my wife who most of the time moves away from texas to
Georgia for an official Assignment leaving just I and the Children
that is when am around in texas.
Furthermore,we shall be waiting to get your resume, which I shall also
forward to an agency which we have employed there services with
regards all legal documents that shall put our employer in a state of
being able to live and work here in florida U.S.A,it's a traveling
agency and they work in collaboration with the United Kingdom And
U.S.A Nanny Association here in U.K AND U.S.A ,
What you have to do now is to contact the travel agent below in U.k
Branch so that they can make the arrangement for your coming over via
this information below:
Names:Colline Steven
Steve Traveling and Tour Agency
E-mail address : [email protected]
There is nothing to worry about all you have to do is contact the
traveling agent and make
inquiries for your visa and things needed by you that will make you
eligible to work here perfectly without disturbance. make inquiries about the tickets and
other documents needed for your coming over from your country to the
U.S.A and get back to me via email and before applying for the visa,
the documents that will be prepared by the Agent are
needed at the U.K Home Office Branch.The documents have to be done by
the Agent first and for this you have to make things faster so that
your coming can be faster, but please I still need to have your
resume, before this
The duties I'm looking for are as follows:
1. Supervise breakfast with the children in the morning and get them
off to school
(Collect my 2KIDS of ages 3yrs & 6yrs old from school at 3.40pm.)
2. Some Housework/washing/ironing as required on a daily basis
3. Supervise homework, music practice and fun activities or take
children to after school
activities.
4. Prepare and cook an evening meal for everyone at about 6.30-6.45 Up
to two evening child minding per week.
5. Weekends and Bank holidays would be free that there will not be
many duties to carry out.
6. Occasional weekend work would be offered by prior negotiation.
I am offering a live in position with full board (we eat well in this house!)
1. Separate Toilet and Bathroom.
2. TV, different type of video machines.
3. Personal computer already Internet on.
E.t.c for you and I will make sure everything goes on well with you
with my kids.
If you don't mind I can arrange for your any language school and
driving school if you wish.
The resumption date to be part of my family is of essence, if you
still wish to be part of
my family. My offer for you for a week is $700 like I said earlier on
and I will provide
your accommodation e.t.c.I want to let you know that i have gone through
all your moral statement and i believe you are good,obedient and well
trained person.
Bye and Remain Blessed.It would be a great pleasure of mine to welcome you to my family,i shall await for your prompt response.

Thanks
Mr John Scott"

To tell the truth now when I'm publishing these letters I can see that they are the real scam. And the most funny thing is the name of that guy. In the first letter it was john scoRt and in the 2 letter is was john scoTt.

Yes Allegoriya, they are both scams and, even for a native English speaker it would be hard to notice that the grammar and style is very typical of a West African scammer.

When you see a phone number 4470 or 44 (0)70 you know you're dealing with a scammer who is trying to hide his real location as it's a phone number that is re-directed to another number, usually one in another country. Scammers use these a lot.

The second mail is a very poor example. Having an American refer to 'Bank Holidays' is quite a revealing error as Americans call them 'Public or Federal Holidays'. It's a British term that is likely to be used in ex-British colonies, but not in the USA that doesn't think of itself as an ex-colony.

As he appears to believe that the UK Home Office can arrange a US visa, perhaps the scammer isn't aware that the USA is no longer a British colony.

It appears that the script he is using is set up to deal with nannies/au pairs travelling to the UK and he is struggling to adapt it for someone going to the USA. It highlights that the scammers often don't understand what they're doing and if you ask questions, it will often expose their ignorance.

Dear GomerPyle

Thank you for your answer! And you know, it was a funny thing about Bank Holidays!! .

Regards

Allegoriya

They say that English speaking nations 'are separated by a common language' which is an amusing way to say that we all speak English but in slightly different ways, and it's very difficult to conceal your real origin and a lot about yourself in the way you write English.

It's one reason why scammers have more success with people who aren't native English speakers or who are elderly. Scammers always have to say that they are rich and educated to attract victims and, as they are usually neither, the style of writing English exposes that they are lying.

Nigeria is still influenced a lot by British culture and institutions but they lean towards American spelling and culture more nowadays, so that their writing is often uniquely a mix of both cultures. The mix of antiquated English writing style, poor spelling, no punctuation and American references is quite amusing and unique.