HELP! Scammer threatening legal action

Hi, about four weeks ago I received an email concerning a local recruiting position via Craigslist. The message is as follows:

This email is confirmation you were accepted for this position, we are from Frank Tancredi Inc. Information is required in order to start this job. It is for position you applied for, part time Local US Recruiter agent

What position entails: You need to post various employment classified ads in US newspapers and magazines for our company based in Canada. This work does not require any funds out-of-pocket from you. We will provide the funds to post in newspapers. Once you have received the funds and the ad content necessary for the postings from us, all you have to do is place the ads from home by calling newspapers’ toll free numbers or by using their online services.
Prices for US newspaper ads are almost double for foreign citizens/companies, this is the main reason we need your services in the US for the specified position, PT Local Recruiter. You will spend max. 3-6 hours weekly, in your spare time. You do NOT need special skills or degrees. The position is very easy and can be done by anyone without the necessity to leave current job! It’s as easy as placing an ad in a newspaper.

There will be 6-8 ads placed weekly, for each ad you post you are paid with $100, you will deduct your share from money we send you to post the ads. For example, if we need to place an ad that costs $500 we will send you $600, you pay $500 to newspaper or website that places the ad and you remain same day with $100 commission. This is possible because for a foreign company the same ad costs around $900-$1100.
We will select papers from the US where the classified ads will be placed and send you the funds to post. You need to place the ads in max. 48 hours after you receive the money from us! This is the only condition we ask. How you are paid for your services: As specified above, there will be 6-9 ads placed weekly. For each ad you post, you are paid $100. You will deduct your share from money we send you to post the ads. You will be registered as our employee and we'll pay taxes every time you will place an ad. You will then receive a 1099 form at the end of each year from our company.


One certified check of $1,375 will be released in the morning if you send today the information below. Simply clear the check same day when you receive it at your bank, and follow simple instructions. It is very important to post the ads exactly like we will send it to you, all words.
After the ads are posted you still have 24 hours and you can modify the content, no problems if you make a mistake first time, simply forward us the confirmation emails that publications will send and we will correct if needed.

Same day you receive this first payment you will place 2 employment ads in The Plain Dealer and Star Tribune newspapers. You will call free 1-800 numbers to do this task.
You will receive instructions and complete "how to" specifications, also the text that will appear in the ads, it will take like 5 minutes to do it. Simply let us know when you will receive the cashier's check next week. Your commission is $200 from this order. You must place the order in max. 48 hours after you receive the money.

Please confirm your full name and address:

Complete Name:
Street Address:
City, State, Zip:
Primary email:
Secondary email:
Phone number:

Few Requirements:
Do not cash certified checks at check cashing stores, they have huge fees and we don't support them.
Do not abandon your email addresses we have on file from you! Check your email every evening, check also BULK/SPAM folders, our updates may go there sometimes.
Do not play with our time and our money, do not apply if you are not able to perform the simple tasks!

You will receive clear instructions for every task. We may have from time to time orders from various US staffing companies to post ads in Canada newspapers.

Thank you

Unfortunately I didn't do my research and replied with my info confirmation. I received a check two weeks ago with a message telling me to email the attached address for instructions on my "task". I should've stopped then, but I emailed them and asked for instructions; FINALLY I realized it was a scam after receiving their reply:

Complete first task: First you must cash the $2455 certified check at your bank, same day you receive it.
Then, deduct your commission $300 and send $2,055 to company we specified, the remaining $100 is the cost of purchasing the money orders and UPS express shipping fee.

You will send the amount in form of International USPS money orders, it is very simple and fast.
Go to any USPS offices in your town, purchase three International (pink in colour) USPS money orders for the value of $2,055 (you must buy three because they sell them with lower or equal value than $700, depends on location)

Make the money orders payable to:

Name: SPADONE FRANCO

Address: 10- 8707 Dufferin St. Suite #398

City, State, Zip: Vaughan ON L4J0A6

CANADA


This also is the shipping address. Check several times the name of receiver to be correct.
Specify NOT to require delivery signature and if they ask for phone number simply write yours, in case they ask. Do not specify value because customs may be huge, write documents at value.

Send envelope using an Overnight or Next Day Delivery mailing service like UPS Worldwide Express or UPS Worldwide Express Plus or in last instance, UPS Worldwide Saver (slower) with tracking number. It costs between $40 and $82.
Please include with the money orders also the receipts where you purchased them from.

After is done, send us an email with estimated day of delivery, service used and exact tracking number. Please notice that you need to buy money orders from United States Postal Service but for shipping you will use UPS because is faster and they guarantee next day delivery.
If UPS is not possible try from USPS the following service: Global Express Guaranteed

Thank you

I didn't go through with it, and today I received a threatening email from them:

We are now forced to take LEGAL MEASURES if you do not complete your task TODAY. Local police in your area will be alerted and our lawyers will contact you within one week from today.

What's the status of the received check?

You supposed to send the money for the ads until now to the company we specified, why is this delay?
We lose clients if you delay this easy task so long, make the transfer today and send us the info. If you do not have the transfer method yet just request it and end this first task.

Get back ASAP with update !!

I replied by telling them I wanted no further involvement with them--they replied with this:

Is not about YOU want, you don’t get it, you cannot quit now. This is not some kind of game, the job is real, the company is real and the money is real. We even specified when we hired you that a check left for first task to your name and address. You knew what this job involves, don’t play stupid games, we are not kids, if you play, you will pay!!!

Our lawyers will contact you soon if you don't remember ASAP what job you applied this week and what terms you accepted, you have 24 hours to process the payment like we agreed when will be delivered. Don't EVER think that long distance will protect you. We work closely with important law firms in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago and they will assist us every time we have a problem in United States.

We expect that our job to be respected, if you still don't want to work for our company process the payments that are on the way right now and after that you are free. Otherwise we lose money, you are called in court and YOU pay for our loss. Tomorrow our lawyers will be alerted. This simple job that you refuse to finish will make you pay thousands in court, don’t worry, we had another case few months ago and we won.

Should I be scared?
Help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks!

No, you should not be afraid.

As you appear to have realized, this is not a legitimate job. In fact, you can see the same offer under another fake company name here:

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=17572&p=51533

So the scammers have sent you a fraudulent check, wanting you to illegally cash it and convert it to money for them. What exactly are their (nonexistent) attorneys going to do? Go to the police, and ask them to arrest you because you wouldn't help them to commit a crime? Even if you cashed the check, they couldn't go after you without being arrested right along with you.

Of course you can just ignore them, but if they are making you really nervous, take the check and the correspondence to the police, and file a report on the attempted fraud. Then if they try again, simply tell them that you did so, and if they want the check back, they can feel free to contact the police to claim it.

Hi rc1. As Dotti stated, there is no reason to worry.
Your very rude scammer is simply sitting back havin' a good laugh. You need to stand up and ignore the intimidating practice.
A fraudulant person is going to set the lawyers on to you! There is no end to their silly antics is there?
Keep the emails from the scammer and show them to the police too, should you wish to show them the fraudulant cheque at the same time. Once the scam artist realises you are on the front foot, and not just a source of revenue they will leave you alone.

I did look at the other scam post and my view is a little clearer now. The actual so called job seems innocent enough - just pay in a cheque and place some expensive adverts, and keep the balance. Not sending off anything to a 3rd party. You are in control here it seems and that isn't the actual scam. The task you are asked to do is different and you have been diverted away. Paying in the cheque and drawing money and sending money orders to someone wasn't the actual job you expected. One was a desk job and the other involves going off to offices and using your own money to buy postal orders. The advert thing is fake and even if you placed a few the real scam will emerge after. The adverts will never be answered or answers ignored, while some that do are set up for a scam (but we don't have details of the advert being placed). The scammer really has your own word that any advert was placed at all and isn't going to find out if it was. He isn't interested in that part. Scammer hasn't got money out of it- YET.
The scam now changes and you are paying in a cheque, keeping part of the money, and sending the rest off -except once again it's your own money eventually. Now the scammer can collect money off you. It's a very usual fraud. He has to work this quite fast and perhaps have only a few days before the first cheque fails to clear. A few days is all he needs to get it. Maybe $2000 and move on fast. You have 3 useless adverts to pay for , and that $2000 to give back to the bank.
SET THE SCAM UP. PLAY ACT 1. DELIVER THE SCAM AND COLLECT.
Knowing the scam has probably busted he has one last attempt to make it work and threaten you to do it. It may work for some but he doesn't care. By now he has moved on to the fresh victim.

For the information of those reading this thread:

In this variant of the scam, no ads are being placed. The scammers simply made up the story to lure the victim into check fraud.

There IS a variant of job scam in which the scammers really do want you to place ads for them. In this variant, they want to use you to place fake job ads to recruit check mules, or fake ebay/craigslist ads (which will end in you holding the bag when someone pays for a nonexistent item and the ad traces back to you).

Ad prices are based on size/complexity/location in the publication, not by the location of the seller. There is no huge add-on for foreign companies (and if there was, you would still be representing a foreign company, and would still be subject to that charge), When the scammer wants you to place ads, it's usually for one of 2 reasons: 1) the publication or website screens IP's to make sure you are really in their area, and will ask too many questions if the IP doesn't check out; or 2) in case of eBay, if you have a positive record, they want to take advantage of it to seem more plausible.

Do not cash certified checks at check cashing stores, they have huge fees and we don't support them.

Or in other words, they are better at spotting fake checks than banks. They have to be, as unlike banks they can't just take the amount out of your account when it bounces.