I Think i have been scammed please tell me if im right

Hi there,

This is the email i received and following that also the agency i can use.Hello Au Pair/Nanny,

I hope my mail meets you in a good state of health... I am Mr Evan Hanson, 41 years old from United Kingdom. . here is my contact address is 54 Brookdene Road Plumstead, London SE18 1EJ, United Kingdom. and my phone number is +447031918392 +447031918392 , i have 5 year old twins, Audrey & Trey. I am in search of aupair/nanny because i hardly have the time for my lovely Kids and right now my wife is no longer alive

Au pair/Nanny duties will be taking the kids to school and bringing them back home, play with them, go to Amusement Park, Cinema Hall, prepare/fix their meals and snacks. You will have your Private Room which would consist Air-Conditional, Television, Internet Access and a Telephone to always keep you in touch with your friends, families and probably relatives, a Bathroom and Toilet. You will have Saturdays and Sundays as your off days, so to enable you have enough time for yourself otherwise, you will be paid extraly for extra services. As for your salary, I will be willing to pay you 1,300 Pounds every 4 weeks and a pocket fee of 400 Pounds weekly which I suppose should be enough for your primary needs and as regard to my family pictures, as for me and my kids photograph i will have to scan and them get send to you.


Hope to hear from you soon.

Best regards,
Mr Evan Hanson.
Email: [email protected]

Also after responding this was the email i received

Hello (my name),

I really appreciate your urgent responds and glad you are willing and ready to be part of my family. I really need you to come over here to assist me take proper care of my twins, so I would appreciate you come over here if possible before 3 weeks time, but let me ask a question. Do you have visa and work permit...? If you don't have visa and work permit, I would recommend you to a travel agency help you for the UK Visa and Work Permit, here is their email address ([email protected]). let them know that i am the one who refer you to them I assure that I will assist you with 20% of what so ever amount needed for the processing of your Visa and Work Permit just to justify how urgent I need your services here as well as how serious I am about your coming down to work for my family as an Au Pair, so for now, do consider the job yours.

Yes i had an Au pair before, find the attached photograph of my children below and me

As for how long you can work for my family, well I think that completely depends on how long you would like to work here with me but left to me, I do not intend to see you off in the next 1-2 years because I really would need your services. I will be very grateful if you respond better to me. You have nothing to worry about you will be treated like one of the family and your off days are Saturdays and Sundays

Warmest regards from,
Mr Evan Hanson.

And this is the responding email from the agency after contacting them:

TOL – which is short for "Air Travel Organisers' Licensing" – exists to protect the public from losing money or being stranded abroad because of the failure of air travel firms. It was first introduced in 1972 and it gives comprehensive consumer protection to 28 million people in the UK who buy flights or air holidays each year.

We are committed to give you a wealth of travel resources to help you research and plan your trips. We would like you to consider us as your o n-line travel centre! Besides providing flights at competitive prices, we also have a selection of other activities including last minute deals, Visa and Cargo Services.

Dear (my name),

Eastern Travels Management wishes to thank you for contacting us regarding the Arrangement of your Traveling Documents to the UK and we promise to Offer you the best which you will be Glad you did. Your information is acknowledge and recorded,we are here to serve you, 24 hours daily and 7 days weekly.We render an exceptionally comprehensive service to suit you, and your interest is our priority..

To have your complete documents including your UK work permit and Tax-clearance and all other requirement for your travel to the United-Kingdom,it would cost £850.00 to process your Visa and documents here in the UK British consulate.We shall have it processed and send it to you via Courier service to your home contact address when we receive your Visa and all other related backing documents.


We need some more details from you to proceed with the Working permit and the Tax clearance,Here are the details needed :

- Full Name

-Mailing Address

-Phone Number

-Nationality

-Date of Birth

-Passport Photo page

Type of visacharge Validity Term of issue Consular fee
Single entry 12 month 3 days £ 850.00

Single entry 14 months 5 days £ 1250.00

Single entry 18 months 7 days £ 1550.00

All necessary document will be arrange here in our Office after which will be forward to the British High Commission (BHC) along with your Flight Ticket and also some Copies of this Documents will also be send to you also. All document will be send 7 working days after we received all the information from you .
You can make payment to us by western union money transfer.

Please advice us immediately to avoid any delay in permitting/processing your Visa & ticket for your traveling , Contact us for more enquiries and payment information .Once we have confirmed receipt of your payment we will proceed with your application and will send to you, your Travel documents.


Eastern Group Travel Serve You Better...


Eastern Groups Travels

Home || Career || Special Offer || Privacy Policy || Contact Us
© Copyright 2007 The Eastern Group All Rights Reserved.
Eastern Travel is a sister concern of Eastern Group
15 Bethnal Green Road London, E2 7DG . UNITED KINGDOM

Welcome to Scamwarners.
You are right. There is no doubt that it is a scam, and a very common one lately.
There is an overview of this particular type at viewtopic.php?f=34&t=3019 and several examples underneath. The similarities are obvious.
I hope you haven't sent any money but it doesn't sound as if you have.
The visa charges are far too high, and in any case visas are applied for personally by the applicant in their own country, not by a UK travel agent. And while the email address - [email protected] looks impressive, is a free one from mail.com, and I've yet to see a genuine business use one..

Hi there,

OMG! Yes i have paid and only after they asked for insurance money that the BHC wants ,which is apparently refundable that i noticed something is fishy...
Do you have any idea on how i can get my money back or what to do from here?? Im probably the biggest idiot out there to have fallen for this.

I'm really sorry to hear that. But once a scammer has picked the money up from Western Union, you have no chance of getting it back, I'm afraid.
You could go back to the WU agent, and ask if it has been collected. If not, you can retrieve it. If you paid only recently, you might be lucky, but I'm not optimistic. Worth trying though.

As Arnold said, you are not going to get your money back--beware of people who tell you they can get it back for you, as "recovery scams"are very common too and are just a way to get even more money out of you.

There is no reason you should feel like an idiot. Unfortunately, many people have been taken by this particular scam--the scammers wouldn't be running this kind of scam if it wasn't successful. You were someone who was searching for a legitimate job, and you (like many other people) are not totally familiar with processes for international travel. In addition, it is human nature to trust--and when you are looking for a job and someone is offering you what appears to be a legitimate job, it is easy to overlook the inconsistencies simply because you are glad to be finding a position.

Hi Cheeky. Welcome to Scamwarners. Sorry to hear that you were a victim of this scam. You should not feel like an idiot, a lot of really smart people have become victims of these criminals. We are getting quite a collection of au pair scam reports there days. Most of them are posted in this thread: viewforum.php?f=34

You should also report the scam to your local police. If you gave the scammers any of your banking information, then please call your bank as well. Sometimes victims of scams also become victims of identity theft. Here is a link to the FTC website on identity theft: which offers some good suggestions on how to protect your identity: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

Clair

Hi guys

Thank you so much, i just wish that no one else will fall for something so mean and shameless especially when you had to take your last savings for something so evil as scamming innocent people. I just have this sick nausea feeling right now.

But thanks guys, i certainly learned a big lesson. And will definitely take the advise on the id theft.

[AlanJones]

Hi Cheekyv28

As the others say, there is nothing you can do to get your money back, as it will have been collected by the scammer (probably from a Western Union office in an African country).

I assume that you were registered on a web site such as GreatAupairs.com. It is a sad fact that that site seems to be overrun with scammers. I have a listing there as an au pair and have received scores of emails from scammers and not one from a real host family.

Hi, Cheekyv,

The advice you've been given here is all excellent, so all I can add is this:

You have done a service by posting the details of your scammer here. You might consider telling others about your experience and what you have learned from it - especially if you know anyone else who is looking for work as an au pair or nanny.

You are most certainly not an idiot. The reason these au pair scams are so popular with the scammers is because many people fall for them. Young people who have never traveled abroad are unaware of the processes necessary for visas, tickets, etc., and they are also unlikely to realize that the salary being offered is ridiculously high for a live-in position. They just want to be useful and productive and to have a part in educating and caring for young children. And these scammers prey on that desire. As far as I'm concerned, they are the idiots.

Please do visit the forum on au pair scams. I believe someone has suggested going through an agency rather than trying to get a job online. The agency will ensure the family is genuine. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if most genuine families used agencies to ensure that the au pair they get is qualified and to be trusted with their children.

Good luck with finding the perfect position.

Hi - thanks for posting this. I have just received the EXACT same mail. Luckily for me, Google is my friend and I googled the address...and * voila * your post came up. Thank you!

What I want to do is e-mail the aupair sites i've registered with and ask them how on earth my mailing address was leaked?!!!!! it doesn't even show on the website - all replies are usually generated from within the website.

AARGH I'm so angry. Darn it. The Hunt Continues.

Hi Peanut

Welcome to Scamwarners

I am glad you have realised it was a scam before losing any money, well done.

As to how your email address was leaked, well, that's anybodies guess.

Please be careful, now that your email address has been put into the hands of scammers you are likely to be targeted by a whole range of different scams.

Remember the 2 golden rules;
Dont send money to anybody you dont personally know
If it sounds too good to be true, it is more than likely not

I do like yours as well, google is your friend

I had the same mail in my hotmail. I asume they got my contact details from aupair.com.
Im so happy you posted this !!!! now im safe.... such a shame for the one who gave money
Well i just think is not fair and i hope this posted comments can be usefull for future naive girls

Hi Lolly

Welcome to Scamwarners.

I am very happy you were able to find this without losing any money

If you have any information that is not posted already please add it.

Also, please dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions

I recieved the same email from this guy, only he has changed his name and the twins name

This is the first email i recieved

Hello Au pair/Nanny

I assumed my mail meets you in a good state of health. Am Mr Allen Travis from
U.k with 6yrs old twins boy and a girl, We're looking for someone to become part
of our family while they are with us. If you are interested and available,please
reply back. Below is my contact email address ( [email protected] ).

So I'll give you details e.g. (More about our family, Job Description, Au pair
Accommodation and Other necessary arrangements.)

Thanks!
Mr Allen Travis.

And then i replied and he sent me another email

Hello (My name),

I'm glad you are willing and ready to be part of my family. I really need you to come over here to assist me take proper care of my twins, I hardly have the time for my lovely Kids named Brady and Madeline and right now my wife is no longer alive. We're Christian family.

Do you have visa and work permit...? If you don't have visa and work permit, I would recommend you to a travel agency who will help you for the U.k Visa and Work Permit, here is their email address ([email protected]). let them know that i am the one who refer you to them I assure that I will assist you with some amount of what so ever amount needed for the processing of your Visa and Work Permit just to justify how urgent I need your services here as well as how serious I am about your coming down to work for my family as an Au Pair, so for now, do consider the job yours.


As for your salary, I will be willing to pay you £1,200 every 4 weeks and a pocket fee of £300 weekly which I suppose should be enough for your primary needs.

Au pair Accommodation

Your own bedroom
Shared use of two bathrooms
Internet access
Use of family car if you can drive
Pay as u go mobile phone

Job Description

School time : 5 hours per day Monday to Friday

Monday to Friday 7am to 9am and 3pm to 6pm
Help get the twins dressed.
Breakfast
Drive or take the kids to school (30 minutes away).

Collect kids from school at 3pm and bring them home.
Prepare an evening meal for the kids.
Give twins their bath and get them ready for bed

School holidays : Working hours 7am to 5pm

Taking kids to the zoo, aquarium, soft play, park, and library, playing at home.

Weekends will always be your free time.
To spend with your friends, or to spend with us.


And as for how long you can work for my family, well I think that
completely depends on how long you would like to work here with me but
left to me, I do not intend to see you off in the next 1-2 years because
I really would need your services. I will be very grateful if you
respond better to me. You have nothing to worry about you will be
treated like one of the family.

Warmest Regards,
Mr Allen Travis.

I have recieved the email tday, luckily i goofled the email address he told me to contact as i dont trust these "families" that need aupairs. I have contacted an aupair agency as i wish to go through one as it is safer. Im adding this comment because i know this guy wont stop with me. hes offering a rediculous amount of money for an aupair that does hardly any work and he cant pronounce sentences properly.

Please be careful girls. i was lucky that i googled the email address beofre i emailed them or i would have been scammed too.