John Allen Scam?

Hello Tyler,
Thank you for the prompt response with the payment details like i requested earlier in my first email.I will like to seize this opportunity to ask for a favor from you,due to an urgent trip regarding my daughter's health.Like i wrote you earlier that i was going to get back to you over the weekend but my flight as been rescheduled for today, because my presence is needed urgently in Texas.Will be gone for A week to take care of my family and make necessary arrangements on coming back with my wife and my daughter to my new apartment which on our arrival we will need you to commence your job been your first day at work,will keep you posted on specific time that's one week from tomorrow,I would to know if i can hand over my new apartment to you on trust and with the few honesty you have shown me because been a new apartment there are still a lot of thing missing in the apartment which have been bought already and is awaiting shipment at the moment from the shipping company.I want to know if you can be present on the day of delivery which i will keep you posted as soon as i receive the air way bill tracking from the shipping company regarding the day the mover will be arriving to the apartment.I will need you to be present to receive my car and my furniture before my arrival.i would tell the house agent to mail the keys of the apartment to you before the mover's arrival on that day.You would be making payment for delivery of my stuffs (cash) as i will be including the shipper's fee in the payment that I'll be sending to you due to the company's payment policy,(CASH PAYMENT ONLY ON DELIVERY) .My resumption to my duty is fast approaching,this is why i need everything done in a period of not more than 1week to be specific.You will be getting the shipper's fee(delivery cost) and your first week pay together like i assured you,to help put my mind as ease in other to be welcomed in a neat and clean new home with my family.All that is needed of you is to deduct your own money which will be $350usd(retainer-ship) and keep the remaining shipper's fee till they come to deliver my belongings to the apartment like i explained to you then you pay them cash.

My family and i would really appreciate it if you can do this for us like you would have done it as your own family because we are now one big family together since you will be working for us and i personally promise to compensate you adequately for your time and effort on our arrival.And also your family too is most welcome to work with you whenever you want them too,my home is your home and i want you to feel free while working with us because i know how positive that will help you in embracing your job with happiness in your heart.As for the materials,Some of the most important things that you will be needing as short listed below has already been purchased and locked in one of the rooms in the apartment all brand new(smiles).I believe with the materials listed below you won't be needing any other materials for this job.

Microfiber cloths,Toilet brush,Scrub brush,Spray bottle,Rubber gloves,Rubber Glove Protector,Old toothbrush,Dry-cleaning sponge,Squeegee,Broom,Sponge mop,Disinfecting wipes,Mild abrasive,Dust mop,Extendable duster,White vinegar,Dish washing liquid,Vacuum,All-purpose cleaner,Baking soda Supply caddy...And as for the working hours (4hours daily from Monday to Friday or if you so wish to include your weekends and shift some of the days)..If you are fast in doing your job you might end of cleaning the whole apartment in less than 2hours but i intentionally post 4hours so you wont ask for more hours while you take your time in doing your job but if by chance you finish all that is requested in few hours you are free to engage in other duties base on your interest.Regardless of the distance from my apartment to your home.You are to evaluate your total cost of transportation from your destination to our new resident and provide me with the total cost on my arrival if there will be need to make amends on your wage it will take effect with no delays upon my arrival from what we are offering now.

Here is our home address below and hope is not that far from where you stay

Full Name: John Allen
Home Address:15 Still Moon Crescent


And my Direct line is :(214) 519-9561.If you can't reach me please leave me a message because am a very busy man and might not be available to pick up but will get back to you as soon as i receive your message.


Regards,

JOHN

please acknowledge these mail




( Please tell me if you guys think this is a scam, recognize the number, or have dealt with something like this.. thanks )

That's a typical overpayment scam. You will be sent a fraudulent cheque for your wage and asked to pay the "shipper" via cash transfer such as Western Union with the excess amount.

The funds from the cheque might look like they have cleared but because it is fake / stolen, the bank will realise eventually and claw back their money. You will have lost the money that you paid through cash transfer and also might be charged by the bank.

The bank are likely to call in the police and at the very least, you'll have a bad credit score and a rap on the knuckles. At worst, you could be charged with fraud and possibly imprisoned.

Please let us know the email address the scammer used.

Thank you, and the email address he has been using is [email protected] he also calls my phone off a (443)-494-8517. And i dont even know how he got my cell phone number.. Is there some way we can find out who this guy is and report him to the BBB, or something?

Also he sent me the check, and is asking me to send it like you say. He claims that man below is the shipping agent.. i googled jerry mccloud. it says hes a 73 year old man who lives in colorado. Nothing makes sense..

Hello ,

It was nice talking to you on the phone, Deduct the $300 and send the rest of the funds to the shipping company via money gram into 2 different transactions.

Make the transfer of the funds to the name and address below :



Name : Jerry H McCloud

Address : 100 Main Street,
Fort Morgan, CO 80701
Usa.


After you must have sent the funds, email me with the transfer details, Will get back to you with further instructions regarding on how the keys to the apartment will be mailed to you and when you should be present to receive the furniture's and my car by Wednesday.

Reference number....
Sender's name and address....
Amount sent....
Question & Answer......

Please either destroy the cheque, take it to the police or take it to your bank, explaining how you received it. A hard copy of the emails would help to show that you are a victim in this crime.

Regarding catching this thief, unfortunately these scammers work anonymously, keeping out of the reach of the law. The grammar in the email you posted suggests that this person is based in West Africa.

You might be able to find his rough whereabouts if you post the "headers" from the email here but it will only satisfy your curiosity, rather than help to catch him.

Here's a guide on finding email headers: http://whatismyipaddress.com/find-headers
If you do post the headers, please ensure that you remove your name and email address from them.

Both phone numbers the scammer gave your are VoIP numbers. They are not real landline numbers. The scammer wants to fool you into thinking he is in the US. In reality he could by anywhere in the world (as Con Warner said, his writing style suggests he is in West Africa).

As for the person in Colorado, he is most likely a "money mule". He is also a victim of the scammer who has been tricked into laundering the scammer's money, and could face criminal charges if he is caught. His information will be passed along to our warning team.

Thank you both. And when he calls, i can hear people in the background, like they're all doing the same thing. Calling people up and making sure they cash the check. I took your advice conwarner and I traced his E-mail. and it says he's emailing from Sunnyvale, California. My first assumption was that he was an indian man, and the (443) of the phone number is India. I really hope there is some way to catch these people, especially because he now has my mailing address, and my current cell phone number. He calls me everyday, about 12 times in a row if i dont answer. The man harasses me, and I dont even know who he is, or how i can find out who he is. If you type in his email address to google. ([email protected]) he has other posts about jobs where im sure he's trying to scam people, another name posted with his, is john Scott. Both are clearly fake names..

Sunnyvale is yahoo's servers, so that isn't the scammer's location. It means either you grabbed the wrong IP from the headers, or he is using a protocol that strips the original IP so it doesn't show. The 443 is a US area code but it is a VOIP number which means that it is internet-based, and he can actually be calling from anywhere in the world.

Don't be surprised if he sends you threatening emails. These scammers also like to pretend to be FBI, CIA, or other agencies and send threatening emails that way. (In reality the FBI does not chase down people who fail to cash checks, and if they wre involved, they would be arresting him, not you. He is just hoping to scare you into cashing the check and sending him the money. Just ignore, block, and delete anything from him. He will stop when he realizes he is not going to succeed with you.

Below I have posted the FIRST email i ever received, after i replied to his post on craigslist. Thats how he was able to get my address, because i thought that it was a real opportunity. Although i should have known that when things sound to good to be true that is normally the case.


Hello Tyler,
How are you doing today? I hope all is going on fine over there with you and your family.I have gone through your email and am glad that you showed interest in taking up the position as a cleaner in our new apartment.I have this faith in you which i will not want you to let down and will want you to assure me that you will be of a good conduct and hardworking if you are finally given this Job because i feel you are the right person to take up this position without running any back ground check on you or what so ever.Am a man of faith and spiritual belief,i believe you are the right person to become a member of my family so i will give you a chance to prove yourself worthy and hope for the best in you.The job is yours if you will bind by the rules and regulations of the house which is hardworking,sincerity and at most honesty not so much to ask from you...And also we want to use this means to let you know that in our family their is always a tip for a hardworking person besides your weekly wage so you need to work towards impressing us to gain this love from us.Requirements are experience in cleaning and must be hardworking.

A little details about me,I'm Mr.John Allen,i have a beautiful wife Nancy Allen and a daughter,but both my wife and my daughter are both in Irving,my home.... I came to Syracuse in 2010 about 3years ago,i came to work on contract basis with United States Environmental Protection Agency on a private research work,now am relocating to the city because i was just transferred..I just got a new apartment there which i will love to live in with my wife and my little daughter.I heard that my little daughter is sick back home,So i intend going home to take good care of my daughter and then bring them along with me back to Syracuse,so i will be staying in my new apartment with my family(my wife and my daughter) when i get back For this reason i need someone who could help in cleaning our new apartment everyday or you may choose to work as a part time with us at your convince hours though the pay wont be the same as a regular worker.You will be working 5 hours everyday at your convenient time if you are to work full time with us and we will be offering you $350 Weekly,I hope 5 hours is enough in cleaning a 3 bedroom apartment with one master bedroom and two standard size rooms, with One Living room and a kitchen as well. I believe you are fit for this position in as much you will prove yourself to be a reliable and hard working person... I will tell the estate agent to mail the keys to the apartment to you so that you can be able to clean it before we arrive. I want to know if there's any equipment that you will need me to provide because am a man of policy and i love neatness all around the corners of my apartment, if there's any let me know how much it will cost in as much you can come with your own equipments or we can arrange on buying you new ones which i believe might be more advisable to maintain neatness. I will be going to Irving next weekend ,so i like to secure your service,i will like to pay the first two weeks before our arrival,will issue out payment to you of any expenses before i make my trip to the Irving.I hope you are okay with that.I will need you to give me the following information below:


Your full name:
Full Address
Phone number to enable me reach you:
Do you accept our offer?
2 References

I know you will be committed to the work,you will also have a nice period of working with us and you are welcome to our family.Hope to read from you soon with the mentioned details above.As soon as i receive the above details my contact phone number and other details you need to keep in touch with me will be made available to you and also the location of the new apartment.Looking forward in speaking with you on phone as soon as you provide me with the details for payment.

Thanks

John