I recently had knowledge of a new (to me) scam.
Someone in Cameroon, posing as a responsable person from a important construction company (in 1 case based in South Africa, the other in Egypt), placed job advertisements in several websites in Portugal (similar ones were found in other countries, always in their native languages), offering a wide range of jobs in Cameroon: secretaries, computer technicians, cooks, translaters, drivers, communications experts, construction workers, etc.
Their offer included excellent pay (between 100 to 1000/day!), housing, health insurance, etc.
The candidates had to send them copies of their passport and sign the contract (with headers similar with the real companies) they sent by e-mail.
What tiped me off was:
- very high salaries;
- wide range of professions;
- use of free webmail services (Yahoo/Hotmail);
- Phone and fax numbers were cameroon mobile phones;
- and the fact that, after the candidate is "accepted", he has to pay the first 2 months of lodging. Only after this will the "candidate" receive his plane ticket. A real company, in such situation, always provides for acomodation.
Obviously, the scam is to get the hundreds of Euros (or Dollars) from the victim, after they get his identification, copy of documents, adress, phone, etc.
(Administrators/Moderators: As this is my first Post here, be free to move it a more conveniente location. And forget any mistakes I might have written) :-)
Someone in Cameroon, posing as a responsable person from a important construction company (in 1 case based in South Africa, the other in Egypt), placed job advertisements in several websites in Portugal (similar ones were found in other countries, always in their native languages), offering a wide range of jobs in Cameroon: secretaries, computer technicians, cooks, translaters, drivers, communications experts, construction workers, etc.
Their offer included excellent pay (between 100 to 1000/day!), housing, health insurance, etc.
The candidates had to send them copies of their passport and sign the contract (with headers similar with the real companies) they sent by e-mail.
What tiped me off was:
- very high salaries;
- wide range of professions;
- use of free webmail services (Yahoo/Hotmail);
- Phone and fax numbers were cameroon mobile phones;
- and the fact that, after the candidate is "accepted", he has to pay the first 2 months of lodging. Only after this will the "candidate" receive his plane ticket. A real company, in such situation, always provides for acomodation.
Obviously, the scam is to get the hundreds of Euros (or Dollars) from the victim, after they get his identification, copy of documents, adress, phone, etc.
(Administrators/Moderators: As this is my first Post here, be free to move it a more conveniente location. And forget any mistakes I might have written) :-)