Have you ever been scammed in one way or another? The unfortunate reality about scams is that a lot of people have been caught by them at some point in time. The scammers are so subtle that they use issues and concerns that really affect people generally to attract even the most sensible individual. I have received countless emails telling me of how much money I have won in lotteries I have never entered (in fact, I don’t even gamble), claiming that I won some ridiculous amount like 10 million dollars or 2 million pounds. Then there are those emails that come to you in the name of “Our Lord And Saviour” requesting donations for charities that don’t even exist. Then also there are those emails that present a business proposal to you whereby you are promised a percentage of money you transfer to the proposers in exchange for collecting and sending money to them that they are unable to collect themselves.
Here is a classic example of an email I have recieved numerous times (this has been cut and paste straight out of my inbox and has not been edited in any way – italics is used to show the email):
From: “Curtis Bailey”
Subject: Job Opportunity Please Reply ASAP
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 18:17:46 +0100
Hi,
Good tidings to you as you read. I am Mr Curtis Bailey and I own a company based on Chinese and African textile and fabric material in UK, I am in search for a trustworthy representative in USA, UK that can help as a link between me and my clients over there. I would like to know if you are interested in working from home for us. Urgently I need a representative in the States, that will work on-line from home and get paid weekly without leaving or affecting your present job. My Company produces various clothing materials, batiks, assorted fabrics and traditional costumes.
We have clients we supply weekly in the US, Canada, UK, and some other parts of europe, and my clients make payments for our supplies every week in form of money orders or cashiers check which are not readily cashable outside the US, UK or Canada.
You are to receive payments from my patronizing customers in the UK on my behalf. We are searching for representatives who can help us establish a medium of getting to our customers in America/Canada as well as making payments through you as our payment officer. It is upon this note that we seek your assistance to stand as our representative in your country. Note that, as our representative, you will receive 10% of whatever amount you clear for the company and the balance will be paid into our account in which we will avail to you. Please, to facilitate the conclusion of this transaction if accepted, do send promptly by email the following:
1. Your Full Names:
2. Your Address:
3. State/Zip Code:
4. Your Age:
5. Occupation:
6. Marital Status:
7. Direct Contact Telephone Number.
Thank you, and I hope to hear from you soonest.
Best regards,
Curtis Bailey.
+447031941168
United Kingdom.
All people like these want is your personal information so that they can use it to do some dirty business. As you can see the email is not even professionally done. First off, I would think that a business person who is looking to go into partnership with someone would at least know the individuals name. Then there are grammatical and typo errors that, were it a legit proposal, would have been eliminated after proof reading to ensure quality of structure and presentation. In addition, there is not even a mention of the name of the company that the person claims to own, so at least I could go do some research on it for myself. Anyway, the email means nothing. After you send off your info you will never hear from them again. Look for scams like this one and avoid them at all costs.
