Original article on an employment / fake check fraud with video located here:
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/12- ... /70702118/
Internet fraudsters reply "LOL" to scam victim
The internet scam artists who deceived him were so brazen that when Anderson notified them by email that he had discovered their ruse, they simply replied, "LOL."
The result of the scam on he is hardly funny. He is now in debt to his bank by $6,390 in overdraft expenses for two phony cashier's checks he says he believed were legitimate. The bank, USAA, froze his accounts and gave him 41 days to pay back the money.
"We've had to rely on friends and family and a 'Go Fund Me' account set up for us just to buy basics like bread and milk," he said.
he fell victim to a more sophisticated version of what's commonly known as a "work-at-home" scheme. He was registered with a legitimate online employment agency that unknowingly connected him to a shell website operated by fraudsters. Using the name of an actual healthcare diagnostics company, the scam artists were able to convince Anderson over the course of three weeks that he was in the process of applying for a stay-at-home position with the reputable company, LabCore.
"I probably had 85 different text message conversations with the person posing as my boss. I took employment tests. I also had a telephone interview with her that lasted an hour and a half," Anderson said. "For a while there my wife and I were sort of celebrating that my fortunes had turned around."
LabCorp recently posted a warning on its website about scam artists using its name and image for fraudulent employment schemes. Anderson says once he was notified he had "been hired" for the position, the fictitious employers convinced him he needed to help complete a transaction with a third-party vendor to purchase computer equipment for his new job. he received two phony cashier's checks in the mail that he deposited online with USAA.
"They seemed legitimate in every way," he said. "The watermark, magnetic strips, everything you would think of cashiers checks having."
he was given specific instructions to purchase computer equipment from what he was told was a third-party vendor.
"They said they were having difficulty with their vendors... They said they had a lot of stay-at-home personnel and as such, they wanted me to deposit the money and then send the money orders directly to the vendors to purchase equipment, to pay for the installation because they had difficulty in the past," he said. "It seemed logical. It didn't seem out of the ordinary. We deposited the checks. And then they were cleared. Then we sent the moneygrams."
About a week later, Mark's bank returned the phony cashier's checks and froze his accounts. The bank notified him that he owed $6,390 for the fraudulent cashier's checks. Mark realized the employment offer was a scam.
After Mark filed police reports, he notified the scam artists he had reported them to law enforcement.
"And the answer they came back with was 'LOL', which means 'laugh out loud' or 'lots of luck', depending on how you interpret it," he said.
He added, "There's not much you can do but laugh and make the best of the situation and move forward and hopefully get the word out about this employment scam."
A spokesperson for the FBI says the suspects in the scam were likely overseas.
Mark says he feels like he's been kicked while he is down, given his bank's response.
"My family's been a customer of the bank since 1969. We had decades of outstanding service... We fell victim to an employment scam through no fault of our own," he said. "They haven't been willing to help us even with a payment plan, even with letting us make restitution, much less giving us access to any of our money."
A spokesperson for USAA's investigation division said it would not be possible to deviate from policy regarding fraudulent cashier's checks.
"Our hearts go out to the victim and his family. We completed our investigation and he is liable for the loss," said Brenton Mosher, Executive Director of Financial Crimes Investigations and Recovery. "In order to best protect our membership, we adhere to our policy and procedures."
Mosher added that he recommends USAA members consult with law enforcement or USAA security centers to find out more about fraudulent employment scams before seeking work online.
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/12- ... /70702118/
Internet fraudsters reply "LOL" to scam victim
The internet scam artists who deceived him were so brazen that when Anderson notified them by email that he had discovered their ruse, they simply replied, "LOL."
The result of the scam on he is hardly funny. He is now in debt to his bank by $6,390 in overdraft expenses for two phony cashier's checks he says he believed were legitimate. The bank, USAA, froze his accounts and gave him 41 days to pay back the money.
"We've had to rely on friends and family and a 'Go Fund Me' account set up for us just to buy basics like bread and milk," he said.
he fell victim to a more sophisticated version of what's commonly known as a "work-at-home" scheme. He was registered with a legitimate online employment agency that unknowingly connected him to a shell website operated by fraudsters. Using the name of an actual healthcare diagnostics company, the scam artists were able to convince Anderson over the course of three weeks that he was in the process of applying for a stay-at-home position with the reputable company, LabCore.
"I probably had 85 different text message conversations with the person posing as my boss. I took employment tests. I also had a telephone interview with her that lasted an hour and a half," Anderson said. "For a while there my wife and I were sort of celebrating that my fortunes had turned around."
LabCorp recently posted a warning on its website about scam artists using its name and image for fraudulent employment schemes. Anderson says once he was notified he had "been hired" for the position, the fictitious employers convinced him he needed to help complete a transaction with a third-party vendor to purchase computer equipment for his new job. he received two phony cashier's checks in the mail that he deposited online with USAA.
"They seemed legitimate in every way," he said. "The watermark, magnetic strips, everything you would think of cashiers checks having."
he was given specific instructions to purchase computer equipment from what he was told was a third-party vendor.
"They said they were having difficulty with their vendors... They said they had a lot of stay-at-home personnel and as such, they wanted me to deposit the money and then send the money orders directly to the vendors to purchase equipment, to pay for the installation because they had difficulty in the past," he said. "It seemed logical. It didn't seem out of the ordinary. We deposited the checks. And then they were cleared. Then we sent the moneygrams."
About a week later, Mark's bank returned the phony cashier's checks and froze his accounts. The bank notified him that he owed $6,390 for the fraudulent cashier's checks. Mark realized the employment offer was a scam.
After Mark filed police reports, he notified the scam artists he had reported them to law enforcement.
"And the answer they came back with was 'LOL', which means 'laugh out loud' or 'lots of luck', depending on how you interpret it," he said.
He added, "There's not much you can do but laugh and make the best of the situation and move forward and hopefully get the word out about this employment scam."
A spokesperson for the FBI says the suspects in the scam were likely overseas.
Mark says he feels like he's been kicked while he is down, given his bank's response.
"My family's been a customer of the bank since 1969. We had decades of outstanding service... We fell victim to an employment scam through no fault of our own," he said. "They haven't been willing to help us even with a payment plan, even with letting us make restitution, much less giving us access to any of our money."
A spokesperson for USAA's investigation division said it would not be possible to deviate from policy regarding fraudulent cashier's checks.
"Our hearts go out to the victim and his family. We completed our investigation and he is liable for the loss," said Brenton Mosher, Executive Director of Financial Crimes Investigations and Recovery. "In order to best protect our membership, we adhere to our policy and procedures."
Mosher added that he recommends USAA members consult with law enforcement or USAA security centers to find out more about fraudulent employment scams before seeking work online.
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