Au pair scams often target individuals who have registered on a website as looking for au pair/nanny jobs and rely on the fact that most of the victims will not know the requirements for getting visas/work permits/tickets for the job. However, these scams may also be emailed to others who have not registered on those sites but have their email address posted elsewhere online.
The scam often involves a fake travel agency charging the victim a large amount of money to obtain visas and work permits, but in some cases might involve charging for accommodation.
The scam normally follows the following stages:
The scam often involves a fake travel agency charging the victim a large amount of money to obtain visas and work permits, but in some cases might involve charging for accommodation.
The scam normally follows the following stages:
- An email offering work as an au pair is bulk-mailed to a large number of email addresses harvested from au pair web sites.
- Anyone replying is sent another email giving a bit more information about the family and telling the applicant to contact the travel agent to arrange visas etc.
- Anyone contacting the travel agent is then sent an email asking for details of the applicant and a copy of their passport. This email also sets out details of the fees that are required to enable the applicant to get their visa/work permit/flight tickets. These fees will usually be requested by Western Union.
- The initial email comes from a different email address to the one that you reply to
- The initial email does not have your email address in the To field. This is because it has been bulk mailed to a number of individuals.
- The initial email is addressed to 'Dear Au Pair' rather than to you personally.
- The job offers an unrealistically high salary/allowance.
- When the travel agent is involved, they are using a free webmail email account rather than one from their own website.
- The emails normally have poor grammar and spelling, even though they claim to be from professional people.
- If the host family/travel agent claim to be in the UK and use a telephone number that starts +44 70 - these are re-direct phone numbers that can be forwarded anywhere in the world and are not normally used by individuals in the UK.
- Last and most importantly, if you are asked to send anyone money via Western Union or MoneyGram. Legitimate businesses do not have money transferred by Western Union or MoneyGram, these services are meant to be used to send money to people that you know personally (such as family and friends).
Please do not tell scammers that they are listed here - it will take them seconds to change their fake details and their new details will not be listed for any future victims to find.