Personal Assistant Craigslist Scam

If the scammer sends you a tracking number, call the courier (UPS, FedEx, or whatever) and tell them it's a scam. The scammer will have provided a stolen credit card or the like to pay for it. Then do not answer or contact the scammer. Act as if you were dead. Don't tell him you quit.

I just goggled Philip Martinez and found your website regarding this guy and his Craigslist posting about a personal assistant... the weird part is that I didnt think anything was fishy but today I received a USPS overnight delivery with a check for $2,980 drawn on a American Title Company bank in California instructing me to deposit and keep $520.00 ( my pay) and await further instructions of where to MOneyGram that rest of the money... to some orphanage... really?

So.... it if sounds too good to be true it probably is... so what... I deposit the check and it bounces and then someone has my bank account info... someone I have never met?

BE AWARE OF THIS CRAIGSLIST SCAM... I answered his Chicago Craigslist post and I see someone in Texas was offered the job too...

thanks for keeping me informed!!! You saved me a lot of headache !

I'm so stupid... I actually for this scam and didn't realize it. She had already sent me the check and I already deposited. I finally realized how sketch it was when I asked her what exactly she wanted me to do with the money and she said she will let me know when the "time is right"... Please help me.. I'm scared and I really don't know what I should do.

Print out all the emails from the scammer and show them to the fraud department of your bank. Do not withdraw any money from the account until the fraudulent deposit is reversed.

I'm a little worried that they know my home address. I've reported to the police and they said they normally don't do anything, maybe some threatening letters but that's it(?) should I be alarmed?

These lads try to scam thousands of people at once and expect most of them to ignore the message or drop out. Unless you've royally pissed him off, he's probably going to leave you alone.

If he threatens to sic the UK FBI or whatever on you, ignore him.

Just got this today:


Dear Applicant,

Thanks for your application, I am looking for someone who can act as my Personal Assistant and run Errands, Someone who can handle my personal and business errands at his/her spare time, You can take it as a full time or part time job depending on your choice. The hours will be between 4 to 5 hours daily which can be increased if you want and this will give you free time to go on with your regular job, Below are details of what you expected from this job position.

AS MY PERSONAL ASSISTANT YOUR ACTIVITIES AMONGST OTHER THINGS INCLUDE :

* Running personal errands
* faxing,printing and typing letters Web research
* Receive mails and drop them off
* Do Secret Shopping's
* Receive calls
* Data Entry if needed
* Book appointments, E.t.c or any other reasonable duty will be allocated to you

Serious sense of humor is required .

Basic wage is $900 weekly..

About me:

My name is Lawson Walker ,am 56 Years Old Man with a family of 3 wonderful children . I am a Realtor and travels a lot that's the reason why i need an assistant to handle affairs for me on the home front when i am away on business which is usually quite often.

This position is home-based and flexible you can be in any location,working with me is basically about instructions and following them, my only fear is that I may come at you impromptu sometimes, I need someone who can be able to meet up with my irregular timings.There is also a very sensitive issue on trust and accountability which I believe will resolve itself as time goes on.

I do have lot of things you could help me with this week if you will be available for me. This can act as a stable foundation to our working relationship.In addition,Your kind of work is classified under the 1099 also you will be reimbursed for any travel and extra expenses. I have the first task waiting for you, I just need to know if you are ready to work. I have been Checking my files and what I would want you to do for me this week is to run some errands out to some FOSTER HOMES, You will be making some donations to them which is something of a monthly indulgence for me. I would expect you to consider this a test of your efficiency and efficacy.

Funds required to make the Donations will be sent to you from one of my financial aides in form of Money Order/Company Cheque...You will make arrangements to buy some stuff for the kids in the nearest store around you and mail them out.

Note: This position is home base office work you can be in any location and work with me from your home. Let me know your interest if you are ready to work with me from your home..

Fill This Application And Email It Back Asap!!!


APPLICATION FORM

FULL NAME:
MAILING ADDRESS
CITY:
PROVINCE:
POSTAL CODE:
CELL PHONE:
HOME PHONE:
GENDER:
MARITAL STATUS:
BEST TIME TO CALL:
AGE:
EMAIL:
RECENT JOB:

MAIN REQUIREMENT:-

*18 years or older
*Legally capable
*Responsible
*Ready to work 4 to 5 hours daily
*With PC knowledge
*E-mail and internet experience (minimal)


Hope to hear from you again.

Best Regards
Lawson Walker

Thank you for posting. What email address did they use?

Thank you for posting . This is a "Money Mule Scam" . Please post any details you have on these criminals such as email addresses , websites or telephone numbers .

I almost felt for this too, his name Paul Williams from the American School Foundation he sais, asked this:

You will be receiving the payments for $1799.68 AND $2,370.26 with tracking number(xxxxxxxxxxxxx)via Canadapost today Or Monday due to late delivery.You can monitor the progress of the delivery via http://www.canadapost.ca so as not to miss delivery.

You are to go ahead deposit and cash the check ($1799.68) at your Bank today.It will be made available instantly or within 24hrs at most.Payment for your services is included within the money. However, I would prefer to pay you the full pay upon satisfactory completion of the first task. So I have decided to pay you $200 now and $150 at the end of the first task just so there are no discrepancies.


Deduct $200 (Partial payment for your services for the first week) and then go to a MoneyGram and Western Union money transfer agent location offices in malls or stores close to you with cash to do a bill payment today as we are behind schedule.

Send $1,570 to my supplier and her shipper today at MoneyGram and Western Union respectively:



Split the funds into 2 .i.e $800 and $770




At Moneygram (Use 10 minutes transfer service)Send $800 to the name and address below:

Name of Receiver: PATRICIA DENISON
City: MAKATI,
State: MANILA
Zipcode: 1001
Country: PHILIPPINES



At Western Union(Use money availability in minutes option) Send $770 to the name and address below:


Name of Receiver: CATHERINE LAURUS
City: QUIAPO,
State: MANILA
Zipcode: 1001
Country: PHILIPPINES



Total amount to be sent out: $1,570




The instructions are simple: Bring cash to MONEY GRAM and WESTERN UNION and have it wired to my supplier and the shipper as instructed, send the funds in *10 MINUTES OPTION AVAILABILITY* and *MONEY AVAILABLE IN MINUTES*service. Email me the details of the Reference for both transfers as soon as the money is sent.

Pay the transfer fee for both transactions from the remaining money($30) if the transfer fee exceeds the amount made available, you are to add to it and you will be reimbursed. When the supplier gets the money, She will ship the products to you (Personalized promotional items for my business and seminar materials).


You are to hold on to the second payment for $2,370.26 until i give precise instructions.


The list for shopping will be concluded this weekend.Just so you know, I'll be returning home to see a cardiologist on the 25th of May which also coincides with my upcoming seminar. I want you to mail the items my supplier will send to you together with the items you will shop for to my PO BOX details which i will be providing before i return or i can have them mailed somewhere else if you do not have enough space. I'd like to meet you upon my return to discuss the possibility of making this position long term. How do you feel about meeting? Where is the closest coffee shop to you? Once again, complete the task ASAP today as we are behind schedule."

I replied that I quit because i felt something was wrong and he said he would call his lawer because it's illegal to quit as I signed a contract....What should I do?

Ignore them . These criminals always threaten their victims . Its a Money Mule Scam . Please post all email addresses, telephone numbers and any websites these cockroaches are using . Do not open or deposit the check . Give it to Canadian Postal Authorities .

Thank you!! yes I am going to report this to Canada post and the police! I was scared he might actually be able to do something against me! thanks again

Ps He used Craiglist.

I searched this up couldn't believe it's been going on for this long. I'm searching for work on craigslist and received two responses exactly the same. One from a Mark Wilton, another from a Larry Scott.


Dear Applicant,

I am replying back to your message concerning the job posted on Craigslist in which you're interested in, We currently have a vacant position available, which is the Administrative Assistant Position.

We are looking for someone that can be trusted a and reliable to work very well with good understanding as a Administrative Assistant Position. The job involves you working remotely from your location and its flexible, working with us is about instructions and following them. My only fear is that we may need you to perform an assigned tasks in a timely manner sometimes, so we need someone who can be able to meet up with executing assigned tasks in a timely manner.

We need your service because I am constantly out of town and presently in Quebec, Canada. I will return to the states next two weeks so this process will be on going till then. If you don't mind, I will meet up with you when I return and then we can talk about the possibility of making this long term.

As a Administrative Assistant Person, your activities among other things will include;

Here is an overview of the job description

Duties and Responsibilities:
• Sort and verifies bank transactions.
• Verifies keying of data and corrects errors.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Running personal errands.
• Work independently without much supervision.

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

** Weekly Pay: $650.00
** Hours: 10-15 Hours Weekly
** Days: 2-3 days Weekly

Please note that this position is not office based for now, it's a part-time work from your location for now. I would like to give you an immediate trial, so if you are interested kindly get back to me. As I have been checking files and schedules and would need someone urgently to run some tasks for me this week/next week. My Financial Adviser will issue you a Certified Company Check to execute the task with, and complete the assignment. You will need to Purchase gifts and items for the kids(Foster Care) which i will send you a list and description of the items, alongside delivery address when purchased. Note that you are not to use your personal funds.

Kindly RE-CONFIRM your contact details as shown on your resume to enable us proceed to next step.

Full Names:
Correct Mailing Address (include apartment numbers}:
City:
State:
Mobile Number :

The employee acknowledged the Trial and Detailed Job Description
and signed _____________________________
(First Name and Last Name of Employee)

Thanks in anticipation of your prompt response
Yours Sincerely,
Larry Scott

Thank you for posting. What email addresses did the emails come from?

This is a scam I almost fell for recently.

Hello,

Your email application was received and after reviewing you are qualified for the (Admin Personal Assistant) position which is only available for now as the other one has been filled up.

More About Me & Detailed Job Description​​ Below:

My name is Scott Mackenzie from California, am 52 years Old and I have been a local and international relative successful ​​entrepreneur and sometimes invest in the real estate market which makes me travel often within and outside the state working on various independent projects. This is why i need someone who can help keep me up to date with some my activities, especially while i am away and amidst my busy schedule. My previous personal assistant is currently unavailable due to health reasons and cannot work with me anymore, and i am keen on finding an efficient, motivated, organized individual who can communicate well and is able to multi-task. this position is home-based and flexible. working for me is a test of following instructions. as my personal assistant, your activities among others will includes:

· Receiving Phone Calls from my clients when am busy.
· Making Regular Drop offs at FedEx Stores for letters meant for my clients.
· Handling and monitoring some of my financial activities.
· Basic wage is $520 weekly.
. Working 5 hours Daily, and 3 Days weekly. ( you can choose your working days as it is flexible )

Am sure you should have understood how busy my schedule should be on a daily basis. Currently, I am in Europe meeting with partners. I will be back in two weeks to arrange a formal interview with you. I think you are the right person for this position. Please note that this position is not office-based for now because of my frequent travels and tight schedules. It is a part-time job, and some weeks you will be busier than others, though pay stays constant.

Like i said, I think you are the right person for this job, and think we should get a head start this week. I have some little works piled up that i will need help catching up on immediately. I would like to use this week to test your efficiency and diligence, and to work your schedule around mine. I am hard of hearing and usually stay in touch through email and text messages, but if you would like me to call, I will be glad to do that. I am glad you responded to the ad in such a timely manner and look forward to working with you and promise to be a good boss.

If Interested in being my personal assistant, get back to me through email and we can move forward with the first task.


NOTE: You have to be checking your email regularly, and also i want you to add me to your email contact list as soon as you receive this email.

Warm Regards





***NOTE this is email 1***