Is this a Scam or Legit?

Applied for a data entry/front desk postion on Craigslist. Received an email about an online interview. Here's the job description:

WELCOME TO BARCLAYS COMPUTERS INCS


We are Specialized in the sales of legal agreements and all kinds of Computer peripherals Supplies such as ATDX case, Networking Routers,HDDX Compacts,Satellite HDD Communicator, Computer Peripherals,CD-RHard Drives,Memory Sticks and many more. We are into Computer Peripherals Supplies. We are dedicated to meeting the needs of independent dialysis providers around the world by leveraging today's most innovative technologies to deliver a full spectrum of high-quality services to the business community. We have got loads of logs for the Account Dept from our United States and Canadian Clients that are spread all over. Now the London center here cannot be over stretched. So we opted to recruit staffs online to work from home to help do ( Balance sheets, account balancing, invoicing recording, proper data analysis of sales records and recording payslips into Accounting database all through the use of the Accounting Softwares ).

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Entering all checks vouchers and payment in appropriate account, maintains accurate records of all Receivable's and Payable's, Developing, analyzing, and maintaining financial reporting systems in general accounting, budget or cost systems. Responsible for compiling amounts owed from purchase orders, charge slips, sales tickets etc

BRIEFING SUMMARY

You will be enlisted for 2 weeks training programme. Find Training program details below:

*You will have to be online from 9am to 12pm daily for training programs as you will be given series of tasks during training.

*You will resume work fully after training and your working hours will be 8am - 2pm your time zone.

*Whether or not you have an assignment or task to carry out you will be paid for $20/hr and for 6hrs a day as long as you are online during the stated hours.

*You have to keep strict record of time and activities. A time sheet should be sent in every Friday's days for monitoring (In your own format).

*In carrying out any assignment or task a progress report has to be emailed every Friday to me.

*You are paid weekly.

*There is no start up cost, the training would be administered on line, this is an Internet based position, and the base pay is $20 per hour.

*Either party is free to terminate at any time with notice.

*Benefits include: 401k, health and dental, paid vacation and 2 weeks sick leave you will be enrolled for this benefits after 2months after which you would become a regular employee of company.

WORKING EQUIPMENTS
Equipments will be provided for you by the Company asap. This includes a Hp Laptop/Notebook for mobility and some other softwares for accuracy, Speed of data processing, Time Monitoring and Effectiveness,(4 in one Zebra ZM 400 Barcode Printerand Cards,Fax Machine,Scanner,Photocopier Machine, 4Drawer Cabinet and Office Desk). Details on the Uses and delivery of these equipments would be provided to you ASAP.

You would be Given the Following to start work with after training: *
Staff User Name and Password for Our Website Link ( For easy access to company data and task for each day )

***When I asked for the website here's the reply I got:

Right now, The company's website for the Home Business Unit is under a URL change and it involves a very high re-organizational process that involves bringing all our online staffs to log-on on the same Network Online with their staff ID. That way as soon as the website is launched within the next 10 business days then each online staffs can have a log on ID/Password to get access to their duties online while still communicating with their supervisors. That way everyone can be logged into the companies data base. You would be working under supervisors that are connected to our Regional Data Station-Centers Online.


The interviewer informed me that this is a real job and not a scma! HELP!!

Welcome!

It's a scam. Good for you for being suspicious. The scammer's reason for his site being offline is laughable. The staff all has to log in at once to make the site work?

Any "jobs" with this description are usually scammers looking for people to mail out or process fraudulent checks. Steer clear.

Do you know how to check email headers? If so, you may be able to determine the country/city the email originated from. It's likely from somewhere in Africa, based on the grammar/writing of the email.

Thank you! I just cant believe he spent 45 minutes interviewing me this morning for a scam. I told him I already have the computer and printer so he wasnt going to send me one.
Wow this sucks

Welcome to ScamWarners.

Your instincts are correct, this is a scam. 100%, no questions asked.

Drop any contact with this individual like a bad habit.

I'm sorry about your disappointment in finding out this is a scam but am very glad that you found out in time. Processing fraudulent checks leaves you responsible both financially and legally. Victims have ended up arrested because of these scams.

Can you please include the scammer's name, email address and messenger ID used for this scam? Posting it here will enable it to show up in searches and will save anyone else the scammer has targeted, if they take the time to search.

First email came from:
Jennifer Gomes <[email protected]>

Name that I interviewed with is:
James Burton
James Burton <[email protected]> (yahoo messenger id too)


I sent him a message telling him I am going to pass on the job and he replied:

Mtchewwww

lol I dont know what that means!

@yahoo.com

Any business opportunity that comes from a Yahoo email account is suspect, highly suspect.

I thought I was actually applying for a job as Front Desk/Data Entry for a "real" business. LOL
I am sucha sucker! Thank Yall so much for your help!

lol I dont know what that means!

It means the scammer just admitted he is African. It's African slang indicating he didn't like your response.

You didn't fall for it greetings_yall, and end up passing dud cheques through your account, so the scammer's the sucker this time.

In the current economic climate, it's very tempting and easy to overlook the warning signs of scams, especially when they're offering so easily, something a lot of people are deperate for.

I am also sick don't feel so alone. I have another for you Heather (probably a guy) [email protected]. I have probably 20 emails in the course of a week for employment (actually, hired) with MicroSystems Plus. I feel especially stupid because I was kept so busy with 'Tasks' that I didn't research properly, until now. When I was told my advance check is coming UPS TODAY I delved further. But I've been doing internet jobs for years and they didn't give it enough thought; I usually freelance as an independent and a lot of companies prefer to hire you as an employee. Here's the thing, I did an I-9 and W-4 plus photcopy of my DL and social security card. She's IM ing me RIGHT NOW(calling me too, back to back) jeez.Guess I'll get fired for not answering. Any way as follows:

*These from TODAY*

On Sat, Sep 10, 2011 at 10:41 AM, Heather Edward <[email protected]> wrote:
Good Morning
How are you doing today ?sorry about the delay but Company has sent you a check of $4,800 for you to be able to purchase all the software and equipment needed to get started and Ups is the carrier of the package, Here is the tracking # A5537056146 (http://www.ups.com) Schedule to deliver to you today, You are to deposit the check at your bank and they will tell you when the funds will be available in your account for your use.Get back to me with the deposit slip as you will be starting your Orientation fully online today with your supervisor, Hope to hear from you soon

Regards
Hiring Manager
Heather Edward

Heather Edward
Write an article on The Best Ways to Prevent Overdue Accounts using your own ...
12:35 PM (4 hours ago)
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to Heather
show details 3:16 PM (1 hour ago)
Hello Heather,

I need some information from you please. Detailed information on the company, i.e. company name address phone number location website etc. I am needing this for tax purposes and would like this today. This is in lieu of depositing the check en-route to me at this time. I also need to know who I am indebted to and the manner of repayment that will be expected of me.
This is very important, please. I noticed that the phone number you gave me is in Freeport NJ but tracking is from St Joseph Michigan.
Can you explain please?
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Heather Edward to me
show details 4:55 PM (8 minutes ago)
I explained to you that this is an Online work from Home from the start....All company information including form you need to fill and fax back to the company will be with your material when you receive it....I talked to the accountant and made her believe you have been working with me for a while now and we always pay our employee while in training that was why we issue you that amount and i feel you can be trusted with the company funds,...You will be deducting your pay there as your time spend online will be calculated and you will get your pay and then Order all material needed to get started ASAP with the company and you have the company phone number with you am sure.... That is the head office and you can call work days to talk better with my boss and he will explain to you better.. we are helping you make money from home and that was why we never asked you to purchase the material with your personal money as we provided you the funds needed.. Will talk to you on monday morning as i called you but no one picked up.....

Regards

From 'hire':
On Fri, Aug 26, 2011 at 3:49 PM, Alisha Jennings <[email protected]> wrote:
Future Applicant,
Am pleased to inform you that your resume has been reviewed from our employment database and your past administrative skills seems to be a great fit. You are hereby scheduled for an interview with the Head of Operations (Mrs. Heather Edward). Please download Yahoo Messenger to your computer and add this HR Managers ID: [email protected]. Reach her Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. She will be expecting to hear from you. Position must be fill immediately.
Kind Regards,
HR Recruiter


On Mon, Aug 29, 2011 at 11:35 AM, Heather Edward <[email protected]> wrote:
Have this preview answer then get back to me:

MicroSystem Plus Company are product-focused and niche-oriented. Their aim is to be number one or two in their chosen markets and to have exclusive market relationships with the leading suppliers in their product areas. Customers are industrial and service companies as well as local distributors.

The group is highly decentralized with each operating company responsible for its own earnings. Business development and central monitoring and control set the framework for future progress.Our overall business concept is to create solutions primarily for industrial customers, assisting them in achieving profitable operations by ensuring efficiency, reliability, quality and safety in their processes. We are distributors, problem-solvers and ad-visors at the same time. We link customers to products and systems from leading manufacturers around the world, adding our own expertise in various solu­tions and service commitments to create value for customers and suppliers alike.

Your primary daily duty would be to report to your Supervisor whom will assign logs of daily duties and you would be required to work according to instructions,using the Microsoft Office tools and the Accounting software.

Have few Questions to ask/Confirm from you before I make my Interview Report:

Are you currently employed?
What can you say about yourself in general and also relating to work?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
what is your ideal work environment?
How well do you handle mistakes?(on your part and that of the customers)
Tell me what "success" means to you?
What are your 5-year goals?
I would be interested to hear about an occasion when your work or an idea was criticized,
What was criticized, who criticized you, and how did you handle it?
Describe the best manager you ever had, the worst, what qualities did each of them have?

JOB DETAILS

Job Duties and Responsibilities:
The Position will support both weekly and bi-weekly payroll
processes, including:
• Entering, auditing, and maintaining new company data, new hire data, change,termination, and benefit enrollment data;
• Coordinating with clients regarding deadlines, missing paperwork, time sheets, and other information;
• Generating, auditing and filing of payroll reports;
• Performing payroll calculations and adjustments;
• Research problems and respond to questions as needed;
• Assisting with other related payroll processes including year-end activities;
• Perform expanded payroll activities if needed for vacation coverage of other team members.


Required Skills:
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills required
* Must be detail oriented and able to work under pressure to meet deadlines
* Must be able to work independently and within a team environment


Job Benefits:
Start pay $20/Hour for every two weeks Health/Dental Benefits, Retirement
Benefits, Paid Holidays, Vacations, and Sick

Verify Your Details:
Full Names:
Address (PO BOX not allowed):
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Age:
Sex:
Residential Phone Number:
Mobile:

Job details are EXACTLY as posted on another blog here re: STARTELDATA posted by mcguyver21 March 07 2011. This one that has a hold on me is tenacious as a bull dog and it's a little scary now. Read the email from me and her reply at my beginning.

Hello and welcome!

Certainly a scam! I'm glad you got suspicious and did some research before getting more involved. Please do not feel stupid noone expects to be scammed applying for a job. You will know better now. As a side note the scammer just ask for you to send all the information you sent to legitimize their scam not to steal your identity. However you did give them a lot of info. I would recommend monitoring your credit report regularly just to be on the safe side.

Sorry you were targeted but thank you for posting the info it will help others avoid this scammer.

Justin

Thank you Justin. Is it wise to report to authorities? I am receiving a check and some information from them via UPS. I tracked (and called UPS) and they do have a package for me that was supposed to be delivered, according to this 'company' $4800 and forms for me to complete and faxed. Can this not be tracked?

I responded to your pm but for the benefit of others reading the thread I will answer your question here as well.Sadly these scammers operate far out of the reach of law enforcement. They are primarily from West Africa. Even if they could be prosecuted finding their real identity is almost impossible. They hide behind many layers of deception and all the details they do give you are fake or untraceable.

Best thing to do is exactly what you did and post their details so others may find the thread and avoid the scam.

Here's another one I received after applying on craigslist. The original post was a blocked email so I had to use the craigslist email.

Here's the actual email I received today....

From: James cole <[email protected]>

Re: Human Resources Administrative Support Assistants Position

Thanks for your interest in the PA position, I will deeply appreciate all genuine efforts to help me monitor and keep up to date with all my activities. I most very often get my hands occupied because am working with many companies both states and outside,so it's imperative for me to have a worthy assistant who can monitor and keep me up to date with my activities. As my assistant, your activities amongst other things will include: Make travel arrangements and submit expenses for Attorneys Order office supplies, Running personal errands,Check
Processing Filing documents,faxing,printing and typing letters Web research, Internet search skills and posting ads Quality communication etiquette skills and good organizational skills Serious sense of humor
required and mandatory to work with me Ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information Perform duties with accuracy, quality, and integrity You can only apply for this position if you own a printer and personal computer. Basic wage is $800 a weekly About me:
My name is Mr James Cole ,i have a family of 3 and I am a Computer Engineer.I travel alot,hence 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 i rregular timings.There is also a very sensitive issue on
trust and accountability which I believe will resolve itself as time goes on.
This is only an introductory e-mail, as time goes on we should be able to arrange a proper meeting to get things started officially. I do have a number 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. 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 Mon-Fri
@ 10am
First Name :-
Middle Name :-
Last Name :-
Street Address :-
City, State, Zip Code:-
Sex :__________ Age :-
Nationality :-
Cell Phone Number (___) :-
Home Phone Number(___) :-
Current Job:-
Regards,
Mr J.Cole

210 401 8849