Job scam quick guide: it's a scam if...

  • they want you to collect and forward money in any way (a "money mule" job). You'll wind up engaged in money laundering, personally defrauded via expertly forged cheques, money orders, etc, or defrauding someone else who pays for goods that never arrive.
  • they want you to receive packages and reship them somewhere else. The goods will have been obtained fraudulently, and they're just using you to make the shipping address appear local. You will be aiding fraud.
  • they want up-front payment (either to them or someone else) of any sort for anything before you can get the job. This is advance fee fraud: there is no job -- it's just a big con to extract money from you.
  • they want you to buy any kind of "membership" or "kit" in order to start. Forget it -- it's not a real job at all: they're trying to sell you something, and they're probably making a bunch of other false claims about it if they're pitching it as a "job".
  • it's a job offer, and it's spam. There are LOTS of these scams about, as you can see.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Latra Trade

My "resume" on Careerbuilder specifically says it's there to attract scam spam, and sure enough, a scammer has obliged. This is hot off the press: a Google search for "Latra Trade" just turned up no hits whatsoever. This is, of course, a money mule scam: they want you to be an "exchange manager" (which is their term for "money mule"). Note the signature line, by the way: Michael Giordano is the "Stuff Manager" of Latra Trade, Inc. Hilarious.

   Domain Name: LATRATRADE.COM <-- scam
   Registrar: MELBOURNE IT, LTD. D/B/A INTERNET NAMES WORLDWIDE
   Whois Server: whois.melbourneit.com
   Referral URL: http://www.melbourneit.com
   Name Server: YNS1.YAHOO.COM
   Name Server: YNS2.YAHOO.COM
   Updated Date: 07-feb-2007
   Creation Date: 07-feb-2007 <-- they don't come much fresher than that
   Expiration Date: 07-feb-2008

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Latra Trade Careers Center <careers@latratrade.com>
Date: 08-Feb-2007 04:32
Subject: Your resume on Careerbuilder.com: Customer Service, USD 2,800.00 + 5% / Month
To: ideceive@gmail.com

Good Day!
My name is Michael Giordano and I work for a company called Latra Trade, Inc. I found your resume on careerbuilder.com because we are searching for reliable professionals.

Latra Trade, Inc. is looking for punctuality, honesty and attentiveness peoples for our new role.
Our company's work is based on four main principles which our management considers as our development purpose: Stability, Promptitude, Efficiency and Readiness to realize any volume of operations.

Responsibilities and benefits from Latra Trade, Inc.:

- Based $2,800.00 /Month + 5% from each transaction
- Based $38,000.00 /Year + benefits from company
- Daily, Weekly or Monthly payment for job
- Work day 2-4 hours free during the day
- Weekends and holidays off
- No special education needed

More information about open vacancies you can find on our web site at http://www.latratrade.com/us/vacancies/
* If you are interesting, please fill Job Application Form on the same page.

With best regards, Michael Giordano,
Stuff Manager, Latra Trade, Inc.

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