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.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

ICG Technology

This is a money mule scam which involves receiving stolen money into your bank account and forwarding it to the theives via Western Union. How can I tell? Simply because that's what always happens when a job like this targets Australians: it's the same story every time.

There may be a real company called "ICG Technology" somewhere out there, but nearly all the references to "ICG technology" on the web refer to "impedance cardiography technology" -- a medical technology, rather than a company name. In any case, this particular "ICG Technology" is a complete fiction: there is no such company.

   Domain Name: ICG-TECHNOLOGY.COM
   Registrar: DIRECT INFORMATION PVT LTD D/B/A PUBLICDOMAINREGISTRY.COM
   Whois Server: whois.PublicDomainRegistry.com
   Referral URL: http://www.PublicDomainRegistry.com
   Name Server: DNS1.GOSPERTI.COM
   Name Server: DNS2.GOSPERTI.COM
   Updated Date: 14-oct-2007
   Creation Date: 14-oct-2007 (new)
   Expiration Date: 14-oct-2008

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ICG TECHNOLOGY <[redacted]>
Date: 17 Oct 2007 05:07
Subject: Home based job
To: [redacted]

Dear recipient,

The leading Hong Kong LCD company, ICG Technology, is once again beginning a global campaign of employing new staff in AUSTRALIA.

Due to our exploding growth, we are further expanding our business to the North America. During our last employment campaign we successfully employed hundreds of Retail Representatives and Couriers. And now we are offering you one more opportunity to earn extra cash working with us.

We are looking for honest, responsible, hard-working people to operate with our company in your particular region. These openings are part-time positions with the opportunity to make AUD 500-2000 per month working 1-2 hours per day with us..

Please visit our web site ICG TECHNOLOGY for more details regarding these vacancies.

Brought to you by SEEK and CareerONE.

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