I recently posted an ad on Craig's list looking for a babysitter. After I did this, I received several emails that seem to be some sort of a scam. An example is copied below. It looks like someone is trying to trick someone that needs a nanny job into
something. -HB
If you are looking for a nanny job and place an ad on a message board, beware of a wire fraud going around. Please make sure all the nannies know this is fake. -RK
I recently placed on ad on Craigs list looking for a weekend nanny and I received a response from a man in Nigeria. He stated he was relocating to the States and offered ME any salary I wanted to care for his children for 6 weeks. He says he is in the movie business. Have you heard of this scam? -M
This is a popular scam being used to extract money from Nannies. If you have placed an ad in the childcare section, you have likely gotten one of these strange emails:
Greetings! Thanks to the internet access that made me locate you, My Name is Jimmy Johnson.... and my Wife name is leanna both of us are living here in Iceland. We have 2 kids ages of 3,1.we are relocating permanently to The United States based on our family business that is really booming out there in the US and our arrival date is febuary 22. After a serious discussion with my wife concerning a proper care for our children and we’ve finally decided to search for a good and responsible nanny/babysitter.Below you see our offers.We will be offering this duty weekly,
1) Monday to Friday, from 9:30am in themorning to 5:00pm .—–And the weekly pay: $1150.00 We will be responsible for your transportation which in exclusive ofyour weekly salary regardless of the distance. Please calculate the totaltransportation cost per week from your place to our residence if you preferto live out and furnish me with the cost so we can add it to your basicweekly salary.We strongly searching for someone of well mannered attitudes, neatnessand good sense of relationship.If you are interested in this offer, please answer all the questions below so i can have a brief idea of yourpersonality:
1) What academic qualifications do you possess?
2) Do you have any relevant certificate to back up your babysitting/Nannycareer?
3) How old are you?
4) Are you married?
5) Do you have any special attitude?
6) Do you have any crime records?
7) Do you have a valid driver's license?
8) Tell us more about your temperament.
9) Can we have one or two reference(s) from you?
10)Can you handle money if you are given an assignment to carry out?
11) Is your husband/boyfriend/parent in support of you doing this job?
Let me know if you will available for the work offer.If you have any questions as regards this offer, feel free to get in touch and also pls do reply to my parsonal E-MAIL > daddy4babies111@yahoo.com, I await a response at your earliest convenience. Jimmy and family
An "employer" contacts a nanny (or anyone at all who advertises on a message board) and offer a generous salary for a minimal amount of work. The "employer" seems eager to secure the nanny's services and therefore offers to mail the nanny payment in advance. The nanny's mailing address is solicited and a personal check is mailed to her exceeding the amount due. The nanny is then requested to return the overpayment to the "employer" by wire or money order. But there is no job and the "employer's" check is invalid. It is hard to imagine that people fall for such scams; but unfortunately they have. For more information, click here.
30 comments:
I think this is a dead give away!
"Do you have any special attitude?"
any nanny who would fall for that isn't smart enough to take care of my children!
Sounds like a variation on the classic "British Lottery" scam. Honestly, no one needs someone they contacted via internet to cash a check for them and then send it back! Hold on to your $$ people!
the fact that someone would target nannies shows how much they "value" the intelligence of the nanny population. same reason people pray on geriatric pop with alzheimers.
RUW Rude! Scammers are preying on the vulnerable, usually those who need money, love or a job. Even people who consider themselves smart get scammed when they let themselves get caught up. Again I say People - hold on to your money and don't cash checks for ANYONE!
this scam is not only on the nanny site also for rentals.women and man from foreign country want to rent ( without looking at the apt.)the place. So be carful with Craiglist( something with moneyorder deposit in my bankaccount then me sending money to someone else and on the end money order was fake and i lose my money) i got over 8 of them when i had a apt for rent...i reported them...
so everybody be careful
I received an email like this just the other day, I deleted, but, I was wondering what was up.
I sold some furniture on craigslist before my big move a few months ago, and I received a bunch of emails that were variations on this scam. The scammer claimed (often in broken English) to want the furniture but be out of town on business and unable to pick it up. He asked for my contact info and told me he would send a money order that would cover the cost of the furniture and shipping. Obviously the money order would have been fake and I would have been out the furniture and the shipping fees. So be careful and use common sense on craigslist, whether you are looking to find a job or unload some furniture.
when will people learn, craigslist is not a place to find a nanny,sitter or dog walker?
Jane Doe,
could you sound more intolerant?
mb - if not craigslist to find a nanny, where is a good place? (if you want to avoid the fees of an agency... as they aren't always reliable either)
I was just reading about this kind of nanny scam in relation to nanny websites. I should have known that it would hit Craigslist, too. I think Craigslist is a decent place to look for a nanny but you have to know how these scams work. It doesn't matter where you look for a nanny. Once you find one you think will be a good fit you need to check up on them no matter where you've discovered them.
This is the most recent email I received after posting a available nanny position on Craigslist. Read it...It sounded convincing to me until I received the next email requesting I send money. Just think about it...if it sounds to good to be true...it usually is.
My name is Cindy Winter,I am looking for someone to take care of my daughter when I get to the state and someone introduced CRAIGSLIST.COM to me and I saw your ad on there as a Childcare and Babysitter,I am interested in you as my babysitter/Childcare.My daughters name is Ashley,I would like you to take care of her while I am at work in your Location ,I stay in UNITED KINDOM but I am moving to your location because I would have a contract with Boss Perfume down there,I work as a model and the contract will last for 1 month,I want you to take care of her while I am at work.I go to work 10 am and return back by 4pm,I will like to know if you will take care of her in your child care centre/Home or the hotelroom where I would be lodging,I am confortable with any of the ways,my daughter (Ashley) is 2 years old and I will send you some picture of me and her as soon as everything is considered a deal,I will also like to know how much you charge to take care of Ashley for 1 month and the time I need your service is 10 am to 4 pm.Get back to me with the amount and I will be glad to update you and make the payment in advance to show you how serious I am.Regards and hope to hear from you soonest.
Cindy Winter.
I received this email after awering an add on gumtree:
Firstly i want to thank you for getting back to me and
also thank you for your interest in my family.
I have gone through your email and i am so happy about
every thing you talked about your self and also i am
so happy that i am in contact with you.
Before i start talking i want you to be informed that
i and my family are corrently not in the country at
the moment.We are corrently in India at the moment
because of my pregnancy.
I am 8month pregnant now and i would give birth on
early next month.So we will be back to london on the
7th of next month, you are expected to start up this
position on the 10th of next month.I hope you
understand me.
Let me tell you a little more about my family,i work
with the BMW Automobile Company while my husband is a
business man,my kids enjoy meeting new people and also
love watching film in the cinemas and having fun at
the parks.
We are looking for a good honest nanny that can take
care of our house when we go to work because of our
two lovely kids,Hashim and Sandra(4 and 7 years old
respectively) who are used to turning the house upside
down,but we believe with your good helping hands they
will be well behaved.David (20) is our eldest son and
he schools in Nigeria at the moment.
We are willing to pay 350 pounds as we have no
expirence on how your weekly salarys are.
And my house address is below
Address: 14 Cavendish Road, Kilburn, London, London,
NW6 7XT
I will love to know if you will be able to work from
2.00pm to 7.00pm every day from monday to friday every
week?
You will also be given an Employment Agreement Form
when Employed.
I just went through your CV
And i am so happy about every thing i read and saw
about you.Infact i am so happy that i am in contact
with you.
Either a live in or live out position is allowed.
Before i move forward i will love to know if you are
okay with every thing i have said here.Once again i
want to thank you for getting back to me.
Please write me back today as i wait for your soonest
reply.
Regards,
Mr and Mrs Kurishi
It's a scam. I played along and the f...actually called me 'from india'.
I was angry because at that time I was in a real crisis.
OMG i just got sum email that are just like that and i thought it was a scam so i started reading up on it... now i knw for sure but as soon as he sed send me back the money i would off sed HELL NO!!
I actually found a great family to work for on Craigslist. You have to do your due diligence and not be naive. On both ends---parents and nanny. Do your backround checks, etc.
Anyway, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!!
Beware of these lotto scams. Someone I know got into one of them and they sent her a certified check..counterfit..she put it in BOA and did not use any of the money. 3 months later BOA calls and tells her they are going to have her charged in this scam. The problem was they never let her know within 30 days that this check was no good and they couldn't charge her account back. Thank goodness she did not spend that money. She took all her paper work to the D.A.s office and of course she was cleared of being in cahoots with these people. They prey on elderly people and people who are desperate for money.
The money ordersand checks they sendto people for rent and furniture look very real. They must have something else in mind while looking a nanny. People probably disappear after answering that ad.
I received a very similar response to my ad on Craigslist... it seemed a little weird so I did some research and found out he had ads up looking for a nanny in several states. These are the two emails he sent to me.
Hello ,
I'm searching for a good and gentle Nanny for my Daughter Maggie. We just relocated to the city. Are you interested in the position let me know.
Cheers
Mr Mark.
Hello ,
Thanks to the internet access that made me locate you, my name is Mr Mark,My wife died three months ago of breast cancer,I don't wanna talk about this but I think it is important since you would be working as Maggie's Nanny. Maggie is 18 months old .I relocated temporarily to Cairo,Egypt based on my business that is really booming here and my daughter will be arriving shortly back to the city next week, precisely on October 20th, Maggie is here with me right now for holiday . After a serious discussion with my father-in-law concerning a proper care for my daughter, We finally decided to search for a good and responsible Nanny/babysitter. Below you see our offers.
The hours are 8:30 am - 3:00 pm Monday - Thursday, on Friday until 4.30 pm. If you can't work the hours you can work during the Weekend while I get someone else to do the this hours. The monthly pay is $3000.00 for live out and $2800.00 for live in. We will be responsible for your transportation which in exclusive of your weekly salary regardless of the distance. You will be working with my sister and also a housekeeper for a while before I fully arrive back to the city We are strongly searching for someone of well mannered attitudes, neatness and good sense of relationship. We are a Christian family and we love our religion so basically everything we do is according to our doctrines, I don't mind your religion but just letting you know so we don't offend you. If you are interested in this offer, please answer all the questions below so i can have a brief idea of your personality:
1) What academic qualifications do you possess?
2) Do you have any relevant certificate to back up your babysitting/Nanny career?
3) How old are you?
4) Are you married?
5) What is the name of your City?
6) Do you have any crime records?
7) Do you have a valid Bank Account?
8) Tell us more about your temperament .
9) Can we have one or two reference's from you, please send email and phone number for them.
10) Can you handle money if you are given an assignment to carry out?
11) Is your husband/boyfriend/parent in support of you doing this job?
I can see how he tries to lure girls in... poor widowed father, motherless child, good christian family... what a jerk!
I can't see how anyone over 6 years old could POSSIBLY be so stupid as to actually wire someone "back" some money because they "accientally" sent a check for $1000's over the amount required. This scam is everywhere.
I was almost part of the scam that sounds oddly familier. The one where the man lost his wife to cancer and claimed to be a good christian family. I thouhgt this was going to be a great oppertunity. SO BEWARE if you want it to be true at least wait until the check clears before you do anything!
I too heard back from this poor man who lost his wife to breast cancer and needs a nanny for his 22 month old son Mike. I knew not to text him back when he asked if I have a bank account or if I can handle money if I am given an assignmet to carry out. On the same day as him I also got an e-mail from a man calling himself Mr. Clint Rick who is supposedly moving to America from The UK but he was unable to get my state of residence straight so I picked up on his scam early. This creep even attatched a photo of a man holding a young girl. What is this world coming to??
I just had this happen to me.. and I almost fell for it.. even gave them my address, sigh
Hello,
My name is Brandy joseph and my husband name is Tom joseph,We both have a daugther of 3years old.I'm a Handcraftedbeds Ltd while my husband is a druck seller.I want to do exhibition of my Handcraftedbeds in the states at various hall starting from 27th of january and i was told that your area would be the fisrt palce of my exhibition,So i am expected there by 24th this month.I will logding in any hotel nearest to the place i will be doing my exhibition. I am coming to the state with my only daugther kaith.I take her everywhere i go. Because she serves as an inspiration to me. so i planned to have a person that will care for her when i will be doing my exhibition and for her in the period i will be staying for about 3month... I will need your assitance Just for you to care of her the time we will be having on.The time are negotiable- I need care for my girl in different categories from 10.30am-6.30pm monday to friday. I can see that you are fit for the job for your time your listed in craiglist. So i want you to explain better to me the time that you will like to take care of her. i want you to tell me may be you will like to take care of her in my hotel or you will like to take care her to your house. I promised to pay you any reasonnable price you mention as you have mentioned,because I LOVE HER so much.Reply to me as soon as you got my message with all the addition conditions (i mean your fee, the conditions) if there is anyting more you will like me to know about again from the ones that you listed.
We strongly searching for someone of well mannered attitudes, neatnessand good sense of relationship.If you are really interested in this offer, please answer all the questions below so i can have a brief idea of your personality:
1) What academic qualifications do you possess?
2) Do you have any relevant certificate to back up
your babysitting/Nannycareer?
3) How old are you?
4) Are you married?
5) Do you have any special attitude?
6) Do you have any crime records?
7) Do you have a valid driver¡¯s license?
8) Tell us more about your temperament .
9) Can we have one or two reference(s) from you?
10)Can you handle money if you are given an assignment to carry out for my baby stuff if anything is needed?
11) Is your husband/boyfriend/parent in support of you doing this job?
( A)you will be caring for her from 10.30am-6.30pm monday to friday so let me know total amount par hours,Weekly and in a month.
As i said before any questions as regards this offer,feel free to get in touch .
Best Regard,
Brandy joseph
Thanks for your reply,Am very sorry for the late response,Is just that i have been busy with my business, You'r the kind of person i am looking for,I will love my daughter to be with you and in the environment like yours.Your fee and arrangement is okay by me,your rate is ok with me .
So i want you to calculate your fee for the duration of 1-weeks and 1 month as I have already talked with my husband concerning you that you are capable of doing it. I just called one of my dealers (a U.S citizen) that i sold some of my goods too and we discuss about the payment of my goods and we reach a conclusion that he should help me pay you for the first payment and he has agreed to do that for me. He said he is out of the state now for business but he said that he will find a means to send a check to you.All that you will do is to cash the check and make it as payment.So without a waist of time I want you to send me your full name,contact address and your phone number to enable you receive the payment in order to secure my daughter space in your place. I must assure that i am a very good christian and honest person.Fill out the form below so that i can forward it to my client in state..
FIRST NAME......... SURNAME..................
ADDRESS.............................................
CITY................ STATE...............
ZIP CODE................
PHONE NUMBER (S) ...............
GENDER................ MARITAL STATUS.................
AGE................ NATIONALITY...............
Regard,
Brandy joseph
I havent had to look for job in ten years...so desperately needing job i put an add on a rep nanny site.I have saved all the emails and proof i was not involved but this man or men really were good.I cant believe ANONYMOUS IS SO JUDGMENTAL..i sure no one after reading ur comment wants to work w u or ur children.I am devastated over my experience.He paid me week in advance and extra for the 3 yr old twin boys that their mom had passed away at birthg,retired military.My mom and friends have all the forwarded emails and everything matched up names and numbers.We spoke alot via phone.I sent pix.He sent pix.I childproofed our home.I found out it was conterfeit check throughthe bank later.I actually cashed it at the bank on the check and they had a manager approve it after i told her about the nanny job.Im okay now but to realize all this was fake is bazzar....So unless u have been through keep ur comments to urself...it's deeper aND MORE HEARTBREAKING THAN IT SEEMS!NATALIE
Yes, I too was prey to such a scam. I think they are learning a little. He didn't tell me about having to send back money or even about cashing the check. I feel horrible because I 1. need the job and 2. actually told him my address. Here is the first email.
Thanks for your interest. I am planning a new year vacation to Indiana and would be needing a nanny who will take good care of my kid during our stay in the States. I want him to have a wonderful trip as we will be spending a month before returning to Birmingham, United Kingdom and will like to make provision for a good caring nanny now.
My son will be staying with his grand dad while am busy with work, you will be taking care of him between the hours of 1pm - 4pm daily except from weekends which i will be there to watch over him.
My son's name is Paul very bright fun loving, kind and a talented son. I want you to make your self available for the hours stated above and concerning the price, am offering $500 per week which i think is a reasonable pay.
If you will be a live in or out nanny please specify, i do not mind. I want you to get back to me so i can be rest assured that you will take care of him for me. My dad can drop him at your home or if you will come and look after him in my dad's home, no problem.
As regards the payment, a colleague in the states will issue a check in your name for your upfront salary on my behalf as a gift and we would be arriving on 18th of January 2010.
I will greatly appreciate if you will be delighted to accept this offer and as well look forward in having a better service from you.
Kindly get back to me asap with the information below required for further proceedings to take place:
Email me your full name, full detailed address, and your contact phone numbers for confirmation that you will be available for the period of our stay then i will get back to you with my fathers location where you will be babysitting.
While i await your swift response.
Regards,
Mr Ortiz
I received the same thing.
Hello Amanda,
How are you doing and hope you are having a great time over there? i just want to let you know that my traveling agent will be waiting for the western union money transfer sending information first thing in the morning as they are set to proceed with our travel plans,so i will implore to please help me get the money across to them unfailingly and do not hesitate to email me with the sending information as i have requested from you in my previous email.
Thanks and Cindy is saying Hi to you..
Sincerely,
Peter..
How are you doing?Fine i presume..I just want to know if you have send the money to my traveling agent via western union money transfer,i hope by now you must have gotten the money sent to him cause its almost 12noon your time..i will be so glad if you can please email me with all the sending information..
Thanks and hope to read from you soon..
Peter ..
Yes it is a scam and if I were you I would reply saying this..
Fraudulent gain is sweet only for awhile. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 20:17, NIV. "Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel."
Riches gained dishonestly don't last. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 21:6, NIV. "A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare."
Do it God's way. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 11:1, TLB. "The Lord hates cheating and delights in honesty."
God values honesty most. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 21:3, TLB. "God is more pleased when we are just and fair than when we give Him gifts."
I promise to share this testimony all over the world once my husband return back to me, and today with all due respect i want to thank Dr Orissa for bringing joy and happiness to my life. I never believed in any of these things until i loosed my husband, I required help until i found a grate spell caster, And he cast a love spell for me, and he assured me that I will get my husband back in 24 hours after the spell has been cas, my phone rang, and so shockingly, it was my husband who has not called me for past five years now, he made an apology for the heartbreak he have cause me, and told me that he is very sorry for all the wrongs he have done to me and is ready to come back and spend the rest of his life with me. As I`m writing this testimony right now I`m the most happiest woman on earth and me and my husband is living a happy life and our love is now stronger than how it were before our break up. So that`s why I promised to share my testimony all over the universe. All thanks goes to Dr Orissa for the excessive work that he has done for me. Below is the email address in any situation you are undergoing am assuring you that as he has done mine for me, he will definitely do yours. you can contact him via email orissatemple@yahoo.com
is this a scam? Please help me realize it. i need a job and money terribly. Thanks for your help.
Hello,
How are you doing? You are so right about we needing a babysitter and housekeepers. We are relocating to your neighborhood from Dora,Alabama. I recently got a contract with a company on a private research job. However, We need someone that will help in running some few errands and babysitting. We need someone to work 3 days per week 4 hours per day and job includes to pick up of our baby from daycare a few blocks away, someone that is mature whether young or older, loves children, reliable and punctual. The nanny will take care of a 4 yr old girl her name is Kendra for three days a week and will have to take baby home, give her a bath, dinner brush her hair, clean her lunch kit/bag, put back pack away school clothes away and monitor her with the best care possible.
We are willing to provide a Taxi car to pick her up at daycare. Responsibilities for baby will be to look after her feed her meals, bath, keep her clean safe and of course change diapers regularly. My kid is my life so i entrust you to give her the best care..I will be offering you $500 weekly, i will be needing your services for 4 hours at any suitable time of yours between Friday, Saturday & Sunday. If you believe you are fit for this position in as much you will prove yourself to be a reliable and good person, I will instruct my financial to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service in advance.What are your likes and dislikes in KIDS?This offer is for someone of well mannered attitudes, neatness and good sense of relationship and GOD fearing, so if you are interested in this offer, please answer all my questions below:
1) Are you married?
2) Do you have any special attitude?
3) Do you have any crime records?
4)Do you have a valid driver’s license?
5) What is your origination country? And let me know since when you
have been in USA ?
6) How old are you ?
7)Are you a Christian and Honest Person?
I received an email just like this today after I signed up for Care.com ! Scammers are searching everywhere!
Hello,
I appreciate your interest in sitting my Daughter, We do hope to have a good reference with you at the end. I`m hard of hearing and can only communicate via writing, reading lips or text messaging. I hope that isn't a problem? with a 4 years old daughter named Kimberly but we call her Kim, she is loving and fun to be with and always keen on playing with her toys, she is adorable and what every family would love to have as a child. she listen to instructions and a fast learner, She won't repeat what she was told not to do. We are really glad to have her as a child. Also She is potty trained, free eater, well cultured, well mannered, well behaved not allergic to food or anything. Communicating with us is quite easy as we communicate with the aid of relay service so you wouldn't have any problem as far as communicating with us in person.
However, We are relocating to your neighborhood from Montana. I recently got a job with a company as a researcher and we will be needing someone that will help in babysitting Kim for us like hers and helping with some light housework. It is a wonderful 4 day work week, Monday - Thursday. I will be dropping her off in the morning by 9:30 am and will pick her up by 4:00 pm or in the evening by 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm because i can decide to shift my duty to afternoon; if you can't work the hours, you can work during the weekend while I get someone else to do this hours. You can come to us and look after her or I drop her if you want me (Let me know your preferred option). Please note that we have a few applicants for this position but we made you our first choice based on the first approach so we wouldn't appreciate a waste of time.
We are willing to pay $19 /hour which upon calculation will be $19/hr x 4 days x 7hrs which i believe is good and better offer... We are good family and tipping our babysitter wouldn't be an issue in as much as our child has the best care.. The start date is 28th Feb. If you believe you are fit for this position, Please tell us the following about you:-*Do you have a valid driver’s license? *How old are you ? * Are you married? * Do you have any special attitude? *Do you have any crime records? *Do you have an open availability? *Are you Okay with our charges? If not, What are your charges per hour? We will instruct my financial to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service in advance.
Make sure to include your zip code in your response so I could check the map to read the distance between us so we don't end up being far from one another.
Thank you for your time.
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