Letter From Annie's Mailbox About Job Scams

I saw in the newspaper this morning that "Annie's Mailbox" has a letter from a person who was scammed by a company offering employment. I published a comment last night from someone that said they had received checks in the mail they deposit and then mail back money orders to another location.

I can't help but wonder how long it will take this person who posted to be in the wrong with the bank or financial institution she or he uses when the checks are deemed fraudulent.

That anonymous person simply posted, "rec two mos for 855.00 each do the math and mine is 171.00 dont see any harm in cashing and sending to a third party"

I would like to understand what this means as far as a comment. I don't understand the first part of the commentary provided.

I haven't received any comments that are positive with any of these job offers that are all within this blog. I assure you if I receive some that are positive, I will certainly post them.

That individual who posted the comment above should still be careful. Just because the checks supposedly are legitimate (I just can't understand how they could be--would a scammer really want to not scam someone) doesn't mean they will always be this way.

Have you been scammed? Are you really tempted by these job offers? I just can't be tempted but I welcome those who have any feedback to others who may be reading this forum and wonder.

Here's the Annie's Mailbox letter from June 24, 2009:

Annie's Mailbox®, June 24

Dear Annie: I recently lost my job of 13 years. While checking out various employment listings, I came across a work-at-home position. I did a quick Google search and found that the company had several locations throughout the eastern portion of the country, all with what seemed to be actual addresses and phone numbers, so I thought the job would be OK to accept.

As it turned out, the whole thing was nothing but a huge scam, and I got sucked right into it. The job involved cashing money orders from the company's customers and then wiring it to Canada. As a result of all the money orders having been counterfeit, I am on the hook to my bank for nearly $25,000.

I surfed the Internet looking for some sort of victim's assistance and have been unable to find what I need. I turned the whole matter over to the FBI, and when I called them back a few days later, I was told it would be at least a month before an agent assigned to the case would contact me. Can you please help me locate some sort of assistance program to help me pay back all that money to the bank? — Stepped in It in California

Dear California: Although you were on the wrong end of this scam, you are also a victim. Consider contacting the National Center for Victims of Crime (ncvc.org) at 1-800-FYI-CALL (1-800-394-2255), as well as a bankruptcy lawyer who might help you find a way out of this mess. It also wouldn't hurt to talk to someone at your bank about whether a type of deferred payment can be worked out while you wait for the FBI to get around to your case. Your situation should serve as a warning to others. When something seems too good to be true, it generally is.


It's me again...have a good day out there!! Don't give up on your job search with real and legitimate companies.