Current Status

This blog is not frequently updated because most case-by-case scam reports are now listed in subordinate blogs. At this point in time, most of my efforts are targeted at documenting employment scams in the Suckers Wanted blog.

2006-07-18

Job Scam: Several, but the same rat behind the curtain

Oh dear, the job scams are coming thick and fast at the moment. In the past six hours or thereabouts, I've received employment offers from "Swiss Invest, Ltd" (http://swiss-invest-ltd.biz/html/index.php?sect_id=6), "UK Modulus Invest Co." (http://modulus-uk.biz/), and "Global Austrian Syndicate" (http://gas-limited.org/html/index.php?sect_id=5). We've seen all these names before, although the associated domains keep changing.

What's worth noting is the striking similarities between these three scams, as well as the differences between different spams for the same entity, which makes all three look like the work of a common scammer/gang. The "Global Austrian Syndicate" spams, for example, sometimes use an image instead of text, but sometimes use plain text. In a recent instance where they used an image for the body, they also used a bunch of meaningless "filter-buster" text: "best from do you but very good why" and so on. This same pattern of filter-buster was used a little while before that in a "Swiss Invest, Ltd" spam.

Other similarities include the style of the image when images are used instead of text, and the use of botnets to host (or proxy-host) the actual website. Lastly, they all want you to act as a "Financial Manager" dealing "with private individuals", and accept direct transfer of funds to your account then forward the money via Western Union or Money Gram after deducting a percentage: 6% for "Swiss Invest, Ltd", 8% for "Global Austrian Syndicate" and "UK Modulus Invest Co". So ultimately it's exactly the same scam in every case: they send you stolen money, and you send them your money. The easily-traced stolen money (and the police force that follows it) is then your problem, not theirs.

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