Hello,
Some of you may have noticed a recent topic made by me on this section, wherein, I had enquired about living costs in Malayasia and the salary I could expect etc etc. Yes, I had a 'chance' for employment there.
However this chance was a 419 scam, meaning, the sort of scam you would see in your mailbox - the one where it says you won a lottery or you have a great grand uncle in Africa who left you 90 million dollars. Read on to understand how it happened and how you can find out whether it is a scam or not.
I was surfing the net one day to check for employment opportunities abroad. I found an ad for a reputed hotel calling for all sorts of worker categories and applied. Now the e-mail address had the suffix mail2chef.com. This is the first clue. I didn't take this clue about the scam though, as I had done a check for the full address and the owner of the mail ID to check for blacklisted addresses and found none. Basically, any such organization should have the suffix involving the organization's name. However, knowing that the employment office was different from the actual hotel where it was said I could work, and also the info that it was not blacklisted, I applied.
I got a basic application form, a written questionnaire and subsequently, a call from the guy whose name I checked. He asked me a few questions for the oral interview, he sounded aged too. Aged enough to be a senior member in the human resource section of any organization. Finally, day before yesterday, I got the appointment letter.
The appointment letter seemed very original. It gave all info any employment letter should have. However, it offered me 2.5 times of what I had asked for. This was the second clue. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it most probably is. However I didnt take that clue at this point either because I was sure that if there is a scam, money would be involved.
Now the office guy who mailed me told me to contact their immigration attorney. They also mentioned the immigration procedure which I counter checked with a RL friend I have in Malaysia. He knew the hotel and the procedure and so, I did send a few things (nothing very serious) for the clearance of the papers.
Now comes the part which proved it was a scam. I got a mail from the immigration attorney telling me that he will help me out. But he needed 450 dollars for the processing fee. This is the point where I checked the email address for a blacklist. Asking of money from the prospective employee over the net is unheard of for such employment. This was the third clue.
I did a search of the email address of the immigration attorney on google. And yes, he was blacklisted, on multiple sites. Furthermore, many websites showcased complaints by people regarding such employment 'chances' in various hotels in Malaysia.
I was lucky that I felt like checking on the address. I was lucky not to part with cash. Many others were not. Guys, if you have friends or family who talk about such possible chances abroad, warn them. Tell them that such scammers know the immigration procedures and other formalities and they will sound genuine. But ask them to look out for the clues I mentioned and also use their head.
I must admit that the possibility of earning 10 times of what I was earning here almost got to me. But again, thanks to God's grace, nothing happened. When you all reach the age of going into employment, be very careful. Fraudsters will think of newer and newer ways to scam. Be careful
Cutt3r
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