UNEMPLOYED: BEWARE OF JOB SCAM PROMISING EASY MONEY

By Juan Montoya
With the stigma of unemployment causing deep stress in our community, there are predators out there who are only too wiling to prey on the desperation of others.
We have learned that a teen who was searching the Internet for employment opportunities came across a want ad from Craig's List that was seeking people to clean houses in the 78520 zip code.
The offer was too good to pass up and he sent the author of the want ad an email offering his services. Soon, an email response appeared where the homeowner "Kelly" said that the work required him to clean a three-bedroom home three times a week for $500 a week.
Was he interested?
With some professionals earning that much, the teen promptly responded in the affirmative and "Kelly" emailed him information indicating that an advance check for $500 would be sent via Federal Express overnight and said she was counting on his "honesty" to do the work.
Sure enough, within a day or two the Federal Express deliveryman handed him a package. Inside the package, however, was not a check for $500, but rather one for $2,300.
A subsequent email from "Kelly" told the teen that she had mistakenly sent him the additional $1,800 due the rental agent by mistake and that she was counting on his "honesty" to deposit the check in his account, take his $500, and send the rest back to her by "Western Union" or "Moneygram."
Things by then seemed fishy to the teen who consulted with his mother, who, of course, flipped.
The return address on the Fed Ex letter was to the Gratiot Community Hospital in Alma, Mich., which does exist. But the check itself was drawn to the Marquette Home and School Association, of Marquette, Mich., which also exists, although the check shows a Tulsa, OK., address.
A check on the Internet indicates he is not the first person this scam has targeted.
A response on the question of the check's legitimacy drew a response from a reader saying:
"This is a counterfeit check scam and it takes 4 weeks for the check to bounce - after your bank has processed it and it has been sent back to the bank holding that account. Then they look at their records to see that check number either is out of sequence or has already been cashed and YOU have to pay your bank back the entire amount of the check.
Marquette Home and School Association is a Catholic association based in Marquette Mich. If you are not a teacher at one of their schools or a parent of a student, then there is NO way they would be sending a check to you."
The teen in Brownsville ended up calling the Federal Trade Commission and reporting the scam. His mom freaked and called the local cops, who took the report but since no crime had occurred, told them to forget about it.
Innocents, beware.