CNA job scam? Please help

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Hello, I have recently been looking though craigslist looking for a position as a CNA, recently I found a job posting that sounds great when I first read it, after looking into it, it didnt really make sense but I wanted to get some input as to wether it was legitament or not, im starting to have doubts, and unfortunately since I am new and naive to this whole craigslist thing, I did give out some personal information. If this is a scam, what do I need to since I already gave out this info? contact my bank? This is the conversation I had with this person, PLEASE help me out to clarify if this is legitimate or not!!!! ALSO, they havent contacted me whatsoever............ AND hes asking me to cash the check BEFORE i start working???

______________________

Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:28:52 -0400

Subject: Personal Care Job Opening

From: ************************

To:

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for expressing interest in Craigslist job posting for the caregiver position!

After reviewing your qualifications I am pleased to offer you this long term position for 4 months. You will be caring for my grandmother ********** whom is 71. She will be arriving by August 24th for vacation and will be staying at a hotel. I will be requiring your services 5x a week for 7 hours a day. Your pay will be $22/hr. so you will receive $770 a week. Your job responsibilities will include getting her meals, socializing and taking care of her minor needs.

Brief Description About my grandmother:

She is Independent; she can go to the bathroom herself.

The only medical issue she has is diabetic and she has insulin she uses.

Upon accepting this position you will receive a check in the mail from a Certified Public Accountant and it must be deposited. The check will be made out in excess to cover the cost of my grandmother's expenses and will include your first week pay advance. Therefore you must deduct your advance from the check in the amount of $770. A money transfer for the remaining balance must be sent by Western Union to the travel agent whose information will be provided to you once the check has cleared your account.

If you are interested in this position and agree to the process of receiving a check, reply with your current contact information and the time and days you will be available to care for my grandma. You will be contacted Via phone within 3 business days by the travel agent.

Full Name:

Mailing Address (include apt# if any):

City, State Zip Code:

Cell/Home No:

Best time to reach you:

Current job status:

Time and days you will be available to monitor her:

Sincerely,

**********

---------

I replied saying

"

Thank you for replying to me, I understand the pay but i need a bit more clarification as to how the payments will work. I also understand that the patient is diabetic and I have had a lot of experience with diabetic patients. Please confirm this position with me so that I will change some plans that I had for the up coming month. Thank you very much"

i also gave the personal information

-------------

He replied with this

Dear Magali,

I wish to congratulate you on the new job. This caregiver position to take care of my grandmother requires your 100% loyalty and co-operation. You will start on 26th of August. Once My travel agent receive the funds from the excess check that will be sent to you by my Certified Public Accountant , he will then proceed to Book accommodation at where you will be taking care of My grandmother.

Please do confirm the information you have provided me for payment to be mailed out to your address

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

For future reference. . .

1. If a job listing wants you to deal with Western Union, do not respond!

2. If a job posting is requesting your bank information, do not respond!

3. You will never have to pay or open your pocketbook for a legitimate job.

4. Legitimate employers do not need to deal with Western Union.

5. Legitimate employers prefer to hire CNAs and caregivers from the local labor pool. It makes no financial sense for them to incur the staggering expense of flying someone in from out of the area when CNAs are a dime a dozen in local areas.

Just some food for thought.

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So pretty much its a scam?

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

read and believe!

SCAM!!!

He has an accountant. He could pay the travel agent directly for his grandma's expenses or his accountant could. In fact, why isn't he doing this? What travel agent would accept this "deal?" Also, why would a travel agent contact you about grandma's date/time of arrival. Doesn't grandson know? Travel agents don't do this sort of thing. They arrange travel and get paid for it, period.

RUN, do not walk away, from this!

If you've given any bank account info., contact your bank--NOW!

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For future reference. . .

1. If a job listing wants you to deal with Western Union, do not respond!

2. If a job posting is requesting your bank information, do not respond!

3. You will never have to pay or open your pocketbook for a legitimate job.

4. Legitimate employers do not need to deal with Western Union.

5. Legitimate employers prefer to hire CNAs and caregivers from the local labor pool. It makes no financial sense for them to incur the staggering expense of flying someone in from out of the area when CNAs are a dime a dozen in local areas.

Just some food for thought.

I agree with everything TheCommuter said and yes, unfortunately it is scam :-(.

You have to be careful with Craigslist, if it sounds fishy it most likely is. Report this posting as scam on Craigslist and block the senders address on your email account. Do not write anything back, they will stop emailing you at some point and move on the other countless people who emailed them. ( I had a experience like this with a childcare offer - nothing happened, I told them I'm going to a lawyer if they try and do anything).

Next time you know, try not to be too upset about it.

Not everything on Craigslist is a scam though, I just got a really good job I found on Craigslist!

All the scams sound identical, the moment I read yours it clicked. You'll realize which ones are legitimate and which are not.

Good luck with finding a job!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
So pretty much its a scam?
The job posting contains all of the red flags associated with a scam.

In addition, that pay rate makes me suspicious. Even in high cost-of-living cities, very few (if any) employers would pay an inexperienced CNA $22 hourly. I live in a major city in Texas where the average newly graduated RN is paid between $22 and $25. Even in high-priced areas such as southern California, Chicago, and NYC, brand new CNAs earn nowhere near $22 per hour.

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Did you give bank account numbers or social security info? It sounds like a variation on a popular and old scam whereby you are sent a check that is deposited into your account and you then send cash to the sender for "fees". Only later do you find that the check is bogus but, the money you sent is gone.

If you gave any personal info alert your bank post-haste.

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I haven't given any bank information but just information such as name address, phone number, and email. unfortunately, but can he get to my bank with that information?

EDIT: Im not a newly experienced CNA, I used to work in a hospital for for 8 years, so that is why i thought that he wanted to pay 22 per hour but i guess i was wrong.

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I haven't given any bank information but just information such as name address, phone number, and email. unfortunately, but can he get to my bank with that information?

Doubtful, but be wary of any unusual activity in your account. Also, just to be safe, alert your bank.

Also, since this is mail fraud, contact the post office about reporting this.

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Did you give your social security number and/or bank account numbers? If you did, along with the other info., you could be in trouble. If you gave these numbers, alert your bank!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I clicked on the website at the end of his email address: H4Ck-Dz team

It does not appear to be a legitimate company or website to me.

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Yes I just saw that that website, sad that i was ignorant to believe that this was real. Now that I have his email address, should I report that to the bank as well just in case? what can they do with my name, address, phone number, and email?

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