I received an email to day from the “Red Cross” about a job offer. It asked if I wanted to work at home from my computer with the “world’s largest humanitarian network” (Red Cross) and earn up to $6,000 USD/monthly. Who wouldn’t, right? I hate emails like this because using a name like Red Cross and creating a site that looks legit, dupes so many people out of their money. But careful scrutiny and research reveals this email to be a fake check scam.
Red Flag Number 1: The email has a .fr ending, suggesting its from France, not the U.S.
Red Flag Number 2: The email does NOT come from a Red Cross domain (i.e. redcross.org).
Red Flag Number 3: The website URL is not a Red Cross website (i.e. redcross.org)
Red Flag Number 4: The job entails collecting donation payments through “bank transfer, Checks and Money Order”
I contacted the Red Cross who said, “Thank you for contacting the American Red Cross. The email you referenced is a scam. The appropriate office has been notified.”
This is a fake check scam. Essentially you’d receive money from “donors”, put it in your bank, then get a cashier’s check for the donation minus your fee, and send it to the “Red Cross” (although it wouldn’t really be the Red Cross). In a few days or weeks, your bank would call you and tell you the check you cashed is bad and that you need to cover it. If you didn’t have the money, you’d lose access to your account. Even worse, you could be arrested for depositing a fake check.
Remember, the odds of you getting a job offer out of the blue in your email is nil, zilch, zero. Companies don’t need to email people to fill their positions. They post open jobs on job boards and let you apply to them.
If you get this email, delete it!
