Internet Scam Exposed

     I was reading through my e-mails last week when I came across one claiming to be a job offer. The message was sent from a representative of a company named DJM Bathrooms & Tile based in the United Kingdom.  The sender explained how they did not have a representative in the U.S. to handle payments for their product and asked if I would be interested in the posistion.  I am currently in need of some extra cash and this seemed to be an easy way to make some, so I went along with it.

     The next message I received was a warning about similar offers for the same type of employment and I was directed to notify the DJM representative if I found any such e-mails.  Within two days I received a similar message stating the same offer, so I let DJM know all about it. I was sent a response thanking me for my prompt report of the similar message and was told that the DJM representative would report the scam.

    I began to feel as if things were not adding up so I decided to check up on DJM Bathrooms & Tile.  My search led me to a site that distributes bathroom fixtures and tile products. This put my mind at ease a little.

     The next message I read said that in a couple of days they were going to ship payment to me via UPS next day air. After that I received a UPS tracking number and an address in West Africa where I was supposed to send the money.

     Today I signed for the UPS parcel and inside were two money orders for $855.00.  They say Money Gram on them and are issued by WF National Bank located in Minnesota.  I was directed to cash them into my bank, keep 10%, and transfer the remaining funds via Western Union.

     I was off to the bank as quickly as I could go. Thank goodness for the observant bank teller! She recognized the documents as forgeries almost immediately. Further investigation on my part confirmed that the two money orders had already been cashed last month for two very different amounts. I was very relieved that I had not gone through with the transaction as I would have been liable for $1,710.00

     I just want to let as many people know about this scam as I can. I must admit, the scam is very beleivable and I was convinced I had found a very easy way to put some cash in my pocket with very little effort on my part. I as yet do not know how else to report this scam to the authorities but am sure I will find out soon and put a stop to these criminals.

     It would be my pleasure to here from you if you have had a similar experience and any insight on how we may stop these people would be greatly appreciated.