Traveller's cheque scam

Hello everyone,
Like you, I’m 30 years old and I’ve recently started looking for a job (but it's already too long) with my bank account starting to take a hit. Anyway, I regularly respond to job offers online. And I want to point out that even while looking for a job, you can still get scammed in 2013. I have training as an executive assistant and that's how I was offered to be the personal assistant of an English-speaking businessman. To this day, I still don’t understand how this gentleman got my email. The Englishman (I won’t reveal his name since I don’t have proof of the scam yet) contacted me and offered me the position of his personal assistant; I am supposed to open his mail, sort his emails, and do his shopping for €250 a week. At first glance, it seems like a good deal, but nonetheless too good to be true. That’s been my feeling from the start which is why I remain wary without showing it to him (not foolish, the wasp ^^). The gentleman also sends me pictures of himself; indeed, he looks quite English ^^ and rich to boot. Diamond ring (or at least something shiny with a bling-bling style) on his right pinky, a photo of him on the golf course, and a video of him playing an instrument (a bit like a celebrity). When I mention a contract and a meeting, the responses are vague because he is someone very busy and often on business trips (he works in oil). He’s actually abroad right now but it’s impossible to know exactly where (in Canada from what I gathered).
And today, the big day, I received in my mailbox 8 American Express Travelers Cheques to cash in my bank...I’ll let you do the math knowing that I have never met this gentleman.
I dream of believing that these cheques are real and that this man is honest…but I have a big doubt that I will clear up tomorrow morning by calling the French Travelers Cheque control agency.
That's my little story!

Hello everyone!
I too have almost been scammed.
I responded to a job offer for an assistant position by requesting additional information about the proposed position.
The person who replied claimed to be named James Whitcomb and explained that I would need to sort his mail, do some shopping for him, and he would cover all the expenses... blah blah blah. But since he is an American in the oil business, he travels a lot and we could meet in a few weeks. I asked to sign a work contract before starting to make everything official. He promised me that but also suggested sending me advance checks. He wrote that he was willing to pay me €300 per week for my work. He further explained that he would send me checks that I should cash at the bank, then I would keep my €300 and with the remaining money, I should go shopping and send him what I would buy.
He almost asked me every day if I had received the checks. I replied that I had never received anything from him, and this lasted 2 months. He disappeared until 3 days ago. I received an email where he assured me that he sent the checks, and indeed, I found an envelope from Great Britain in my mailbox. Inside - 6 traveler's checks AMEX for 500 USD each. A remarkable counterfeit and those who have never used these checks might believe they are valid. I replied to him immediately and he told me to cash them at my bank and to keep him updated when the amount appears in my account. Once the amount was cashed, he would explain what I should do with the money. I started to doubt because it's not normal for someone to send you, without knowing you, just like that, 3000 USD on full trust. Moreover, despite my request, he never gave me his phone number. Nevertheless, since I am in a bit of a difficult situation now and I need a job, I decided to check. Hope dies last - what a fool I am!!! I asked the bank if the checks were fake and they confirmed it. I went directly to the police station with the checks and a copy of the emails to file a report. I replied to his email that I know the checks are fake and I haven't received any more messages from him.

Now I regret that I didn’t take the opportunity to play with him, to make him hope in vain and then laugh afterward... But the important thing is that I didn’t suffer any damage and I don’t have problems with my bank.

DON’T TRUST STRANGERS!!! My mother repeated it to me every day when I was little... now I understand this advice much better.

And remember “If anything can go wrong, it will.” Edward Murphy

Hello!

Oh my goodness, I’m glad I insisted on my research about Nicolas Girad! Thanks to his fake email address nicolasgiradd@gmail.com, I stumbled upon your comments, and I believe you’re going to save my life!

A few weeks ago, I received an email saying I had been selected to be Mr. Nicolas Girad's personal assistant. In this email, he explained that I would be responsible for overseeing and checking his apartment in France, which is under renovation, and that he would be back by March 20 at the latest. At that time, actively looking for a job to pay my rent, I thought this was good news. The strange thing was that I didn't remember applying for this job because I couldn't find any CV I had sent him. I had applied for so many positions that I wasn't sure if I had or hadn’t.

So I kept going. He explained that his French wasn't very good because he is English. Being a student in languages, I thought, well, this might be true. He asked me for personal information for the contract and I hesitated for a long time before giving him my info, but ultimately I did (so address, last name, phone number, social security number...) and a few days later, I received a contract that was half in English and half in French. I tried to research the company that was hiring me, but found nothing; it’s supposedly based in TEXAS, which didn't seem realistic at all. I trusted him...

Then he explained that I would work every morning and that I would be paid by check, which I would receive soon. In the meantime, I researched again but found nothing. I thought I was just being paranoid. This dear man has asked me every day up to today if I received the checks; this morning I replied no, but when I opened my mailbox, there was an envelope that indeed came from the United Kingdom. I decided to do yet another search and found your comments! I indeed received checks that are EUROS TRAVELERS CHEQUES AMERICAN EXPRESS OF €500.

What should I do? I don't want to be contacted by this person anymore, and what should I do with the checks??? Can I file a complaint for identity theft?? He has a lot of information about me, and that worries me...!!

Thank you for your help.

Hello Clarissen
especially don’t do anything regarding the check, it’s a scam and it could backfire on you.

If you reply to me, I can give you more details on the subject.

Forget to tell you if you received this check do not cash it under any circumstances it can come back to haunt you I almost got caught on that side, it’s a blatant scam.

you are having like me do not give money under any pretext without the scam

Hello,
I just applied for a driver position for an 8-month mission on behalf of a director from Exxon Mobil lol ????? M. Raul Corssita) WILL KNOW IF HE HAS 50,000 NAMES (too high the amount he is offering me for the mission, and he sent me traveler's checks 4 times 500; all the same, I am convinced that this is money laundering or a scam like Western Union, etc. since he is asking me to send 1,500 EUR via Western Union to someone named Fahad Jagadayu.
So I am keeping silent until I find proof. Just to know, I will have the traveler's checks checked and if they turn out to be fake, I will FILE a complaint with the police.
HERE are the contact details of the person clericy jean marc, robert ;; te 001 408 256 8735;;
email zarabrownn@gmail.com

I am convinced that it is a scam and I am doing all possible research without success; if you have been contacted by the same process this is proof that it is a scam; I await your news and thank you in advance.
jony

--
me, jony

Hello,
I myself dealt with a scammer when I posted an ad on Le Bon Coin. A so-called British man, working for an airline, so often traveling.
He sent me 4x500 euros in Travellers Cheques (when I only asked him for 100 euros). He told me I had to sign the cheques, put them in my name, exchange them at my bank to get cash, and send the change via Western Union. So, I signed the cheques and wrote my name on them. Then I got a phone call from a friend, we chatted, and I explained to her what I was doing. And then, she stopped me and explained that it was a SCAM! That the cheques were probably fake and that I needed to file a complaint.
So, I didn't cash the cheques, but they are signed (even if they are fake). If I go to the gendarmerie, will the fact that I signed the cheques and put my name be a problem?
Plus, this crook also has my name, my address, my mobile number, etc. I'm a bit worried that he might try to contact me again or something, since he has personal info (address...), what do you think?
Should I make him walk?
Thanks in advance.

Good evening everyone,

Recently, I was contacted by Mr. Wenzhao Xie (or someone impersonating him) from the company diesel.models.uk

I was tricked into signing a fake contract!
As a result, I am being prosecuted for attempted fraud against the postal service for 2500 euros of counterfeit travelers checks...........

Bonjour, et moi aussi, je viens de savoir que la personne qui m'a envoyé des faux travellers chèques. Je suis bête, mais voilà, je passe une année difficile et la personne est toujours en contact avec moi. Je ne sais plus quoi faire, je voudrais de l'aide. Merci.

Welcome to the club! The checks are not stolen but rather "fake" ones (of very good quality). You can have a little fun and "make them wait" by explaining that your bank is blocking these checks due to several scams and yada yada yada.......! Or you can frame them... but whatever you do, don't cash them because in 60 days your bank will ask you to reimburse the amount of the fake checks. If you haven't filed a complaint for breach of trust, you will be accused of possessing counterfeit! Kudos to this site for allowing girls like me, who have been scammed, to warn you not to make the same mistake. They know how to play very well with our feelings! But the wake-up call is very hard! Keep your money for yourself and your loved ones; you surely need it! Don't let yourself get fooled! I was also contacted by an American stationed in Afghanistan! But upon closer inspection, his uniform bears an English patch. When I asked him why an American soldier would wear an English patch, he cut off contact!...... Good luck! You can reach me at my email if you want: mihyr@dbmail.com

Hello,

My name is Agnès. Your story is similar to mine; I also met a man on Meetic who claimed to be American and a soldier in Baghdad, Iraq. He was also widowed and a father of a 10-year-old boy. I believed his story
and to quickly come and join me and retrieve a package, he sent me traveler's checks worth 7,000.00 euros, which I cashed and transferred to someone in GHANA.
After verification, it turns out that those checks are fake, and my bank will charge me that amount, leaving me with a frozen account and suspected of money laundering.
So please do nothing except go to the police to report those checks, do not make any transactions, and most importantly, do not get in touch with this man again, as he only wants your money.
Good luck,
Agnès

Don’t cash them in!
Call Paris Travellers, they will give you the phone number where you can find out what’s going on by providing the cheque numbers!
For sure, it’s a scam!
Good luck!

Hi, I'm Mattias and a certain David Miller sent me €2,500 in traveler's checks under the pretext of taking photos of me, in my opinion to create false documents. Whatever you do, don't cash the money because you could become an accomplice. Be careful, consult a lawyer; consultations are free at all courts.
Hi

Hello, I was a victim of an American, supposedly on a business trip in Greece. He asked me to exchange traveler’s cheques, claiming that he couldn't do it in Greece! I followed his instructions to the letter and today I find myself with a complaint from the post office where I deposited the travelers! What is going to happen to me? What can I do??? I'm so scared!! This man acted under the name of Daniel Maiden, living in New Jersey, and through the site Easy Flirt!!! At first, I believed in a beautiful story and I got deceived!!

Hello franfran,

How are you doing with your story?

It's a scam!
If you receive traveler's checks, bring them directly to the police station because they will be fake!
If you have doubts, take them to the bank, but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you return the money!
Wait at least 8 weeks to know if they are real (it took me 6 weeks for them to tell me they were fake and the money was gone because my banker told me it was fine! And I have no recourse). Don't make the same mistake as me.

Good evening Franfran

I advise you to take these travelers' checks to the police station as soon as possible, because they are fake.
You are in contact with a scammer, likely a Nigerian, who wants to use you for money laundering.

Not only are you risking serious problems with your bank, but you could also be accused of complicity and fraud.

So, you must not speak to this guy anymore. Delete him from your contacts, do not respond to emails or phone calls, and go to the police station first thing tomorrow.

I hope you do what I say.

Isis