Police warn of email job-offer scam

Police are warning internet users of a new hoax email variant involving false or misleading overseas job offers.

Constable David Burmeister, of Palmerston North CIB, said the apparently genuine emails could be in the form of doing charity work by disseminating funds, or just a straight offer of "easy money".

Mr Burmeister said police had recently dealt with two cases where people overseas were hacking into New Zealand bank accounts and electronically stealing funds.

"Because they can't transfer money directly overseas to themselves, they use a mule bank account in New Zealand," Mr Burmeister said.

"They will contact a person in New Zealand and talk to them, or take bank account details from them and then get that mule to transfer the money overseas via Western Union Funds Transfer."

He said if an email offered easy money which involved funds being transferred through a New Zealand bank account, "seek advice from your bank or the police before doing it".

"The best advice I can give is, if it appears to be too good to be true, then it usually is."

One such email is from Francois Veillon, manager of a human resources department of Global Austrian Syndicate (GAS), who offers a "perfect" vacancy as financial manager working with private individuals.

"We also provide a full range of financial services to companies and to individuals as well," the email says.

It offers a "prestigious part-time job" in a team of highly qualified specialists and the chance to "earn a real fortune".

It goes on to say: "The main advantages of working as a financial manager dealing with private individuals are: you don't need any experience or specific knowledge, you don't need to make any advance payments and the job won't take much of your time."

The listed range of duties includes receiving payments for the ordered stocks and bonds from GAS clients to an individual bank account, and withdrawing the funds and transferring them further to GAS brokers via Western Union or Money Gram services.

"Your salary is eight per cent commission out of every deposit that you receive to your bank account."

- NZPA