We want to make you aware of a scam that has recently been circulating to prevent you from being a victim of this or similar scams. If you’re opening an account at the credit union due to a “new job” solicited through email or Internet job website, please use caution. If the job requires you to open an account, deposit or receive funds and withdraw those funds to wire money, there’s a good chance that you’re involved in a scam. This type of scam is affiliated with the term Money Mule. A Money Mule is a person who transfers stolen money or merchandise from one country or person to another, either in person, through a courier service or electronically. The term is commonly used to describe online scams that prey on victims who are desperately in need of money and a job. Victims are unaware that the money or merchandise they are transferring is stolen.
These too-good-to-be-true job offers come through as spam email, online or print advertisements (Craigslist.com), phone solicitations or as direct responses to resumes posted online. These "dream jobs" are usually labeled as being for financial managers, overseas representatives or payment processors with no experience needed. Another new trick is for the scammer to ask a victim to set up a legitimate, registered company, which they call a franchise, with its own legal bank account, to receive regular small payments (from stolen credit cards). In all cases, they want you to receive money from "customers" into your own bank account, or a new one specially set up at a particular bank or into a PayPal account (from where you then transfer the cash to your bank account). You keep 10% and wire the remainder to them - mostly to Eastern Europe, especially Russia.(Source: Scambusters.org)
