UK Job Scam

This post is based on my actual experience about me and my friends being scammed by a job in UK.  Last year, the aunt of my friend endorsed us someone who according to her work in Holiday Inn Hotel in UK and that they’re hiring the following positions:

-Waiter

- Housekeeper

- Hotel Electical Engineer

-Warehouse Supervisor

My friend’s aunt said there is no minimum required experience because they really need manpower that time and it was urgent. And so, me, my brother, my friend and his cousin and his neighbor applied for the job we think we qualify. In my case, warehouse supervisor.

We emailed our resume to the email given to us: holidayinnrecruitmentdepartment@yahoo.com and the five of us receive a reply. This people uses the UK Home Border Agency as their front liner. Here’s mine:

HOLIDAY INN KENSINGTON FORUM

97 CROMWELL ROAD

LONDON, SW7 4DN ENGLAND

UNITED KINGDOM

Recruitment Department: +447035947352

Fax: +44-20-73731448

Attn applicant,
    
We received your  CV/resume submitted  to us , Our current vacancies were created due to the temporary onward relocation of our foreign expatriate staffs. After going through your CV/resume, we have found your experience  suitable for the position of WAREHOUSE SUPERVISOR in our reputable hotel. If you wish to proceed with your application, kindly answer the queries below in respect to your application and submit back to our office via e-mail.Your Monthly Salary is 3,000 GBP per month.

1. Are you much willing and able to work for Holiday Inn Hotels Resorts?

2. Are you ready to abide by the rules and regulations guiding the operation of the hotel?

3. In respect to the sponsorship from our hotel management, be informed that the hotel will be responsible for on the management will not be responsible for any further payment in relation to your application which maybe the Account opening fee which you must open with us to enable us pay in your first month upfront salary, such money  will pay by the concerned applicant and will still be credited back  into your account. Such payment cannot be shouldered by Holiday Inn.  Do you accept the mode of sponsorship stated above?

4. How did you learn about this Vacancy? (1.CNN News, 2.BBC News, 3.Search Engine,4.Web Advertisement, 5.Human Resource Department, 6.From a Friend, 7.Other Means) Answer.

Secondly, find enclosed our Official Job Application Form. You are required to print out the enclosed application forms, fill the required information with capital letters and also endorse your authentic signatory, attach and return back to  our office via e-mail as soon as possible. Ensure that all information filled by you is correct to the best of your knowledge for Holiday Inn will carry out investigation if the need arises. 

Upon the receipt of your application forms, we will enter into contract agreement signing with you if you qualify for your applied position, you will be employed in our esteemed  hotel and the necessary employment documents will be dully signed in respect to your employment.

As per accommodation and feeding which is part of our employee's benefits, our hotel has an available staffs' quarters where our staffs are living. Employees are also authorized to live with their spouse in their apartments.This consists of a self-contained apartment with kitchen; toilet and bathroom with modern facilities and breakfast are served every morning to all staffs while on duty. Other employee's benefits include: Transport Allowances, 4 weeks paid leave, Medical Insurance and Flight Ticket.

Finally, while submitting your application forms; enclose the copies of your credentials/certificates if available.

Regards
Mr Mark Perez Sinadjan
For  Project Manager
Holiday Inn Hotels Kensington Forum.

As you can see, the salary is 3,000 GBP around 190,000 pesos. Who will be attracted by this offer?

We exchange email, they ask us to send our credentials, and then next, they ask us to send 150 pounds (or around 10,000 pesos) for registration fee and for processing our clearance and else.

See here the process for our application:

Lunar House  40 Wellesley Road  UNITED KINGDOM.  Tel: +447(0) 111 529 95 Fax + 44 7(0) 207 5768476 Email- ukhomebordervisatravelsagency@yahoo.co.uk                  Date- 21-04-2012.                     GOOD MORNING DEAR CLIENT                                   Compliments of the season, we received your visa application mail  that you were referred to us by Holiday Inn hotel human resource manager (Mrs Bolton) for the assurance of Working visas, work permits and how to open your holiday employee salary account for you to work for them. Mrs Bolton has previously forwarded your details to our office. The Registration Form Fee, working permit, Tax clearance, BNIC (UK National Identification Card) and Social Security Number will will be shouldered by the hotel management, while because without working permit approval  and tax clearance and SSN you will not be eligible and allowed to work here and we have put discounts in the service we wants to render to you. The hotel managements  will be the one to take care of your visa fee, flight fee, work permit fee and other fees needed for the procession of all relevant documents needed for your entrance into UK to work for them. We will work out your papers, documents and Visa fewer than 21 working days once you comply with our instructions.                                              First step…  We have to start by registration of your names at British Foreigners Employment Agency, where I will secure your Job Guarantee Certificate, after securing of your Employment Job Guarantee Certificate.                                            Second step…  I will Issue you all Job Guarantee Certificates which will sign by you and your Employer (holiday inn human resource manager), Apply for your Work Permit Approval at the British Labour Department. Once your Work Permit has been approved at the British Labour Department, Your Authorization Letter of Work Permit will now fax to the British Embassy in your country, where your Working Visa will be stamp on your Passport.                                       Third and final step… After we must secured all your legal Working Permit documents here in UK, We will send a Representative Immigration Officer who will fly down to your country with your original approved documents for stamping. Before the arrival of the Representative Officer, we will furnish you with the details on how to meet with the Representative in your country, Note: the Representative Officer will be the one to accompany you to the British Embassy in your country.    According to the British Labour Law guiding, the hotel as your employer  will be the one to shoulder working visa expenses, work permit  and flight fee, while you in person as  job applicant in accordance with holiday inn management regulations will be the one to open holiday inn employee salary account  where your first month advance salaries will be paid into your account before your arrival to work for them. The charged fee which you will be pay for the opening of the accounts for all of you will be credited back into your salary accounts when the accounts is been opened for you.. We need some more details from you to proceed with the Working permit, the tax clearance and the social security number .Our Office have to make the working permit and tax clearance first, because without this documents the Government will not permit you  to work for holiday inn hotel which might jeopardize your job opportunity here. 1, Original scan copy of your international passports 2, Original scan copies of your two passport photographs, 3, Original scan copy of your Birth Certificates,     4, Original scan copy of NBI Clearance or Police report, 5, Marriage certificate if married. Also note that the date of your travelling down to London UK will be fixed and scheduled, to start work to your duty post as we are told by your employer. You are required to be very fast in sending the above required documents  to enable us finish with the processing of your travel papers at the right time and send to you as instructed by the UK immigrations service law here in London Again in respect to your holiday inn employee's salary account opening for holiday inn hotel to pay inn your first month up front salary for you. according to the barclays bank plc, the minimum amount needed from each of you is  minimum of 150 pounds each of you. Note: The money you paid for your salary account opening will be credited back into your accounts once we opened the accounts for you and your account statement and notification will will be send to you as soon as we opened it and the hotel pay in your first month upfront salary into it. Credit alert will be send to you on your phone and email address. The account opening fee must be send to us through western union money transfer or money gram in our office accountant name Receiver name....... Mrs Clara Thomson Address............ lunar house 40 wellesley Road UK. Amount to send.. minimum of 150 pounds each of you. Total of 600 pounds for 4 of you. This fee will be send to us together in total of 600. Scan the payment receipt and send to us togther with the needed requirements for the procession of your UK legal papers. The enclosed attachment contains the UK visa application form and barclays bank account opening form which you and your wife will fill and send back to us along with the opening fee of 260 pounds and others necessary requirements needed from two of you. Our Customer Service line is open 24 hours a day from Monday to Saturday office contacting hour. Regards, Fazrudeen.     UK HOME BORDER VISA TRAVEL AGENCY.

By this, my brother already withdraw his application for personal reasons. The four of us send that 150 pounds undoubtedly to their representative, Ms. Clara Thomson. Here's my receipt: 

And then the next thing they inform us that we need to prepare 750 GBP ( around 47,000 pesos) to activate our account and that amount will also be used as show money to be shown in the UK embassy prior to our departure. Then, they said a representative will come here to get us and present that 750 GBP to the UK embassy in a matter of days after they inform us about this payment. (This time I already sense there’s something wrong! They were hurrying, aren’t they?)

With this soo amazing offer, all four of us were so eager and excited. However, our excitement were triggered when they email us again that we need to send them the money to make sure we are prepared and the travel of their representative will not be wasted. They promised to refund the amount when their representative arrives here.

Three of us, except me (because I don’t have any money yet), send that amount again to Ms. Clara Thomson to complete our requirements. Again, the money was sent via Western Union.

On the other hand, I tried to contact my uncle and told him about this application of mine, and that I wanted to borrow money from him. My uncle agreed about me borrowing that amount and that I will return it after we show it in the UK embassy. So I am pleased now, feeling relaxed, excited, elated waiting for my uncle to send me the amount in 3 day’s time. Finally, this is a dream come true. Well, that’s what I thought that time.

But it was not a dream come true when I discovered this thing was a scam. I posted a query in scamwarners.com, and then I receive replies that convince me it was really a scam. Oh God, I’m still blessed I did not have 50,000 pesos in my pocket or else we were all trolled. With the information I have, I disseminated the information to my friends. And the rest was epic. We send complains, emails, call the UK embassy for help, etc. Nothing happened. So, that’s how that almost 150,000 come flying out of the window of the poor people to the pocket of those heartless scammers.

After this, we try to follow-up and tell them we wanted to withdraw our money but we heard nothing from them.

I have lots of copies of our emails with regards to this topic. Feel free to email me if you have questions, I'll be more than willing to help you.

I hope you learned something form our experience. Don't get scammed.