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Scam Alert

Beware: New Email Scam

Feb 8, 2009

New email scam that targets overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), their families and their friends, has been reported circulating over the Internet.

 

A report in The Peninsula, a Qatar-based news website, said that the scam is collecting the email addresses and passwords of their potential victims through a social networking site that will ask you to enter your email and password and the hacker will start chatting with you pretending to be one of your friends in the list.

 

According to the story told by an OFW based in Malaysia, who is fortunate as he was not victimized by the con-artist, he was chatting with a friend who’s based in the Philippines when his friend asked him to click a link that leads him to a social networking site. The new site asked for his email and password. Since he thought that he is talking to his friend, he followed his friend’s request.

 

Then after that, he received a text message from his supposed friend asking him where he could purchase prepaid roaming phone cards, which cost a hefty Php50,000 or approximately QR4,000. The friend is asking him to buy those cards which he can sell to other OFWs in Malaysia and earn some profit.

 

The OFW is quick to realize that it is not his friend in the Philippines he is dealing with so he immediately canceled his purchase.

 

He found out that his email account was once hacked and the hacker is trying to obtain money from him.

 

An IT expert was consulted and found out that the hacker got an idea from a social networking site and created something that is similar with this site and uses it in collecting the emails and passwords of OFWs using the Internet in communicating with their relatives and friends.

 

There are other similar cases that have been reported and have victimized several Internet users who were asked to enter their email addresses and passwords.

 

Internet users are advised not to enter email passwords on any site and it’s better to use two passwords, for email purposes and the other one is for general purposes, like in joining social networking sites. And if it involves money matters, call the person you are dealing with before sending the money.

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Reader Comments
 i got a job offer in uk,my employer he promise he shoulder all the my travel expenses,ib can only shoulder is my working pernit,but lately the uk border agency he asking me for money i already send 20,475 pesos but until now,he asking me another requirements is a police clearance,but i didnt start to work to my employer yet,i already worried i ask help for help one of my friend shes living in uk,and we found out that the job i apply is scam.i post mi resume at workabroad is happen to me,to all my co ofw please more carefull, - Mary Jane Castro Raguine

 Jeff Ostey also goes by name Jeff Oz, Jeffrey Ostby has warrant for arrest for thefts in several states including state of NJ. He is a scam artist and is also on several single dating websites to scam woman into falling in love with him and then stealing from them. Beware!!!!! - Annonymous

 Beware of offers coming from Dr. Jeff Ostey or Jeff Ostey. He is from Greater area of Milwaukee in Chicago USA. Sometimes he goes to Denver, New York and New Jersey. Be careful because he is proclaiming himself to be an owner of HIS company for recruiting people from Asia to go to USA such as Denver Colorado and New York especially for teachers, Doctors and nurses. He is a complete scammer! If you get to visit his website, usprofessionalplacementservices@webs.com (whatever!) do not be deceived by the offer. Or if you happen to have sent him your resume, do not entertain him ever again because he will ask you to pay money through Western Union which is a big no-no. Accdg to POEA, all placement fees should be shouldered by the employer. So don't give out your money for any reasons he may convey. If you did, after sometime, he will never get in touch with you again and will give you unreliable documents and information. SO please, better get a legit agency that has POEA license, not him who doesn't even know the rules in hiring an OFW. F*** his s***. - Concerned Citizen

 Beware of offers coming from Dr. Jeff Ostey/Jeff Ostey. He is from Greater area of Milwaukee in Denver USA. Sometimes he goes to New York and New Jersey. Be careful because he is proclaiming himself to be an owner of HIS company for recruiting people from Asia to go to USA such as Denver Colorado and New York. He is a complete scammer! If you get to visit his website, usprofessionalplacementsservices@webs.com (whatever!) do not be deceived by the offer. Or if you happen to have sent him your resume, do not entertain him ever again because he will ask you to pay money through Western Union which is a big no-no. Accdg to POEA, all placement fees should be shouldered by the employer. So don't give out your money for any reasons she may convey. If you did, after sometime, he will never get in touch with you again and will give you unreliable documents and information. SO please, better get an agency here in the Philippines that has POEA license, not him who doesn't even know the rules in hiring an OFW. F*** his s***. - Concerned Citizen

 I also received an email from uk that he need a nanny or a caregiver...they said that they will pay everything only the certificate of sponsorship we're going to spend. Can you please help us if this email is one of the scam or not? How and where they get our e-mail add? - Rey

 im applying as a maintenance in Brunel london hotel by an email.and according to the agreement that i must pay my working permit and visa.pls mam/sir can you verify or check for me if it is a scam or not.pls respond to my email add. - Jon

 How should I know if the email add is scam or not? There are many advertisements posted in POEA website and workabroad from UK that hiring a nanny or babysitters...are they scam? please help me..thank you. - Grace T.

 How can I verify if the website is legal? There's a website in UK, it's like a classified ads for different kinds of job. How will I know if it's genuine and not scam? - Jocelyn T.

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