Mail scam hits Birmingham area

The latest scam to hit the internet has just arrived in the Birmingham area from Nigeria.

The Birmingham Police Department reports this scam targets people seeking part-time positions called “mail assistants” for work done at home.

Vacancies are posted on Craigslist.com under the name of ABS Consulting.

Based in the country of Luxembourg, ABS purports to have facilities throughout Europe, referred to as “Forward Luxembourg.”

Job seekers are told they will provide mail forwarding services for expatriates, international travelers, and seasonal workers around the world.  Workers are asked to perform simple task:

- Receive mail at home.
- Scan the front of each envelope received.
- E-mail scanned images to the company.
- Ship accumulated mail biweekly, using prepaid UPS or FedEx postage labels.

After two weeks on the job, assistants get an e-mail promising an $800 paycheck, plus an extra $200 bonus. But to test their “integrity,” they’re told they’ll get a check for $2,800 and must mail a check back to return the extra money.

The $2800 check may look legitimate, but it is bogus. Instead of getting paid, the worker now has to pay the bank the full amount. Worse, the scammer now has access to the worker’s checking account and the worker has committed a criminal violation by scanning victims’ mail.