Personal Assistant Job Scam

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:45:52 -0500
notice

The Division of Information Technology (DoIT) has been notified that a scammer is sending out phishing emails claiming to offer an interim personal assistant job available. The offer is a fake. Below is an example of this scam.

From: DJ2205831 <DJ2205831@pusdk12.org>

Date: Tue, Jan 12, 2021

Subject: University of maryland, baltimore county apply for spring winter p/t jobs work from school/home offer for students 2021

To: <@umbc.edu>

I am Annette Bonner, my specializations are foot and ankle, athletic injuries, shoulder and elbow, trauma and

fractures, sports medicine, and arthroscopic surgery. Also interested in procedures of replacing shoulders and knees.

This message was sent to your email because you have an opportunity from the University Office for Students with

Disabilities to work with me to help and assist students with disabilities frustrated with ignorance and lack of services

but as my interim personal assistant. I can assure you this employment is very simple, all you need to do are purchase

some items when needed, mailing of letters, and making payments at Walmart and this employment won't take much of

your time at least two hours daily and three times in a week for ($450).

I am unable to meet up with you for an interview since I am away currently helping the disabled students in

Australia, for all the purchases and tasks to get done on my behalf while I am still away, you will be paid in advance.

Upon my arrival we will discuss the possibility of making this a long-term employment that if you do really impress me

with your services while I am away. My arrival is scheduled for the end of January 2021.

To Apply : Please forward all applications including Full name, Address, Alternate email (different from school

email) and mobile number Attached Resume( Its okay if you do not have resume to attach). Please its highly important

that you reply and send above information to my personal email address(boseannette85@gmail.com) so i can respond

back to you ASAP.

Best Regards

Professor Annette Bonner

In the example above it can be seen that the email is sent from <DJ2205831@pusdk12.org> and has the subject “University of maryland, baltimore county apply for spring winter p/t jobs work from school/home offer for students 2021”. The phishing email itself is claiming to offer students a job as the scammer’s interim personal assistant. The scammer is asking that applicants respond by emailing their personal information. If you have received this email please do not respond.

Please note that in the phishing email above the scammer states that they can not give an interview. This is a red flag as most jobs would want some sort of interview or meeting process or at least a telephone call before hiring anyone. Another red flag is that the email uses words like “high important that you reply,” this gives the user a sense of urgency which can be a sign of phishing and job scam emails.

Of course, the terrible grammar and punctuation are not what you would expect from a professor of medicine, either. It is also odd that the message asks the applicant to respond to boseannette85@gmail.com when the message itself came from a different address, DJ2205831@pusdk12.org.

Always be alert for inconsistencies, especially when contacted unexpectedly, especially when contacted by strangers, and most especially when money is involved.