Fraudulent job adverts

We have been alerted to an email scam that uses Scottish Enterprise’s name.

An unknown party or parties has been sending emails offering employment at Scottish Enterprise. These emails are fraudulent. The senders are not associated with Scottish Enterprise and they are impersonating Scottish Enterprise staff in order to perpetrate a scam.

Scottish Enterprise will never solicit personal information via email.

What to do if your receive one of these emails

  • Delete it - Do not reply
  • If you have already passed personal or financial information to the scammer contact your bank and your local law enforcement agency.

Example email

Sir/Madam, My name is David O' Walters. I am the human resources manager of Scottish Enterprise textiles AND FABRICS COMPANY IN THE UK Presently, our company is looking for a trustworthy bookkeeper, representative in USA.An excellent opportunity to work at home part time and still keep your full time job. Scottish Enterprise textiles is a company that produces and sells Chinese and european textile and fabric materials.Our company produces various clothing materials, batiks, assorted fabrics and traditional costumes. We have clients that we supply weekly in the states. My clients make payments for our supplies every week by checks which are not readily cashable outside of the United States,so we need a representative to assist us in processing the payments. This will enable our cash to flow more quickly and therefore would not tie down our capital. I would be willing to employ you on contract basis to be my payment representative back in the States. I am involved in a lot of travel and this way I could give my clients the authority to make the cheque, money orders, etc out to you. You could then easily cash at your bank, then withdraw 10% of the total amount as your commission and send the rest back to the company through Western Union wire transfer. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS PROPOSAL FOR EMPLOYMENT PLEASE REPLY TO THIS MAIL, WITH THE FOLOWING INFORMATION FOR US TO PROCEED. Name:...................................... Address:................................... Telephone number:..................... LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU SOON. DAVID O' WALTERS (davidowaters@yahoo.com.hk) Scottish Enterprise textiles Apex House 99 Haymarket Terrace Edinburgh EH12 5DH NB

JOB DESCRIPTION?

1. RECEIVE PAYMENT FROM CLIENTS (delivered by USPS)

2. CASH PAYMENTS AT YOUR BANK (PAYMENT WILL BE MADE OUT IN YOUR NAME TO BE CASHED AT YOUR BANK)

3. DEDUCT 10% WHICH WILL BE YOUR PERCENTAGE/PAY ON PAYMENT PROCESSED (Example $5000.00 you would deduct $500.00 pay the Western Union fee out of the $4500.00 left and send remainder to my company.

4. FORWARD BALANCE AFTER DEDUCTION OF PERCENTAGE/PAY TO MY COMPANY (WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER OR MONEY GRAM) *Please make sure your telephone number is correct -- I will need to call you when everything is in place. ATTESTATION You will with the rules as advised earlier in this e-mail and by Job Description. You will notify the company three days ahead if eventually you want to discontinue these funds from coming to your address in order to avoid conflict.