Dubious Job Opportunity? Advice needed

crisp2k2

Hi, hope someone can help. I'm a student who posted an ad on a job website requesting part-time work. I got an e-mail telling me there was a work from home opportunity, and to send my name and address.

Next, I got the following e-mail:

Hello,
Good afternoon,we are updating you regarding your first assigment,your first work will commence tommorow morning.one of our client has posted a package via ROYAL MAIL to your residence which will deliver tommorow morning.the package contains application paper documents and also payment TC checks of $1000 for the registeration fee .first you will need to process the payment check fee for application into cash and secondly you will receive further instructions on how to fill the documents.below are the instructions on how to cash the payment registeration TC checks.kindly respond as soon as you recieve these email to ensure you understand these first assignment.

Cashing instructions
The process is very easy and flexible,you will write your names where they wrote "Pay this cheque to the order of" and you will sign where "they wrote purchaser sign" and you will fill in the current date which you will be cashing the checks and you will have to counter sign once more in front of the cashier paying you in your bank where they wrote "counter sign" and tell the cashier to deduct an encashment fee of about 20-25pds to cash the checks.so instantly the cash will be giving to you in pounds.so once you are done you get back here asap

Regards
Sarah Jimx

That was yesterday. As you can see, the English is terrible, and the instructions very hard to follow. Today I received a package containing just 2 VISA travellers cheques, with TOSHIBA TOURIST CORPORATION written on them. They are to the value of 500 US Dollars each.

I am highly worried about the legality of this, and also my obligations if I don't want to do the work. I have not signed anything, only sent my details via e-mail.

Any help will be appreciated.

stagey_2

has got to be a scam!

SomeBozo

If it sounds like a duck, smells like a duck, looks like a duck, its usually a duck.

Ie a scam.

It will be something along the lines of a "advance fee" scam. At some point you will have to wire some money somewhere. The cash and cheques you will have will turn out to be forged and bounce.

Bozo

PasturesNew

It is a scam.

You receive the money into your bank account, keep some and pass the rest on to them.

But then the original payment turns out to be fraudulent, so the bank takes the money back out of your account. But you've already paid your "employer" ... and now they've done a runner.

fengirl_2

See this useful website: https://www.419eater.com

crisp2k2

Thanks a lot. I've done a bit of google research since I posted and it seems to be a common scam. On closer inspection, the cheques are blatant fakes too. There aren't even watermarks.