It All Happened inside of Five Minutes_ Literally!

Tonight, I came home from my weekly check-in with a friend whose shop is not far from my current abode, and thought I would just check the local craig's listings for employment potential. This has become part of my daily ritual for months now. What did my wondering eyes happen to see first, at the top of today's listings, but the following ad title(?):

Reception and Bookkeeping /ART GALLERY/ (corvallis/albany)

I began this quest about 7pm my time and by 7:10pm, the ad had literally disappeared from the craigslist listings all together! DISAPPEARED right before my eyes! But, not before I had done a little digging after, I had responded immediately to the ad.
I was duped; taken in; my personal contact information scooped up and who knows how it may be being used, as we speak.

I did also just contact my bank to cover my back, just in-case. I am also posting it to my blog for everyone to be aware of the level of unscrupulousness that some desperate souls will stoop to, in a recession. BEWARE of all employment ads on craigslist anymore. I am sorry to say this, but it has become a nest of connivers! Not just this ad, but increasingly there are more phantom employment gimmicks posted than actual, local positions for real work!


The ad of such concern in my experience, as it appeared briefly (a couple of hours total from the look of things) on craigslist tonight, is as follows, DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!!:


Date: 2010-01-23, 5:40PM PST
Reply to: see below

ART GALLERY BOOKKEEPER

Major contemporary art gallery (specializing in contemporary painting and sculpture), located in midtown, is currently interviewing for a full-time position. This position involves bookkeeping, gallery reception (answering the telephone and maintaining front desk) as well as some assistance with archiving.

The position requires someone who is highly organized, detail oriented, efficient, and quick with numbers, as well as energetic, unpretentious, and personable. The applicant should have experience as a bookkeeper and a strong visual sensibility. The applicant must be proficient with a Windows PC and have knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as some experience with databases and the internet.

The work-week for this position will be Tuesday through Saturday during the fall, winter, and spring, and Tuesday through Friday during the summer.

This is a long-term position. After an initial trial period, the Gallery requests a commitment of at least three years.


Please contact Thomas M. Smith at thomasmsmith@gmx.com and attach a resume if possible.

* Location: corvallis/albany
* Compensation: great compensation - negotiable!
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.



This is a copy of the autoresponder email contents that came back in my emailbox:

thomasmsmith@gmx.com
to me:

show details 6:56 PM, 1/23/10

GMX Autoresponder

Thank you for your interest in the Reseption and Bookkeeping position we have posted through Craigslist. To complete the application process please click on the link below.

To apply for this job click here http://newjobsforlife.com?183466

Thank you
Thomas Smith

This autoresponder e-mail was sent in reply to your message. Please note that additional automatic replies will only be sent once per week, regardless of the number of times you try to contact this recipient.

© 2008 GMX Internet Services Inc.
GMX is a registered trademark of GMX Internet Services Inc.


THIS IS THE SITE, CONCERNING FRAUDULENCE THAT CAME UP, IN A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THE NAME OF THE COMPANY (THOMAS M. SMITH GALLERY), it came up as a "Money Mule Scam":


http://www.fraudwatchinternational.com/fake-jobs/thomassmithartsgallery/