In the backdrop of the recent Satyam crisis, spammers are now looking to cash in on the job market with a latest money-muning e-mail, which offers lucrative job opportunities abroad along with an attractive pay scale. The mail is the latest threat to aspiring professionals who just cannot resist clicking on it, thanks to the current frenzy and uncertainty of losing their jobs.
Verifying the mail through informed personnel certainly prevents the money loss disasters. “At least one in ten fall prey losing money across the net,” says Lakshmi Parkavi founder of Thumus Web Solutions who was able to see through the bait of a well-paid job offer from UK. “The mail was from a consultancy service that calls itself Maxis and Gateway offering a job at The Abba Queensgate Hotel. They claimed that they had selected the person after a series of screenings and asked the applicant for the visa processing of 325 pounds. They assured a work permit, free accommodation and renewal of the appointment.” So how did she dismiss such a job lottery? “I once had a stint in UK and know that even for the smallest jobs they conduct a personal interview. Moreover the appointment letter had jarring spelling errors,” adds Lakshmi.
The age old saying – the eyes sees what it wants to see, holds true especially when one is desperately searching for employment. Says Sandhya (name changed on request) an IT professional in the city, “I received a joining letter for a job in UK. It seemed genuine with the mail addressed to me. The content seemed so formal and the pay package was unbelievably attractive. If I had been a little too desperate, I would have sent my visa-processing fee as instructed. I didn’t of course thanks to a friend of mine who had once been tricked in a similar manner to part with money on the Internet.”
The easiest way to dismiss such mails would be the unbelievable financial package they claim to offer. “I also received another mail that claims to pay you 100 pounds for a survey or costumer service evaluation one conducts. This was a means to get all personal information,” adds Lakshmi.
Spammers are making the most of the slow times and exploiting the current calamity trends. Says ML Srinivasan CEO of Chennainet, “One cannot always separate a genuine mail from a spam. They either get hoodwinked into it or dismiss the mail outright. The saddest part of this whole situation is be that people might not be able to help the genuinely needy ones. Now it is the job layoffs, yesterday it was the Mumbai terror attacks tomorrow it will be something else.”
Courtesy: deccan
