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10/16/2008

This is a check received at the BBB (payable to “Clancy The Dog, LLC” – more on that in a minute!) earlier this week in response to a an e-mail response to a “Job Opportunity” received in the BBB’s “info” e-mail box earlier this month. This check is completely bogus. The check was not issued by the legitimate business, Patio Enclosures, Inc, but is instead a criminal effort to steal the identity of this business and create unauthorized checks drawn on the business’s bank account.

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Here’s how this check came about: It started with what sounded like the job opportunity of a lifetime. This job offer appeared recently in the Better Business Bureau’s e-mail:

-----Original Message-----

From: Cnooc Corporation [mailto:jessa@mydestiny.net]
Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 5:33 AM
Subject: C Ltd CNOOC Oil Base Group Ltd.
Address:6 Dongzhimenwai Xiaojie,
Dongcheng District, Beijing, China 100027 Telephone:010-8452101, 010-8453198 Fax:010-6460250 EMail:cnooccorporatedept@yahoo.com.hk
Website:www.cnooc.com.cn

Good Day,

JOB OPPORTUNITY

We are exporters base in China , we deal on Oilexploitation, technical service, chemicals, fertilizar production, refining,natural gas, power generation,financial services, logistic services and new energies development. Visit our corporate website: www.cnooc.com.cn

We have costumers in Asia, Europe, America , Australia , Canada and Africa.

Our company (CNOOC) was established in 1982. We are interested in employing company services, to work with us as our payment agent our north America customers will make payment to you on our behalf for goods and raw materials we supplied to our customers in North America.

If your company is interested in working with us,,we will be very glad, Subject to your satisfaction, your company reward of working with us as a Payment Officer is 5% of any Payment your company receive from our costumers. Most payment ranges from $300,000.00 to $3.3 Million US Dollars. Please if you are interested forward the following info to us:

1. Your Full Name:
2. Payment should be made to: Company?s Name:
3. Your Full Contact Address:
4. Phone/Fax Number:
5. Occupation:

Thanks for your corporation.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. Wu Mengfei
Chief Financial Officer.
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If anyone knows a scam, the BBB staff knows a scam. So generally, our staff would delete an e-mail like this one. However, Bruce Gadansky, the BBB’s Vice President/Operations, decided to get creative. He owns a beautiful Golden Retriver named Clancy, and Bruce decided this e-mail offered the perfect “job opportunity” for Clancy. So off went this reply:

-----------------------------------
Dear Mr. Mengfei,

We are very interested in the opportunity that you offer as we have been looking for an opportunity to make connections in foreign markets to help expand our K-9 kazoo base offshore. At present we are a very small company but we feel that with the investment of soluble cash, our noxious bioemissions product "Squatnpoop” fertilization will explode across the landscape and cover the world. We think your timely offer is the very stuff that constitutes the heart of our product.

We look forward to your reply and thank you for your consideration..

1. Your Full Name: Clancy T. Dog
2. Payment should be made to:: Clancy The Dog, LLC 3.
3. Your Full Contact Address: 844 South 4th St. Louisville, KY 40203
4. Phone/Fax Number: 502.589.9940
5. Occupation: Canine Consultant in peristaltic fescue fertilization

Sincerely,

C..T..Dog
-----------------------------------

It was that easy. Within days, the check for $150,000 was received at the BBB, along with a letter instructing Clancy to advise the scammer by e-mail when the check was received. The scammer will seek to have “Clancy The Dog, LLC” deposit the check to his bank account (Clancy The Dog doesn’t have a bank account, unfortunately) and wire 95% of the money, in various “installments,” to the scammer.

The bottom line: A “job opportunity” that sounds too good to be true always is. And the BBB’s constant advice to consumers still holds: never follow anyone’s instructions to wire money by Western Union or Moneygram, for any reason whatsoever, to someone you don’t know well and trust completely. Most scams rely on convincing someone to send money by wire transfer. Once the money is wired, it’s gone and can never be recovered. Don’t do it.

Here the BBB's VP/Operations, Bruce Gadansky, pictured with his "wealthy" Golden Retriever, Clancy: