Strange possible scam?

[Mobilemike]

I replied to a job posting that wanted a sound assistant for a musical concert tour and got the following email in reply - it looks super sketchy to me but I'm not sure what they think they will accomplish by scamming sound geeks  I should mention even though they apologized for the delay in replying, they replied only 8 hours after I send my resume. 

Just curious what you guys think:

Hello i am so sorry for the delay in reply your email on my ad on CL I have been so busy  with work load  i am so glad that you are willing to work with our crew team as a Boom assistant, But since we are still working on  location  for the event in your area,  you will be informed before the concert date Listed below are job descriptions that you will be doing as our Boom assistant

A) Boom Operators assist the Production Sound Mixer and operate the boom microphone. This is either hand-held on a long arm or dolly mounted (on a moving platform). If radio or clip microphones are required, Boom Operators position them correctly around the set or location, or on actors’ clothing.

B)Boom Operators assistant are responsible for positioning microphones so that Sound Mixers can capture the best quality dialogue and sound effects. If this is done well, a great deal of money can be saved by not having to re-record (post-sync) the dialogue at a later stage.

c)Boom Operators Assistant  are also responsible for all the sound equipment, ensuring that it is in good working order, and carrying out minor repairs where necessary.

 

D) As our Boom Operators Assistant you will be assisting when it comes to the Purchasing on Sound Equipment needed to be bought  for this event .

This Music concert is called the (A Prairie Home Companion) it starting on the 1stth july and closing on the 2nd july this is a musical Tour event and  we have been picked by the organizer to handle the Sound Mix and Radio Live BroadCast and etc that is why we are in need of a boom assistant who will be working with our sound engineers.

 

 

I am always on business trips  which is usually quite often. I would like to inform you that you will be paid  Upfront if that is ok by you to enable you get yourself prepared on the days of the shooting .We are  kicking off fully on the 1st july   .Your day payment is $250 Total Payment for 2days is $500.00 But you will be paid your first day  payment to book you down upfront your rest balance will be paid to you in cash at the end of the day of event which is on the 2nd July .This Job is not a Full time Job at this point but if your performance is impressive to me i would consider you on our next concert event  as a full staff.

Kindly note we are  Fully  in charge of all Payment made so please  take note of that. So we would be making out your First day payment through check to book you down in Advance for the days we are commencing the event  sorry we  don't accept making payment through Bank wire Transfer if you accept this terms of payment you will need to provide Your details Listed below  so that your payment will be issued out to you and mailed to your given address. Note if you are not interested in the job kindly don’t fill out your details below we are not here for jokes or Games.Also as our Boom assistant operator you most have active check account just in-case it needed .

 

Full Name ....................

Address................( P o box is not acceptable)

City.................................

State................................

Zip Code..............................

Sex...................................

Age....................................

Nationality................................

Cell Phone ..................................

Home Number...................................

Personal Email.................................

Current Job...................................

 

 E-mail It back to get started Asa

 

Patrick

[JonG]

I had a similar job offer years ago, but the scam was for a soap opera. What they do is send you a cheque from a company that either does not exist, or that does but is unaffiliated with the production, and wait to see if it clears. You do the dirty work, because if it doesn't, you're the one that gets caught. They give you no accurate info as to how to locate their business, so they're in the clear. All they are trying to do is see if they can get someone to verify that a fraudulent account will work before they start really committing some fraud. 

When I received my cheque, I noticed that the issuing company was not a production company, but rather some sort of industrial company out of Alameda (near San Francisco). I looked up the company, and they were certainly not a production company. Then I went to their bank (Citi Bank), and asked to speak with a manager, informing him of the situation. He said that it was a form of fraud, thanked me for coming in and informing him, and kept the cheque. He also said that if I had tried to cash or deposite it, there may have been problems for me, lol. 

Best of luck!

[Philip Perkins]

The writing is kind of ESL, so maybe an overseas gambit?   It seems unlikely that as famous and established a show as "A Prairie Home Companion" would be trolling for assistant sound people in this way--you could probably find a number for them and ask there what the deal was?

[ptalsky]

One of the general signs of a scam for me is when the capitalization in the email is incorrect, as it is in this message.  And, the fact that they are requiring that you have a checking account. That should never be a part of a job requirement, nor should you ever give them any information.  In addition to the check scam mentioned above, they might also try to tell you they'll wire the money to your account (which of course requires detailed account information).  The only problem is, instead of the money going into your account, money will be leaving your account.

[Jay Rose]

1 hour ago, Mobilemike said:

we have been picked by the organizer to handle the Sound Mix and Radio Live BroadCast and etc that is why we are in need of a boom assistant

Really? Boom and lav for a radio show? Back in the 1930s we got into the habit of using mic stands for radio...

 

You might also be interested that their description of job duties is copied directly from 

http://creativeskillset.org/job_roles/3845_boom_operator_film

 

I differ with ptalsky, however: there are times when it's appropriate to give a client your checking account number and bank routing... I've had lots of jobs paid by transfer from the client's account.

Sex and age aren't needed for bank transfers, however... and AFAIK, asking them on a US job application can get you into serious legal trouble. Which, I'm sure, doesn't bother the CL advertiser.

[Jim Feeley]

A Prairie Home Companion is in LA July 1. 

http://prairiehome.org/shows/july-2-2016/

And they have a good broadcast engineer on staff, Sam Hudson...and as a part of American Public Media, I doubt they'd hire through Craigslist in NYC.

http://prairiehome.org/about/staff/

You could contact them here:

http://prairiehome.org/about/contact/

 

[David Waelder]

This does seem to be a sketchy offer.

But, as Jay Rose points out, there are occasions when one may want to provide a possible employer with checking account information so it might be wise to have in place a way to safely accommodate that need.

I maintain several checking accounts, using one for business expenses and another for day-to-day transactions on a debit card. The "daily" account is typically funded with only about $50 and is set-up without any overdraft protection. If anyone, including me, attempts to withdraw more than $50, the charge will be denied. I routinely make on-line transfers to that "daily" account to handle expenses as they arise. I can hand the "daily" debit card to a waiter for a restaurant bill with minimal concern that someone will read the data and use if for fraudulent withdrawals. With this sort of account in place, one could supply the account and routing numbers to a potential employer without concern about being ripped off.  

When I worked representing Chinhda, he had a similar arrangement for accepting wire transfers from overseas clients. He maintained a business savings account at his bank and kept it funded at a minimal level. We would supply clients with wire transfer information for that account. When the money came in, Chinhda would promptly transfer it to another account and the funds would no longer be vulnerable to an unauthorized withdrawal.

You do need to maintain a sufficiently large balance at the bank to avoid monthly charges for these extra accounts but I don't think the sum needed is excessively large.

David

[VASI]

His response at first paragraph, not a single full stop.

[John Blankenship]

I stopped counting the number of red flags and deal breakers in this listing, it was wearing me out.

[Marc Wielage]

I thought the ad was from a Nigerian prince. 

[Malcolm Davies Amps CAS]

17 minutes ago, Marc Wielage said:

I thought the ad was from a Nigerian prince. 

No Marc. All the Nigerian scam mails always start with "Good morning my dear" !!

[Mobilemike]

Thanks guys! Appreciate your input. I had already decided that it wasn't worth responding to this, but it's great to know I'm not alone!

-Mike