Students scammed through the Courier

A sophisticated scam advertised by the Careers Service and printed in The Courier has led to the bank account of one student being frozen.

The false vacancy was listed at £15.00 per hour and ‘Anne McKenzie Properties’ had stated that they were seeking a “hardworking, energetic, optimistic individual”.

Students were asked to act as a personal shopper for one of the company’s employees who was allegedly based in Auckland, New Zealand (perhaps Nigeria would have been too obvious).One student was sent a cheque for £150 in exchange for personal information. When the student cashed this cheque their bank account was frozen.

Director of the University Careers Service, Mark Lintern, has asked students who responded to the advert to contact the Careers Service. He added that “As soon as it became clear that the job advertisement was not genuine, we removed it and got in touch with people who had tagged the vacancy as a favourite”.

A webpage has been set up for those who believe they may have been affected, and suggests that the people behind the scam may try to apply for credit cards on loans using the names sent to them.

However, Mark stressed “It’s important to note that the police believe that those who sent a CV should not worry”.

If you feel you have been affected contact the Careers Service and visit http://www.ncl.ac.uk/careers/jobs/annemckenzieproperties.php