Advantage Web Development Scam Alert

Beware! It seems the scammers may be at it again! This time it looks like they may be targeting a former business that was once operating as Advantage Web Development at 205 Beverly Lane, Hattiesburg, MS 39402 in which the legitimate business phone # was 601-264-4402 .

They are currently in the process of setting up a website at http://advantagewebdevelopment.com/ that was just registered at (yep you guessed it) Vooservers in the UK on 2/11/2015 on IP address 91.227.223.93. (see previous posts here:  ElcaSolutionsInc.com Scam and SCK Design Scam ) Here’s a screenshot of  the actual website which is online now ready to dupe their potential “employees”. 

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It’s safe to guess is they are sending out “job information” emails to potential “employees” as we speak that may say something similar to this:

Job Available in Your Area

My name is (Fake Name), I’m with the Human Resources Dep. Please consider this email as a job offer for a recently available position os a Customer Service Manager with our team. Basing on your online resume and references, we believe that your expertise and personality would be a perfect match for this job, and with your input we will be able to bring our customer service quality to a new level.

We offer permanent employment with the base pay of 3500 dollars per month with bonuses, full-time and part-time shifts and a decent benefits pack. Please note that this is a work-from-home job, so you can work from any location within the USA.

To apply for this opening and receive further information on it, please respond as soon as you can. I will forward you our employment documents for review, and hopefully we will be able to get you started already in March.

—
Looking forward to your reply,
Some Fake Name
Human Resources Division

Then they may send you a follow up email that might say something like this:

Your new job: Full information

As a Customer Service Manager you will represent the company to our existing clients, communicate both with our local office in Hattiesburg Ms, and with our contractors from Europe. We offer permanent employment with full-time and part-time options; this is a home-based position, so you will need a laptop with an Internet connection. A working cell phone or landline is also necessary in order for your supervisor, team members and clients to contact you directly at any time during regular working hours. No additional software is required to purchase or install, only standard office programs and any free PDF viewer. Relocation or travel is not required, as this role is performed out of your home. All training is free and web-based.

Your day will start with logging into our web server and getting new messages and tasks from your supervisor. You will be looking for clients’ business information, reviewing contracts, communicating with clients, assisting with their orders, etc. By the end of the day you will prepare a short report on the completed tasks and send it to your supervisor on the website.

The base monthly salary is 3500 USD, however, all Customer Service Managers receive incentive bonuses based on individual performance and customer satisfaction. The amount of bonuses accumulated during the month can double the base salary and makes the average monthly income of a Customer Service Manager up to 7000 USD. Since taxes will be deducted from your salary, you will need to fill out a W4 form, which will be sent to you along with our standard employment paperwork. And after the first 6 months of work, you will be eligible for a vacation of 21 calendar days, 401k and a corporate health insurance program.

To apply for this position, send me a reply to this email, and I will follow up with the employment documentation package for your review. This position is available immediately, and candidates available to start next week will have the priority.

Best regards,,
Some Fake Name- fake title
Advantage Web Development
Call us: (601) 255-4162 (fake business phone #)

Do Not Reply And Do Not Provide Any Info!

Advantage Web Development in Hattiesburg, Missisippi is no longer in business and anyone claiming to be a representative of Advantage Web Development offering a work at home job opportunity is fake. It is a front for an money mule scam to get your bank account info and social security number, and your so called “job” or “task” will be to wire thousands of dollars in stolen money overseas to their “programmer”, who is actually the scammer. Don’t allow yourself to become yet another victim of these criminals. They have already scammed hundreds maybe even thousands of innocent “job seekers” into wiring stolen money to them, not to mention the thousands of people money was stolen from!

UPDATE 2/25/15!

Thanks to one of our readers for letting us know that they are also running their scam at http://AdvantageWebGroup.com just created on Feb 20th and hosted at Vooservers in the UK on IP address 91.227.223.96. They even already have their “web panel” set up for their “employees” at http://advantagewebgroup.com/panel. Here’s the screenshots of the site. Perhaps AdvantageWebDevelopment.com was a decoy maybe? Or perhaps our early alert wasn’t allowing them to get any new money mules so they created a different site?

What To Do If You Are A Victim Of A Similar Scam

If you have found yourself to be a victim of this or a similar scam, you need to contact your bank immediately and close your account, hopefully BEFORE they try to reverse the transaction. Next file a police report with your local authorities and then file a complaint with the FBI’s internet crime center at http://www.ic3.gov/

Next you need to contact the 3 credit bureaus- TransUnion, Equifax and Experian,  and place a fraud alert on your report. These scammers has your Social Security number so they can steal your identity and may try and obtain credit in your name. This will alert you for at least 90 days about any suspicious activity.