Tanja Kühle Immobilien Berlin Rent Coordinator Job Scam
Watch out job seekers, there is yet another scammer on the prowl trying to get their slimy hands on your money! This time the scammers have stolen the identity of a real estate company in Berlin, Germany called Tanja Kühle Immobilien. Their website, located at www.kuehle-berlin.de has been online since around 2009 and is registered and hosted in Berlin. Below is a screenshot of the legitimate website (translated):
However, someone by the name Kristyna Novakova in Stamford, Connecticut just registered the domain: kuehle-berlin.com on 5/31/2017 for one year only and if you type in this url in your browser, you’ll find it redirects to the legitimate www.kuehle-berlin.de website! It seems Kristyna Novakova also registered and forwarded 3 other domains: asianaczltd.com 2017-03-21, asianacz-travel.com 2017-04-21 and
asianatravelcz.com 2017-05-31 to a legitimate business website at asiana.cz! If you visit asiana.cz you will see this message:
So now the scammers has moved on to target job seekers for another non-existing job as a Rent Coordinator for Tanja Kühle Immobilien that starts with a recruiting email coming from someone named Paula Chambers!
The Recruiting Emails
The first email seems no different than most recruiters send to job seekers with the exception of the reply to email address which is suspicious:
Subject: Vacancy for (Jobseekers Name)
From: Paula Chambers <invoice@abyssgroupinc.com>
Reply to: tr.ac.yta.n899@gmail.comHello (Jobseekers Name),
With this email I would like to offer a job opportunity with the following details: flexible work schedule appropriate remuneration and a good chance to be employed part-time. We are looking for individuals to monitor implementation of corporate transactions, persons with strong trouble shooting skills, who will also be in charge of overall reporting. Our company Tanja Kuhle Immobilien Berlin is an European real estate agency willing to reach out for the American market. Kindly respond to me in case you would like to find out further details and I’ll provide you with everything you should know.Best Regards, Tanja Kuhle Immobilien Berlin
Paula Chambers.
The targeted job seeker responded and asked for the details and then received this email:
Subject: More about our company.
From: Uwe Wolf <uwe@kuehle-berlin.com>
Good afternoon (Jobseekers Name),
How are you today?
As you know, yesterday I’ve already contacted with you about the work in our company. But let’s start from the beginning.
My name is Uwe Wolf and I am your personal Manager. My main task is
to explain to you the whole process of work, Rent Coordinator, and explain what you will do.
I think you can understand everything is pretty easily.
But first of all, I would like to say a few words about us, an international company Tanja Kuhle Immobilien .
Our head office is located in Berlin , Germany. Our company owns many commercial real estate objects in many European countries.
The company was fonded in 2009 as an agency that specializes in organizing exclusive lease program for national and international clients.
We also provide real estate leasing services that will afford to rent a comfortable Office in any part of Europe and of the world.
We are dedicated to provide each of our clients whatever he or she wants, as our success and growth of your business depends entirely on our esteemed clients.
I have the honour to inform you that you can become our employee as your resume fully in line with our expectations and requirements.
Thus, we would like to offer you the chance to become a Rent Coordinator with us. This position applies only to a certain number of persons at this time,
please make up your mind as soon as possible. You can find a full description of all your future responsibilities in this letter and the attached documents.
They are quite simple. The application process consists of three steps:1. You need to read very carefully the responsibilities of the employee and reply me with your questions and/or confirmation about your willingness to work with us;
2. If you accept a job offer, please fill in the employment contract and application and send them back to me via email or Tel:(800) 376-8678;
3. When you send documents back to me, then I’ll post the documents directly to our human resources department.Feel free to ask any questions: for example, about your responsibilities and salary.
For my part, I will do my best to provide you with all the necessary instructions and answers to your questions. You can ask me any information you may be interested in.
Just inform me about your decision (positive or not) as soon as possible because while we are considering a number of other candidates.
We also would like to fill the mentioned positions as soon as possible.
Please give a reply in 1-2 working days. Just note that you can find all the necessary information in the attached documents.Your early reply will be appreciated!
P.S.
Important: today I will send you 2 more letters that have all the necessary documents. (Employment contract, a CV of the employee, the employee’s responsibilities).
These documents need to be filled for employment in our company. Please check your spam and junk.
Below is a copy of the “Job Responsibilities” that was sent in an attachment. The tell tale money mule scam words and sentences I changed to a bold red:
RENT COORDINATOR JOB DESCRIPTION
POSITION DESCRIPTION:
We would like to offer you a vacant position of a Rent Coordinator with us. What are the functional duties of this kind of a specialist? On behalf of our Company Rent Coordinator present the whole range of services to our clients, his/her duties include the whole chain – from selecting a necessary tour, travel presentation to meeting clients at the airport after their arrival. Rent consultant should be as much as possible customer-oriented and should take into account customer’s requirements and interests. In some cases Rent Coordinator also assists in processing advance payments from clients for arranging a tour if it is necessary. This can be needed if a client from the USA wants to pay by check (cheque) and intends to visit e.g. Germany. As it is already clear, USA checks are not effective in some countries while the network of American banking subsidiaries is undeveloped as yet. Or a client wants to select an individual tour including visits to distant locations. In such a case, we rent a private house for accommodation of our client. Many owners of such houses also do not have full access to bank transactions and, therefore, in such a case, our Company pays for rent and related services in cash through P2P systems. I.e., if we deal with such a client you should receive from him/her a check as the tour prepayment, inform your manager of all details, negotiate the check and transfer the amount through instant money transfer systems (Money Gram) to our branch or directly to the PH owner. You will receive required money transfer details by e-mail from your personnel manager. It is also important that your compensation will directly depend on the number of clients. At the initial stage it will amount to 5% of the prepayment sum. However, there is an obligatory condition – you should complete the whole money transfer process within 4 hours. Rent Coordinator provides the Company with one more incontestable advantage. Our clients are serviced as quickly as possible, and they get all necessary documents (i.e. tickets, reservation, etc.) promptly. It means that maximum 12 hours passes from the moment of the tour prepayment till the 100% readiness to welcome and service the client. No one can offer the same!
WE OFFER:
Private online training (person-to-person);
Opportunity of stable career promotion and personal development;
In-depth training and work in dynamic friendly air in a benevolent team;
Competitive wage ($3000.00 + 5% commission for the each completed assignment);
Wage-plus-bonus remuneration system (5% from each completed payment processed by you);
Comprehensive Benefits Package Health-Care Coverage 401(k);
Paid holidays and paid travel to any point of the world for you and your family.
HOURS OF WORK:
This is a part time position, and you are going to have much free time each day. This work will take only 1-2 hours a day (5-10 hours a week). This position may require work after regular business hours or on weekends, though.
FEES, WAGE & PAYROLL:
We provide one payroll period. Your base monthly salary will be 3000.00 USD. If you also process payments from clients, you will have + 5% bonus per each order completed (usually in total from 500.00 USD up to 5000.00 USD per month). Your salary will be paid as a direct deposit to your bank account, or using any other payment method convenient to you. We do not provide any tax forms – you will pay your local taxes yourself. Payroll period – 30 calendar days from the date of your registration in our company (usually it is 2-4 days after signing the mutually binding EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT). Payment will be issued at the end of each payroll period.
A Persistent Scammer
This Uwe Wolf person went on to send 5 MORE emails over a period of 24 hours to his targeted victim trying to get a decision from them!
#1: About our company!
Greetings (Jobseekers Name),
It is Uwe Wolf from Tanja Kuhle Immobilien again.
Previously I wrote you and told in details about our company and its activities.
I hope that you are interested in our offer of job vacancy Rent Coordinator.
In this letter I send you a contract of employment, the questionnaire and the responsibilities of future employee in MS Word format.
You need to read carefully, fill out and sign these documents. Then send the completed documents to my mail or Tel:+1 (800) 376-8678.
I ask you to confirm that you have received these documents. I will wait for your answer.
If you are not interested in our offer, I also ask you to inform about it.
It is necessary for us to know whether we need to consider other candidates.
Today I will wait for your reply.We look forward to hearing from you soon.
#2 : About our Firm!
Good day (Jobseekers Name),
I have attached the required documents to this position in PDF format (employment contract and responsibilities).
I send you this copy to ensure that you have received all the necessary documents.Please read carefully the attached files:
-Employment contract (Emp_Agreement. PDF)
-Employee Questionnaire (letter. PDF)
-The responsibilities (Emp_Application. PDF)To read PDF files, please use the free version of Adobe Reader.
Please reply urgently. May I also ask, did you get my last two messages? I just wanted to make sure you get my message without technical problems.
If the messages does not arrive in your Inbox, please check your spam or junk. They could not get into your Inbox in connection with attached documents to it.We are looking forward to your confirmation!
#3: More about our company!
Hello (Jobseekers Name),
Once again, we are ready to offer you the position of a Rent Coordinator.
Please, see below a copy of my previous email with all the necessary documents that you should
sign, if you are interested in the position offered. Please read all of the documents and let me know about your decision.#4 : Need your decision.
Good day (Jobseekers Name),
Did you receive my last email with the documents necessary for the
position of Rent Coordinator? Please, feel free to contact me, if you have any questions. I
have attached the necessary documents for this position again.
I will wait for your message, just reply to my messages as soon as possible because our company
is interested in your candidacy. Looking forward to your prompt response!We are looking forward to your confirmation.
#5 : You need to make a decision.
Hi (Jobseekers Name),
I’ve sent you the information about the job we offer via email recently. Also, I have sent you Employment contract and Application Forms.
I would like to make sure that you have received them. Please, confirm that you have received the necessary documents to get the position.Looking forward to continued cooperation, I remain,
Uwe Wolf
Tel:+1 800-376-8678
Tanja Kuhle Immobilien
Folks, don’t EVER accept a work from home job offer that even mentions processing payments or cashing checks and transferring cash through Money Gram or Western Union! It’s a SCAM! The checks are fake and YOU will be held responsible for paying the bank back for the bad check while the scammers has cleverly stolen YOUR money and your personal details! These scammers cannot be traced once you transfer cash overseas!
What To Do If You Are A Victim
If you have fell victim to an employment scam like this, you need to contact your bank immediately and close your account IF you have provided your account information to the scammers for direct deposit. 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/
If you provided your personal information like ss # birthdate etc , you need to contact the 3 credit bureaus- TransUnion, Equifax and Experian, and place a fraud alert on your report. These criminals can steal your identity and may try and obtain credit in your name. Doing this will alert you for at least 90 days about any suspicious activity.
Open new lines of credit
Seek medical attention
Drain savings and retirement accounts
Provide an alias when arrested
Get a job or file false tax returns
Get Payday Loans in your name
Obtain service agreements for cellular service or utilities
Obtain Government Documents such as a drivers license or passport
And MORE!
That’s why I highly recommend you get some sort of ongoing identity theft protection such as the services offered through companies like LifeLock-Visit Their Website Here or Identity Force-visit their website here! LifeLock and Identity Force are both reputable companies that monitors your accounts and alerts and protects you from identity theft.
Have you received a suspicious email offering you an Rent Coordinator “job” with Tanja Kühle Immobilien Berlin or other work at home “Collection Officer, Account Manager, Client or Billing Manager” etc. job that you never applied for? Feel free to copy and paste the email in the comments so we can help alert and prevent others from becoming victims.
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Hello Mark.
How are you?
Thank you for keeping in contact with me, I already got your message. First of all, I’m very glad that you have received all the documents. Now you should sign them if
you are interested in the proposed position. You must send the completed documents by fax or e-mail. My fax/tel: (800) 376-8678.
I’ll wait for your documents, just send them today, and you get a chance to start working from next Monday.
I already told you that you will work from home, therefore you will meet the customers: in your location, or in the nearest big airports, or in the nearest big cities.
So, you will not involved in traveling around the country. Whom you will meet? Usually it is the tourists from the Europe, usually family or students.
You will have a minimum contact with the customers, you will be just a representative of our company for any unplanned situation.
Our tour managers in the Europe will do main job and your main duties in this part will consist from:
booking any external tickets, consulting about the transport, and represent our company if any unusual situation will be happened
(for example, if our client didn’t like the hotel which we provided, and he want another one).
That’s brief description. We will have a training and I will send you complete instructions before giving such tasks.
But you will meet the customers only after a full course of training period that will take maximum 2-3 months.
Therefore, your first tasks will be processing payments and you will not have a contact with the client until I completely train you.
We are interested in a long-time relationship and offer this position as a part-time long-term job, and as long as it possible.
As for the checks from our clients: when you received the check from our customer, you should cash it using any service (your bank, bank of origin or another place),
and transfer the remaining 95 percent of the amount (minus transfer fees).
You’ll receive a salary monthly and your full course of training period will be paid also in amount of a $3000.00 + 5 percent from the amount of each processed payment.
And it’s a free position, ie you do not have to pay anything out of pocket to get this job.
You will work 4-5 hours per week only, therefore I think, you can coordinate both jobs and combine this position with your current job.
We will cooperate with you as the independent contractor.
This way the taxes will be declared under the 1099 tax form, and we will compensate you the sum of taxes in the end of tax year.
You’ll be responsible only for your own income (including a 5 percent commission received from payments and the $3000 monthly based salary).
The position offered is a work-from-home position at this time.
However, we are planning to set up several first offices in different states of the USA in May of 2019.
Around that time you will be offered to go on working in one of them as some customers are expected to arrive there directly.
Our main office located in Germany, and it’s international business. We provide our services in several countries around the world working with import and export basis.
We don’t have physical office in the USA but we are registered with the US authorities and able to provide our services and pay taxes.
Our customers can make payments via wire transfers and by checks or money transfers via MoneyGram.
And our company can independently receive and process only two types of payments: either a wire or a money transfer systems MoneyGram.
But our client has every right to make payment by check so we offered you this position. Our customers are the US citizens.
We can not accept payments by check from them, because we don’t have an office inside the USA and due to the crisis can’t open them in nearest future.
The US checks are not acceptable in Germany. It’s also the reason why we can’t provide you business account on the name of the Company.
This is because our Company doesn’t have a business accounts in any US banks. Of course, we have an official formal registration in Florida state,
but we don’t have actual office in the USA.
And this way we can’t accept any payments from the US customers directly, because the payments must be accepted in territory of the US and processed through
the US bank or company teller machine. Since we don’t have a company teller machine and physical office, we need the US representatives,
agents who will receive payments and process them for us, and we pay a good money for this.
According to bank policy, you can deposit the check to clear it. This is your right and this is not a problem that could prevent completion of the transaction.
You’ll just have to tell me how much days it will take before the funds will be available for withdrawal. Our company is not related to crime, cheating, etc.
The technology of a money processing is legally approved and don’t break any US or international laws. It is absolutely legal.
We have all necessary documents which give us right to work and employ the US citizens.
Right now I have no way to contact you directly, due to my business trip.
Most likely, I will be able to call you next week only, but my assistant may call you at any time.
As a rule, he is obliged to call you as soon as you sign the agreement and application.
Sincerely
Uwe Wolf
Tanja Kuhle Immobilien