The following is a job offer I recently got at the office:
FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE AD [translation]
417 Saint-Pierre St.
Suite 203
Montreal, Quebec H2Y 2M4
05/05/07
Dear Sir:
This letter has been sent to you by the General Management of the Compagnie anglaise Canafrik (CAC), recently inaugurated in Canada. It has tons of brand-new services.
This company has many computers that communicate with large external markets, but before we launch our activities, we need staff.
During our Board meetings we decided to offer this opporunity to many people with no regard as to race, nationality or gender.
The legth of the contract is 3 9 months renewable over 5 (five) years or more for all activities you will have more information about this.
Specific hiring criteria
– Have exemplary morals
– Be available travel
– Master the computer tool
– Speak French and English well, if possible other languages
– Have a Graduat, Licence, Master etc.
– Other diplomas will also be considered.
Information and/or documents provide
– A copy of you birth certificate (or identity card)
– Attestation of residency (optional)
– A CV (required)
-2 (two) photo ID cards
– A copy of your ID card (print)
– Please write to us the address below if you are in Africa or Europe, and specify your country so that we can send you the CAC Request for Services Form.
This form is to fill out by hand and return to the same address. The requested documents should be sent to the representative for Africa zone by e-mail at this address: <mailto:representative_cac_zone_afric@yahoo.fr>
representative_cac_zone_afric@yahoo.fr
We get the documents by e-mail for quick and secure study so please send them to us as soon as possible.
NB: The date the requested documents were sent will be taken into consideration by the commission for the limited spaces and classification of recruits.
With all our cooperation
Quite far-fetched, right?
I don’t know if you, like me, are part of the millions of poor Internet users who get spam about low mortgage rates, Viagra, non-existent lottery winnings or a legacy from a distant African cousin, but this one I found particularly good. Then again, good depends how you look at it. . . If some people were taken in and sent a copy of their ID cards, I wish them good luck, because as regards identity theft, the Internet has become a place of choice (better than garbage cans full of unshredded bank statements).
I had fun, though, reading the selection criteria for gullible Internet users.
1 – Have exemplary morals It’s true that lately, morality and ethics head the list of top criteria, and have even make their way into job descriptions. Our cybercriminals are seeking honest victims with a sense of integrity! Wake up! Nevertheless, this reminded me that some ads increasingly make this a pre-requisite. How do you think one measures ethics in a job interview?
2 – Speak French and English well, if possible other languagesReading this ad, one would be forced to conclude that English writing is not the cyberbandits’ strong point. But be honest, how many of you have recently re-read your job ads? How many job ads or descriptions are full of spelling, grammar and syntax errors? How many recruiters will personally test this in the interview?
3 – The numeration varies depending on skills What’s clear is that you won’t get a dime out of it, but hat your bank account will be emptied in the blink of an eye. This type of sentence can nevertheless be seen in many job ads.
4 – With a view to making it easier for those who wish to work for our company, and especially as part of our fight against unemployment, we have the goodwill; to send you our ad; as long as these people throughly meet the conditions that followThese philanthropic bandits are offering more than a job, they have a cause! What’s next—cybercriminality harnessed for humanitarian purposes?!
Moreover, these cyberbandits are not scared to rush in where angels fear to tread. They are aiming wide, as can be seen in the top part of their ad:
However, we need people with experience in the following business sectors: accounting, management, marketing, social sciences, international business, the food industry, office work, secretarial science, material handling, electricity, construction, finance, economy and management, communication, sociology, hydrology, work methodology, technology engineer (various), computers, topography, statistics, business writing, building technology, soil mechanics, thermodynamics, construction legislation, foundations, industrial electricity, building stability, earth roads and maintenance, architecture projects, urban geography notions, air bases, railways, journalist, tourism, law firms, legal, pharmacy, activities requiring no qualifications: babysitting,, duty assistant, labour; masonry, industrial electricity, driving, oil field work; store security guard.
What appears certain is that the writers do not discriminate against any potential applicants! Personally, I find it quite sad that the Internet has become a way of communicating such trash and that the online job market and job ads have been so trivialized as to inspire criminals. Candidates should be on their guard and especially vigilant about sending their CVs to just anyone (especially if they contain confidential information).