Examples of scam emails

The best protection against scam is knowing the tricks scammers use and the kinds of emails they typically send.

If you receive any suspicious messages or emails, please forward them to support@aupairworld.com. We will be glad to help you.
 

Contact information on the family profile pictures or texts

In this scam, fake host families include a telephone number on their AuPairWorld profile pictures to start contact with you outside the AuPairWorld platform. Do not contact these families. They are fake and will never host you as an au pair.

    Fake emails that try to seem like they are from AuPairWorld

    In this scam, fake emails are sent from an email address that seems to be from AuPairWorl - for example: "support@aupairrworld.com". But the email is not really from us. The emails say AuPairWorld has recommended a specific host family in the UK, showing the family's contact data directly. 

    • AuPairWorld does not recommend specific host families in this way. Profile recommendations are only sent through our Daily Update with direct links to the AuPairWorld website.

    Fake emails of this type have messages like this:

    • Subject: AuPairWorld Recommendation

      We wish to inform you of the Job opening in the UK with many benefits, a chance to study English or any other language course of your choice and also earn a good salary while caring for their kids.
      AuPairWorld Support team Has recommended Ethan George as your host family in the UK. they have been screened and found eligible to host you as their family Aupair. Their family will process all travel required documents through the UK Visas and Immigration Office in London, UK.
      Please contact them for more communication.Name Ethan George, from London, UK.
      Email: 
      Proceed to message them through their family email above and indicate your interest if they haven't contacted you yet. Stop all communication with other families and proceed with Mr. Ethan George's family.It's great to have you on board. We wish you good luck with your new family.
      K      ind regards,
      Your AuPairWorld Team

    Another fake email scam: You receive an email from a fake email account on behalf of AuPairWorld or some other au pair agency, for instance "aupair-work@job4u.com".

    At AuPairWorld, we always use the email address: support@aupairworld.com.  AuPairWorld never sends emails from this email address: aupair-work.net@job4u.com. Do not make any contact with the sender. You should not trust the senders of emails like the following.

    • Thank you for your email and your hint. Note: Since you have already been issued a working visa for the UK and an international passport. AuPairWorld Team advises you to proceed to scan the below documents.
      Application Checklist:
      Scan and Send via email attachments:
      1) International Passport
      2) Scan the 1250GBP Money Gram receipt for your financial requirement for verification and endorsement.
      3) Signed Contract Agreement. We advises you to visit an internet café or cybercafé, print the Contract Agreement; read, sign and proceed to scan the Contract Agreement with the above mentioned document on or before May 02nd 2013 to facilitate the Aupair Placement and Endorements. The AuPairWorld Team CAN NOT wait till 3 weeks. We await your speedy response to enable the AuPairWorld Team to serve you better.
      Congratulations once more.
      Take care
      John Doe

      AuPairWorld Team

      www.aupair-world.net
      aupair-world.net@job4u.com 

    At AuPairWorld, we have many policies in place to protect our users against scammers. 

    Nonetheless, scammers will always be trying to find new ways to contact users on a large platform like AuPairWorld and try to exploit them. One further example of such techniques is a message such as the following, supposedly about an already blocked user from AuPairWorld:  

    • Hello Member,
      We have blocked Georgakopoulos Nikos family profile due to misinformation provided by him and now he contacted us and has proved himself and we have done thorough investigation about his family and has found out that he is not a FRAUD but LEGITIMATE. Please you can proceed with him in the process of hiring you.
      Kind regards,
      AuPairWorld
      This is an automated email to notify you that you about this family.
      +++ Please do not reply to this e-mail. +++
      www.aupair-world.net
      E-Mail: support@aupairworld.com
      Phone: +49 561 310 561 17
      Fax: +49 561 310 561 39
      AuPairWorld is operated by:
      a.n.d. Internet Services GmbH & Co. KG
      Wolfsschlucht 27
      D-34117 Kassel, Germany
      HRA: 17041, Amtsgericht Kassel (District Court Kassel)
      European VAT identification number: DE815246625        

    This email has been written by scammers presenting themselves as AuPairWorld representatives.

    IMPORTANT: Please remember to never send money to anyone, no matter how trustworthy a family or an au pair may sound to you!  

    Phishing: Someone sends you a link with a request for sensitive information

    The aim behind this type of email is to get your email address and password so the scammers can access your profile on AuPairWorld. Do not trust emails like the one below. Be especially careful with any links that seem strange or unfamiliar and never put any of your personal data on websites that are linked in this way. 

    • hello, i have been going through you profile all day and i can see that your family is the perfect family for me...
      i took a little time to prepare my resume and i have also attached some pictures of me and my family to you, so you can click the link below and also check the pictures of me and my family and also about me...(there is then a link to an phishing website included here)

    Visa for the United States: You are told to send documents and money to get a visa

    These kinds of emails come from a fake family that claims to have recently moved to the USA. Emails addresses and exact details may be slightly different to those in the following email, but any message in which you are asked to send money or documents definitely comes from scammers.

    Do not trust emails of this type, and under no circumstances should you reply to them. Remember that in order to go to the USA as au pair, you will need to do a personal interview with an agency before paying the agency fees.  

    • Hello and how are you doing today and how is everyone down there in your home, i was just going through your profile now and i think that you would be the perfect person for my 3 boys...
      i have 2 boys in the age of 10 months, 3 years and 5 years old...
      we recently moved from Ireland Dublin down to Usa and we would require the service of an aupair for our kids in Usa because my husband got a job and we had to move to Usa.....
      so if you are interested of coming to work for my family here in Usa in New York, then you can contact me directly in my email address and tell me more about you...
      here is my email address: jjtidy@gmailcom,sargutidy@gmail.com

    Visa for the United Kingdom: You are told to send documents and money to get a visa

    The fraud scheme is quite similar to the previous one: Strangers ask for documents or money in connection with a future au pair stay. Typically, they offer you work conditions and high salaries that seem very attractive (but in fact are too good to be true and are fake).

    Au pairs wanting to go to the UK do not have to pay any money in advance. If someone tells you to do this, you can be sure that it is a scam attempt. The email below was sent to an au pair who wanted to go to the UK. It is an example of this typical scam trick:

    • We wish to inform you that we received information from the Home Office of B.H.C (British High Commission) Head Quarter today that a new policy has been put into force to regulate genuine working applicants coming into the UK.
      Thus Applicant(s) applying as an Employee to United Kingdom must deposit a Total sum of 2 000 pounds to the Home Office of the BHC (British High Commission) Head Quarter here in United Kingdom. This is mandatory for anyone coming to work or study in the UK. We have been able to make more inquiries on how to get this policy for all EU citizen and non-EU citizens coming to work in the United Kingdom and here are some of the informations given to us. An inquiry about deposits for all Aupair was made by EXCELLENT TRAVEL from the BHC (British High Commission) head quarters that a policy as been made for any applicants who is an EU citizen or other countries that are applying as an Aupair to United Kingdom or even to study and also work must deposit the exact amount of 2 000 pounds per head to the BHC (British High Commission) head quarter here in United Kingdom.
      Firstly any EU citizen or other countries that are applying as an Aupair or even Nanny to United Kingdom must deposit the exact amount of 2000 pounds to the BHC (British High Commission) head quarters here in United Kingdom.
      Secondly this deposit is refundable after you get into United Kingdom in your host family house then you must report with your employer to the nearest BHC in the UK to get your money back immediately or soon Thirdly this policy was made to check and control genuine applicants coming to the UK as many applicants (Aupair nanny or anyone who wants to study) come to United Kingdom to work but most of them never report to their host family or even to their school of study but they rather prefer to be at large and never contact the host family or the school again.
      Please note that this money 2 000 pounds is totally refundable and is just to show that you are truly coming to the UK to work and not to absc= ond after getting your Visa and as soon asyou get to UK at the host family residence all you have to do is to report to the UK embassy with your employer to get back your 2 000 pounds Hope this is clearly understood.
      The immigration will ask about this from you and also an invoice at the airport or all other security places and if you dont show one they will have to send you back to your country immediately so it is better to deposit the 2 000 pounds so that you won't have problem with the immigration at the airport when landing and also so that we can finanlise your working registrations. So we urge you to inform your host family about this and we shall also inform them too we wait for your positive response. The deposit must be send to us or your host family to register for you so that we can forward it to the Home Office of BHC Head Quarter Here in United Kingdom.
      Thanks for your co-operation and understanding In anticipation of your response.
      Many Thanks VISA WORK PERMITS AGENCY INTERNATIONAL

    Family's lawyer or representative asks you for money or documents

    In this scam, au pairs are asked to send money to a British advocate / barrister / lawyer in order to obtain a so called "Affidavit of Moral and Good Behavior". Affidavits or deposits have nothing to do with becoming au pair in the UK (or any other country).

    This email was sent to the au pair from a fake family:

    • Dear ...,
      Thank you for your mail.
      I,m so happy to hear from,you sound so good and thanks for the brief introduction about yourself,hobbies and experience in taking care of kids.
      Well,i'm also happy that you will be coming by August but like i told anna,i am employing her only on the procurement of affidavit of good behavior document from the court in London and same goes
      to you.I will prefer that you deal with an immgration barrister than agency,so i want you to contact barrister Micheal Cole for guidance in the procurement of the document of good behavior that i need before employing you,so contact him on his telephone number +447024011739 or send him mail at info@adamslaw-chambers.com
      I hope to hear from you soon.
      Regards,
      Gate family

    This email was sent from the fake lawyer:

    • *ADAMS*
      your partner in law
      * ADAMS** LAW CHAMBERS*
      Adams House, 33 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PW
      Tel: +447024011739
      E-mail:info@adamslaw-chambers.com
      *Date: 12/1/2010
      Our Ref: Str08*
      **
      ATTN:,
      With reference to your MAIL and your Employer's call to our office this morning requesting for our assistance in the procurement of a Document(AFFIDAVIT OF GOOD BEHAVIOR)from the Crown Court needed by him before he employs you as a nanny to take care of his kids.
      This document takes four working days to procure from the crown court in London.
      We were also meant to understand that you will pay for the Procurement of this Document from the British Crown Court while your employer pays for all the processing of your work papers including your flight fares and pickup from the Airport. You have to submit the following requirements as to enable our office get this Document from the British Crown Court.
      The requirements which are:
      1) One Passport size photograph.
      2) Affidavit of Guarantee fees (380 Pounds)
      3) A scanned copy of your international passport data page bearing your face
      and your full data,Drivers license or Work identification.
      You are therefore required to furnish us with the requirements as to enable us procure the AFFIDAVIT OF GOOD BEHAVIOR document from the Crown Court.

      As soon as this Document (Affidavit of Good Behavior) is received and entered in the British Crown Court, your employer made us to understand that he will start processing the documents needed for your visa and residence work permit that will enable you to work in United Kingdom which we shall then forward to the United Kingdom Embassy in your location via DHL courier services AND all your necessary Approved Government,immigration documents ,hard copies of your Residence Work Permit that will enable the United Kingdom Embassy issue you your stamped entry Visa to London.

      We have two methods of receiving money from our clients,they are (a)bank to bank transfer and (b) International Money transfer. Our Clients in United Kingdom pay cash or through certified checks while our clients outside United Kingdom use any of the two options mentioned above.
      Looking forward to a long lasting work relationship with you as we await the requirements for fast processing of your work papers.

      Yours Faithfully,
      Barrister Micheal Cole,
      Legal and immigration Department,
      ADAMS CHAMBERS,
      Adams House,33 cavendish Square London,W1G 0PW

    At AuPairWorld we always have an open door for your security concerns