Yep...they're there, too

I haven't had to job-hunt since early '96. Then, it was phone calls, shoe leather, fill out apps, interviews, and a positive, negative, or no response, until something was found.

In 2011, I've found a few differences. A lot of it is being set up online now. Companies that post your resume, allegedly read it, and allegedly funnel job opportunities related to your resume to you.

Not. But that's for another time.

I hooked up with three online services, and provided them with my resume (all three of which will remain nameless for now). One has been like a *chirping cricket* at night since I signed up. Another sends me a weekly update of absolutely nothing relevant to my resume.

The third, to their credit, has funneled to me -- besides job possibility bundles -- emails directly from prospective employers. Again, most of which have no relation to what my resume entails.

But the most recent two email responses from this last web site were echos of my past, both recent and going back a decade. Lemme share with you one of them:

From: *********323@hotmail.com

Dear (my name),

Our Organization is know as a payment processor with services designed for international small business (a small *toing*).

Our Company have found your resume in (the job hunting website) review it and sure that you to be a perfect candidat for the position which we propose (the *TOING* is growing in resonance). Our Organization are currently looking for a few qualified person for a vacant position "Check Assist Manager" (the *TOING* just approached a sonic 'boom').

The general work of this job is to collect payments [ACH transfers and bank cheques] from our clients in USA. Every payment will be accompanied with detail directions. If you haven't checking account our manager will help you to open a new account (the resulting *TOING* would cause an avalanche in unstable snowpack).

Average salery is $650-850$ per week. General requirements:

- available 6-10 hour per week;

- not less than 21 years

- computer skills [MS Word] personal e-mail address (and just what the F did you contact me on, moron?)

- ability to work home

- US citzenship

- honestly, responsibility and promptness in operation you may combine work with your main job (*biting tongue*)

If interested please get back to us soonest (the final *TOING* probably weakened the structural integrity of my abode).

*AHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGA .... BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZER ... PHFFFFFFFFFFT ... WARNING WILL ROBINSON ... *

Yep: online job soivices -- like eBay, Craigslist, et al -- are rife with scammers.

I forwarded this and the other suspect email to the web service involved, and got back a rather lame "our investigation recognizes this to be an email scam" reply. Duh...y'suppose? They recommended I forward it onto other sites, for follow-up, which was done.

They also recommended that I not reply to it.

Heh...they don' know me vewy well, do they? Thus advised, I did:

Yo, ho...wazzzup? Lay da facts on me jack, an' let's make widda negotiables. You needs a cog fer da machine; ah needs scratch. Lezz make widda rat killin' and come to da deal, hokay?

A reply may or may not be pending.

Life in the 21st Century. Little did I know that almost 11 years of playful scambaiting, was preparing me for a future endeavor: job-hunting.

Yowza.

UPDATE: my reply DID get a reply...from the original email user, who denied having sent the email, advising me that her account had apparently been 'hacked', and that I should not respond to the email and should warn others not to as well.

Y'think?

I've never been a fan of hotmail.com, anyway. Lots of scammers are, though.