Resident falls for Malaysian fake-job scam

(CNS): A Cayman resident was lucky enough to get cash he sent to a fraudster back after he fell for an online employment scam this weekend. Police said they are not yet clear whether the scammers are targeting Cayman or whether this was a global advert but were keen to warn people about not sending money in response to unverified adverts. In this case, a local resident responded to an online job at the St Regis Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

After taking part in what he believed was a telephone interview for the post, he was offered the job. However, the applicant was told to send money to pay for a visa and half of the plane ticket to Malaysia. The man sent the cash before calling the actual hotel, where he learned that the advert he had responded to was not real and there was no job. He was able to cancel the transaction through the wire transfer service and received his money back.

Police said they are still trying to verify where the advert was posted and whether the resident had accessed it through a local site, but in the meantime the Financial Crime Unit said that funds should never be wired in response to job advertisements.

“Such ads and emails should be treated as highly suspicious and not responded to,” a police spokesperson warned.