Spam cites CareerOne as source

CareerOne said a number of people have contacted them about a company called Sparta-Trade which claims to have received the recipient's contact details from CareerOne.

The job search engine warned that the e-mail was spam and assures CareerOne users and other recipients that they have "not provided Sparta-Trade with any contact details and have no association of any kind with Sparta-Trade".

CareerOne product and business manager Colleen Aubrey, said they found out about the spam yesterday morning after they received calls and e-mails from people who received them. They put the pop-up warning on their Web site on the same day.

She added that they have never had a case like this where the e-mail blatantly pointed at CareerOne as the source of the e-mail address.

The spam e-mail states that Sparta-Trade is an "online-to-offline international money transfer service" based in New York and that they have five openings for a "representative to assist in the creation of a virtual local presence for the back office functions".

A person named Chris Mathew introduces himself as the project coordinator and the direct supervisor at Sparta-Trade. The spam asks the users to fill out a form through the link provided and then asks for the person's bank details.

CareerOne is currently conducting an internal investigation with their legal department and will soon be coordinating with the Australian High Tech Crime Commission (AHTCC).

"We want to clarify that the e-mail addresses used by Sparta-Trade are not from us. We've already sent out notification to our advertisers and CareerOne newsletter subscribers as well as through our job e-mails," Aubrey said.

Aubrey added that most of the calls and e-mails they get from the Web site's users ask for advice on whether the e-mail is legitimate. So far, CareerOne has not received information of anyone filling out the spam's online form.

CareerOne has advised its users not to provide Sparta-Trade with any personal financial information and "to proceed with caution if you choose to follow up anything with them".

Online job search engine Seek also warned its users last month of an e-mail scam that employs the bogus company name "Plasma Project" and claims to be powered by Seek.

The scam e-mail details a job involving the transfer of money on the bogus company's behalf. Previously, the scammers have employed the names Plasma Connection or Plasma TV.

The job "offer" employs phrases such as "Powered by Seek or "Seek Job of the Week" and even claims that the e-mail address was provided to the company by seek.com.au.

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1. Yes I did received that about Sparta trade which they send me an email with incorrect person's name. That is to fool people thinking it a real job. I send a reply but it bounced back so it wasn't a real email address from the sender. It gettin Anonymous -- 21/10/04

   Yes I did received that about Sparta trade which they send me an email with incorrect person's name. That is to fool people thinking it a real job. I send a reply but it bounced back so it wasn't a real email address from the sender.
   
   It getting ridulous of breaking people's email addresses and send spams to people and that harassment.

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2. I have received these emails. This is what they say: Dear Future Employee, Thank you for submitting your application. We have tried to call you, however nobody answered the phone. Please indicate which time and phone number are Anonymous -- 25/10/04

   I have received these emails. This is what they say:
   Dear Future Employee,
   
   Thank you for submitting your application. We have tried to call you,
   however nobody answered the phone. Please indicate which time and phone
   number are convenient for us to reach you at. Also please see a brief
   introduction to this position.
   
   Sparta-Trade Inc. is an online-to-offline international money transfer
   service. Sparta-Trade Inc. currently offers a secure, fast, and inexpensive
   means to send money from any of 38 countries to recipients in 8 countries.
   Sparta-Trade Inc.’s headquarters is located in New York City, U.S. For more
   information, please visit our website: www.sparta-trade.com
   
   As our business expands internationally, there is excellent opportunity for
   the local representation. Due to high costs and time consumption, we have
   postponed the opening of the office in Australia until the next year. There
   was decided to hire representatives to assist in creation of the virtual
   local presence for the back office functions.
   
   Your main task is to coordinate the payments from the local customers. Also
   you will have to establish a virtual office: receive the correspondence from
   our company or clients, answer project related e-mails, and perform a
   limited number of phone calls / customer support. All training will be
   provided for successful candidates. You will work in a team, with your
   direct supervisor/ sales manager, who will assist you in all steps of the
   project life cycle.
   
   The average monthly salary is about 3500 - 4000 AUD. There is no start-up
   cost or any other fee to begin working with us. This position requires only
   4-6 hours per day. Your wages will be paid directly to your bank account
   every two weeks and your commission (2.5 percent) will be paid out to you
   after every transaction. During the first month you should expect 20
   transactions, ranging from 3000 to 4000 AUD. For example 20 transactions of
   3500 AUD will generate you 1750 AUD. Plus your base monthly salary is 2000
   AUD. Your monthly total will be 3750 AUD. Your status will be self-employed,
   and the taxes should be paid by you. There will be provided all the
   necessary paperwork by us at the end of the year. After 2 months of
   successful work, you will start operating with the larger orders and earning
   more commission.
   
   You must have any type of bank account to receive funds and your wages. Also
   you must have a personal computer and email, with access to it at least 2
   times a day. It is a regular position; and you will work for 4-6 months
   until we open our local office. Based on your performance we might hire you
   for a full time position.
   
   Do not hesitate to ask any questions you might have.
   
   Regards,
   Chris Mathew
   
   I was never called by these people and then they replied with:
   Dear Future Employee,
   
   Thank you for submitting your application. I am back to the office, sorting through all the applications.
   To continue the application please submit the below listed information:
   (1) Bank name:
   (2) Name on the account:
   (3) Account number:
   (4) BSB:
   
   Regards,
   Chris Mathew
   
   Sparta-Trade Inc. is an online-to-offline international money transfer service. Sparta-Trade Inc. currently offers a secure, fast, and
   inexpensive means to send money from any of 38 countries to recipients in 8 countries. Sparta-Trade Inc.’s headquarters is located in New
   York City, U.S. For more information, please visit our website: www.sparta-trade.com
   
   If someone wishes to contact me about these email - i have kept them all and i can foward them onto the appropriate authorities if they would like.

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3. Yes i also did recieve this e.mail from Sparta, and like you am trying too find out about this company, and Chris Mathew, have asked them a lot of Question and also asked for a reply, also get get the advert from Plasma. Anonymous -- 01/11/04

   Yes i also did recieve this e.mail from Sparta, and like you am trying too find out about this company, and Chris Mathew, have asked them a lot of Question and also asked for a reply, also get get the advert from Plasma.

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