Beware The "Account Manager" Scam!

Because online sellers get and receive a lot of email, we can and are the target of many scams.

The newest scam to hit your email and the Web offers to let you become an "Account Manager" or "Transfer Agent" for a third party, usually someone in an ex-Soviet bloc country.

Here's how it works: The scammers try to solicit you through an email or an advertisement on the Web, offering to let you "work from home" and be an Account Manager or "Money Transfer Agent" for them, thus letting you "earn" commissions for your trouble.

They then transfer money OUT of an unsuspecting person's account and into yours. Once the money's in your account, they ask you to send the money to them via Western Union. The lure is that they allow you to keep a percentage of the money they've deposited into your account (usually 5%). They sweeten the pot by saying that your fee will grow to 6% and possibly more as you do more money transfers for them.

This scam harms many people, especially consumers whose accounts have money taken from them. If you agree to become an Account Manager for these thieves, you have no idea where the money is coming from or where it's going. It could be used for a variety of purposes, including terrorism. If you're caught, you could face possible legal action. Don't believe any emails or Web advertisements offering to let you earn money by transferring cash.