Phishing, Herring and You. Part 2.

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For part one, click here.


So, yes, I responded to that wonderful, too good to be true, job offer:


Hello Patrick,


The "proposition" sounds simply wonderful. 


Just a quick request to you before I fill out the form. I don't see your information on the email; no company name, no phone number. Even your email doesn't reference a company.


Please provide that information and I'd be more than happy to proceed. Honestly, I have never seen such mystery before so let's clear that up first before I provide my information.


I'm also mystified by the fact that while I do have an account on beyond.com, my profile is 0% complete; therefore I'd like to know what criteria was used to base your selecting me for this opportunity.


Many thanks.


I never expected to hear from Patrick Brown again. But I did:


Hello,


Here is more information about the job position with IT-Prime Ltd.


Our company creates a positive outlook and prosperity of businesses and individuals across the world. Managing Information Technology Outsourcing lands a great possibility for growth and development.


The position being offered is for Financial Forwarding Coordinator.


Job requirements:
- Minimum 18 y.o.;
- constant internet access;
- home or mobile phone number;
- regular bank account (checking/savings) or a Verified Premier or Business PayPal account.


Employment benefits (upon completion of 30 days trial period):
- Paid holidays;
- Dental and Health;
- Professional development programs


Refer to the links below for additional information: http://www.itprimeltd.com/job/finance2?lang=us


Frequently Asked Question: http://www.itprimeltd.com/job/finance/faq


Key points:
- No investment of funds on your part;
- Not a sales position, base pay along with commission is guaranteed;


For further information and inquiries you may contact us at job@itprimeltd.com


Limited Time Offer with a Sign On Bonus! Please follow the link: http://www.itprimeltd.com/job/finance-bonus?lang=us


Thank you for your time and interest with our company.


Best Regards,


Patrick Brown
Phone: (phone # with a Michigan area code) Fax: (phone # with a New York area code) 

Whew! Sigh of relief! There’s links, email addresses and phone numbers. Now, they’re only asking that you have a bank account or PayPal account because they want to direct deposit your pay, right?


Financial Forwarding Coordinator; sounds important. And it’s a company that manages IT outsourcing. Wow. They must be making some money then since that’s a growing trend (one that I’m not big on supporting, but nevertheless, it all sounds legi). The website looks professional, though some of the copy appears to be written by someone who is not native English speaking.


And here is a highlight from the job description from their website:


In an everyday situation, once the money is deposited into your account via internal bank transfer system, your responsibility would be to withdraw the funds right away, subtract your commission, and send the remaining balance to the appropriate recipient as directed by your supervisor.


If you haven’t been convinced by now that this is a scam, seriously folks, the paragraph above better clinch the deal! If you truly want to be a Financial Forwarding Coordinator and you have money in your bank accounts, kiss it goodbye!


It appears to be a new twist on the Nigerian lottery or the long lost relative leaving you millions. Don’t be suckered into this one. 


Have you seen anything similar to this scam? Probably not, so let this serve as a warning. 


Millie Small sang about suckers, well, lollipops, but this one isn’t tutti-frutti or cherry flavored, it’s more like the chilly seas of Norway (not the Norway in Michigan). 

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Music, TV, and Norway.

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You don’t hear much about Norway musically or in other pop culture arenas, do you? I used to travel through the Oslo airport on my way to a nearby destination a couple times a year. It resembled a prefab house; not very impressive. Then, Gardermoen was built in 1998, awash in wood and steel.  


Ironically, the new airport had been in the planning stages for many years and broke ground in 1994, six months after the Winter Olympics. The games were perhaps the biggest thing since oil, skiing, and salmon for Norway, drawing our attention to the city of Lillehammer and all the sports that cold weather can bring. And those Olympic Games were the first ever to be “green”, placing emphasis on energy conversation, recycling, reuse, even a tree planting program. 


Were people drawn to Norway as a vacation destination as a result of the Olympics? Hard to say; stats are few and far between on the internet. 


And now, for the last few years, there’s a quiet rumbling coming from there; both from one man.  Steve Van Zandt. Yeah, you know him as Little Steven, a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. And you probably know him as Silvio from The Sopranos too. 


And maybe, just maybe, you’ve heard of Little Steven’s Underground Garage, one of the grooviest Sirius/XM stations on the planet. The playlist is vast, ranging from 60’s garage to girl groups old and new, to Bruce. There’s lots of new stuff too; most of it with a psychedelic spin. Little Stevie even has a record label, Wicked Cool, that some of those artists are on. And the music is good. But wait! Some of the bands are from…drum roll, please…Norway! The Cocktail Slippers, a girl band that’s very poppy and a little bit punky, stand a good chance of having success in the states, success not seen by a Norwegian group since A-ha and their hit “Take on Me” in 1985.


Little Steven is doing more than importing bands to the states. His most recent project is a TV series called “Lillyhammer” and Netflix has an exclusive on it. Surprise! The main character is a New York mobster, played by (surprise), Little Steven Van Zandt. The premise? He squeals to authorities and gets a re-lo package. His choice? Norway.  He drives a Th!nk, buys a bar and signs away the ownership, meets a pretty blonde, busts people up, and demonstrates outlandish behavior, all while it’s snowing outside. 


Personally, I think this show is a winner. It is a bit more comedic than The Sopranos ever was, perhaps because of the absurdity of the situation. Don’t move your eyes away from the screen; not all the dialog is in English. Little Steven’s character appears to understand the language, but responds mainly in American tough guy.


And The Cocktail Slippers appear to be the local house band at the bar on the show; nice cross-promotion there! 


Will this show raise some fresh awareness for all things Norway, that sometimes forgotten Scandinavian country next to the one that produces cars and boasts the band Abba as its biggest export? It could become the next cult hit. Give it time to grow; it’s already been renewed. 


This is "N" in the Blogging A to Z Challenge. Here's L and M.


A video with the Cocktail Slippers is below; enjoy!