Job Offer! (scam!) oops, did I say that?

talk random
1

Ok Kirupians, what’s your take on this!

I recently received an email out of the blue that was something like this:

Hi,

I’m sorry for disturbing you with this email but as far as I know you are a freelance programmer/website developer/designer/IT expert/coder.

We would like to work with you, so if you are interested, please read About Eunet Solution-WSD.doc (you can find it in the zip file attached).

Then if you are still interested please fill in the Application Form attached and send it to:
app3eunet@hotmail.com

If you want, you can start working now since we’ve sent you one of our actual project list (also attached). All of the projects in the list needs a detailed plan before starting, we pay $50 per detailed plan. If the plan is succesful, you will handle the entire project as well. More info in the documents attached.

If you find appropriate projects, please reply this email (with the reply
button) using the Project List number and your username (which you can choose int he Application Form) in the subject line. The mail must include only the chosen project number(s). Then we send you a confirmation ASAP.

Thanks.

Kind regards,

Peter Nagy
Manager
Web & Software Development Department
Eunet Solution Hungary Ltd.
gen3eunet@hotmail.com
1147 Budapest
Hermina ut 26, II/27
Hungary

So I opened up the attached docs and everything seemed legit. There was an Excel file with a list of projects that you can choose to work on, with a project id, and a corresponding Word document for each project with an outline and more details.

The idea is that they have tons of freelancers working for them. 2 or 3 times a week you receive a list of projects you can choose to work on. You then have to write a project description for which you get paid 50 dollars, and if these guys like your project description, then you get the project.

Each project has a max budget amount for which you can be paid. Although the payoffs were low compared to the amount of work for each project, they seemed about right. Most of them under 1k but a few of them in the 5-10k range. (mp3 community sites, etc.)

Of course your first assumption is that its a scam and you will do the project for them, and not get paid. But they say that for projects over 5k you get 25% up front, payable via Paypal. For projects over 10k you get 50% up front.

There’s tons of more details involved but every way I looked at it, and I really took every angle, it seems legit.

However, I filled out their application, which was just a few measly questions, (name, email, skills, paypal account address, cellphone number) and sent it back to them. I got no reply at all! I then sent them some questions to the specified email address for general questions (listed in their FAQ) and also got no response.

The weird things are these:

  1. They are using hotmail addresses?

  2. They say that they have hundreds of freelancers working for them, if so, then it would be impossible to automate all the emails they receive regarding projects with hotmail addresses :s

  3. I cant find them listed anywhere in Google. This would make sense that they would want to remain anonymous so that you would have no way to get in touch with their clients, but no URL at all? No mention of their company anywhere?

  4. They don’t list a phone number.

Things that add-up:

  1. Pricing seemed right. If it was a scam then wouldnt they want to encourage you to participate by inflating the numbers? The prices were actually a little too low for my likings.

  2. They sent the email to me, and to 5 other guys who were also “web guys”. Some of them had real email addresses (not gmail or hotmail) so I visited the URLs and sure enough they were in the industry.

  3. If it was a scam then how could they offer to pay you 50% deposit on a 10k project, that means they also are trusting you with a lot of money!

Ok, so, what do you think about this? Im really racking my brains trying to figure out what the hell that was? (I also spent 4 hours working on a project outline hmph).

I dont know if they just didnt like something about me and blocked me out, or if I somehow fell into their scam?

??