http://www.teamworkersusa.com/large-pair/
Au pair & Nanny recruitment – how not to end up short changed by scam artists –
Today’s consumer market is riddled with immoral individuals and groups intent on getting something for nothing. The childcare industry is no exception, with more and more cases of host families, au pairs and nannies falling victim to these types of scams. The websites matching au pair and family merely act as a tool for the con artists to utilise for their own financial advantage, a smokescreen that instils a level of trust from the targeted party.
There is the choice of two roles the scammer can adopt; either that of the host family or the au pair/nanny applying for the job.
In the case of the former the con artist would create a bogus profile using a website’s registering facility. If they are required to pay – which is the case with most automated sites – they will enter fraudulent credit card details, which would be processed and accepted by the automated service.
They are then free to make contact with any au pairs or nannies they so wish; having gained access to contact details through result of payment.
Once their target is chosen the fake family would exchange emails with the au pair gaining her trust and evoking her interest in the position. In many cases a cheque or a money order of a ridiculous amount is sent to the girl as a measure of goodwill. Before the money can clear however the family would ask for part of that advance to be sent back via Western Union or another method, claiming they need it for school fees or as a deposit on a property. The original amount sent will not clear of course and the girl will be left with no prospective job offer and out of pocket financially. Well and truly conned.
The faux family may also contact au pairs who do not have the correct Visa for their target country, claiming they can arrange this for her through their ‘travel agency’. This of course comes at a price, which – as soon as the girl pays – results in the helpful family disappearing.
The scam can also take the form of pretending to be an au pair or nanny and registering with a website. They will claim to have fantastic qualifications and proceed to exchange emails with prospective families. At the last minute they will request financial aid to help them with their travel costs, the family having no reason not to trust the girl they have been in contact with through the au pair website send the money, only to never hear from the girl again.
These kinds of scams flourish on automated websites because there are no detailed checks carried out on the registrations. These kinds of sites are reliant on numbers of members and are so large it is impossible for administrators to check every person who joins.
There is however another option when starting your search for an au pair or family; smaller, non-automated matching sites. Agencies such as Almondbury au pair and nanny agency check every au pair application and family registration they receive, filtering out those which are potentially false. Host families are required to pay a registration fee that is processed in the office by real people, with security checks such as ensuring the name on the credit card and the name of the family match. Office administrators speak to families over the phone offering them assistance and verifying their legitimacy. Many of the families registered on the site are return customers who have been verified and are marked as such (***). Almondbury au pair and nanny agency also monitor the IP addresses of both families and au pairs who register, if the IP address does not match the location they claim to be from alarms bells are raised and the application is further investigated.
Nanny-agency.com also has a forum where nannies can post warnings to other au pairs and nannies about past experiences with families. This is monitored by administrators who can look into any families that seem suspicious.
My finishing words are those of advice; when looking looking for an au pair or nanny always an agency and avoid the automated search sites.
For more information please check Au pair scam and nanny scams
About the Author
Soraya is currently doing a BA in Media studies at Cardiff university and is a marketing consultant for Au pair and nanny agency Almondbury
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