Consumer Alert - Michael Lincoln

A scammer calling himself "Michael Lincoln" claims to be working for i-to-i Volunteering, a UK-based company that coordinates volunteering and English-teaching around the world. However he is nothing to do with them at all. I know this because they told me so.

However I was certain of this before I spoke with them. Firstly he uses an email address nothing like theirs. They use either "@i-to-itravel.com" or "@i-to-i.com" but he uses "i-to-i@worker.com". The phone numbers he gives in his offer letter are also completely different to the genuine ones. The number he insists you call him on is one of those re-directable UK cellphone numbers. Who knows where in the world he might be.

Then there's the offer he makes.

$770 per week for a volunteer? That's $40,000 per year, over P300,000. For someone volunteering in an orphanage in Central America? I think not.

It's simple. Job offers out of the blue from total strangers offering vast salaries are scams.

So where is the scam you might ask? Attached to the email is the invoice for £400 for his services which he demands you pay before anything else happens. It's what you might call an "advance fee".

Sorry "Michael", you've been exposed. Have a nice day.