Beware of scammers!

Using Au Pair websites gives you the possibility to hire an Au Pair or become an Au Pair without an Au Pair agency.

Searching for a future Au Pair or a Host Family on your own may possibly put you in danger. AuPair.com screens our whole community on a daily basis; nonetheless, if some black sheep slips through our security, here is everything you need to know to stay safe no matter what:

How to spot a scammer – at a glance
Defend yourself from the scammers
Schemes used by scammers
Phishing - account validation scam
Examples of scam attempts

The Internet is one of the biggest achievements in human history, nonetheless, this global network has some disadvantages as well. We never know who is on the other side of the computer monitor.

AuPair.com checks all its members daily. Nevertheless, we would like to share with you how scammers try to get some benefit from the Au Pair program.
In this article, we will show you real examples of scam attempt emails which some of our users have received in the past.
Read carefully to find out more.

How do the scammers work?

Scammers try to acquire some financial benefit from the Au Pair program. These people are neither interested in a cultural exchange nor in hosting any Au Pair. They try to gain trust of people involved in the Au Pair program and receive money at the first opportunity.

If anyone asks you to pay for anything in advance, don’t do it. Even if it is a money transfer to your own deposit account. This rule lets you avoid 100% of scam attempts.

How to spot a scammer – at a glance:

There are some typical characteristics of fake Au Pairs/Host Families. If you spot any cases mentioned below, be careful and inform us!

1. Contact details

If a user displays his/her contact details in the profile, she/he is usually a scammer and always – a cheater. Premium Membership fee allows users to exchange the contact details. Due to this fee we can keep this platform safe for you. Bypassing this system puts us all in danger.

2. Pocket money

Au Pairs should earn a certain amount of pocket money monthly. Although the Au Pair’s help is sometimes priceless, no one pays more than the standard rates. Thus offers with a surprisingly high amount of pocket money are unreliable, be careful!

3. Asking for help

If the user informs you that there was a horrible accident or a dreadful disease and there is an “urgent need” of your help, it’s usually a fraud attempt. Even if the statement seems frightening and real to you, it is probably a scam. It will be better if you start looking for another match. Anyway, we do not recommend to find a Host Family or an Au Pair on socila media like Facebook. You should always look for potential candidate in safe spaces like AuPair.com.
Free Registration as Candidate Free Registration as Family

Defend yourself from scammers

How to avoid scammers? Be careful and use your common sense – that’s the best approach.

1. Don’t send any money abroad…

… in advance. Even to your own deposit account! You shouldn’t pay for anything this way. You can purchase a Premium Membership and learn more about how Au Pair travel expenses and insurance work. You should neither rent any flat abroad nor pay for anything in advance.

2. Don’t contact Au Pairs or Host Families met outside the online agency – for example on social media

Social media channels, like Facebook, are not the right place to find a Host Family or an Au Pair. Online matching agencies check the background and reliability of their users, while social media doesn’t have to. From our experience, 80% of the scammers come from Facebook. We don't advise contacting Host Families or Au Pairs this way and we will not be able to warn or protect you in case something goes wrong.

3. Always arrange a video-call

Scammers almost never agree to meet through a live video-call, because it will reveal their identity. If the user refuses to meet you through the video-interview, he/she is not a reliable person for further cooperation.

4. NEVER validate your account!

Neither at AuPair.com nor anywhere else. AuPair.com, your bank, any other online platform – we will never ask you for account validation.

Schemes used by scammers

The travel agency
Live-out Au Pair - the real-estate agency
Fake Au Pair agency
The Apologize message
The Au Pair Community agent
The perfect Au Pair
The Au Pair got stuck at the airport?
Host Family sends checks
Host Family moving soon!
AuPair.com’s references
The lawyer
Account validation

1. The travel agency

If you receive an offer of assistance in the travel preparation, read the following example and make sure you don’t contact any fake travel agent if this happens to you.

"Contact the ticket agent and make enquiries about the tickets and working permit document from your country to UK and gets back to me via email don't worry about any expenses that this might cost you I shall refund all expenses incurred by you after you get here when I pick you up from the airport, I just want to be sure if you really want to work for me..."

As soon as you send the money, you will never hear from this user again. Sometimes the fake travel agent might contact you to ask for an additional payment as the first amount is insufficient. Here is another sample e-mail sent by a fake agent.

“Dear client,

We got your contact from one of our customer Ms xy who has made a reservation with us to travel Friday the xx of xx from xx to xx.

Her reservation code with us is PP6J4Y/EA/XX

The flight cost is 480 euros with XX

Ms xx has asked us to contact you for payment of the outstanding 480euros.

Once our accountant receives this money, we shall issue an air ticket to Ms xx.

We advise that payment should be made via Western Union since it is faster and easier to send and receive money. This is because we only accept payment via our bank account if payment exceed 2500€ and it will take about a week and more for the payment to mature.”

2. Live-out Au Pair - the real-estate agency

Host Families have to fulfill certain requirements to join the Au Pair program. One of them is the ability to provide a free accommodation in their home. If the Host Family, against the rules of the program, offers to provide accommodation in a different place, for example a nearby flat or a little house with all the facilities, and you have to pay for it, it’s usually a scam attempt.

The fake Host Family will ask the Au Pair to deposit a relatively small amount of money – to prove that the Au Pair is able to live in the Host Country until the Host Family covers the complete cost.

The Host Family might inform you that there is only one suitable place in the entire neighbourhood. Moreover, there are many other people waiting to rent that place. The Host Family will recommend Au Pair to act quickly and get in touch with the specific real estate agent to pay the rent.

“The apartment we have found you is very good and very cheap and I am not sure you can find anything better, also this apartment is next door to us. The estate caretaker confirmed to me that if you do not like the apartment on arrival they will refund all your money but I am very sure you will like the apartment (...)”

3. Fake Au Pair agency

These fraud attempts are common among fake Host Families claiming to be American. As the United States has really strict Au Pair Program’s requirements, there are many possibilities for scammers to mislead Au Pairs.

The Au Pair has to use a full-service Au Pair Agency to go to the US. Moreover, the agency has to be a designated J-1 visa sponsor.

Many fake “American” Host Families try to convince the Au Pair to get in touch with an agency for arranging their arrival and the Au Pair stay. Check carefully if this agency exists at all, by asking for their website and their other credentials!

The Au Pair has the right to choose the way he/she wishes to arrange the Au Pair stay - no one should interfere in these decisions. The Host Family should help with the arrangements, but the Au Pair is the one who decides!

4. The Apologize message

The AuPair.com team regularly blocks users who appear to be scammers or harmful in any other way. When we do this, we also send out warnings about the specific user. In the past it has happened that those scammers copy our e-mail design and our e-mail address and send out messages which state that AuPair.com has made a mistake and has unblocked the user.

Please note that AuPair.com blocks accounts for a reason and that we do not send out any e-mails stating that the user is okay. Please ignore those messages in case you receive them and contact us.

The content would look like this:

“Hello [name of the candidate],

The AuPair.com team apologizes for blocking the user [name]. We mistakenly thought that the user is a scammer but we found out that he is not. This is why we have reactivated his account. We guarantee that communicating with this individual is safe.

AuPair.com team”

5. The Au Pair community agent

This case is very similar to the fake agency case. The scammer claims to be a representative of the Au Pair community rather than an Au Pair Agency. It’s common among fake Host Families claiming to be British. There are no visa requirements for many Au Pairs from European Union countries.

A fake community will send the Au Pair some documents, designed in order to prove the community to be real and to make the Au Pair pay an entry fee.

The text would look like this:

“Dear [name of the candidate],

Sequel to lot of Fake Families around the world, AuPair.com Screening of Families Profiles has begun.

You are advised and requested to stop all proceedings/procedures with every other Family and as such AuPair.com Support team Has assigned Billy Phash family as your host family in UK. they have been screened and found eligible to host you as their family Au pair.

Name: [name of the family].

Email: [e-mail of the family]

Proceed to email them immediately, We have also given them your details.

Congratulations on your Au Pair application.”

6. The perfect Au Pair

English is one of the most popular languages worldwide. Many Host Families would like to find a native English speaker as an Au Pair.

This is also the reason why most scammers claim to be British, American, Australian or Irish girls. It is very difficult to expose them. As they are probably not native speakers, they use some templates written in quite a good English to connect to a Host Family.

“Thanks for your mail, I am 23 years old British. English is my first language but I also speak French too (my current Au pair family is polish). I have been an Au pair for four years now in four countries. My maximum Au pair in a home has been one year in Scotland I have worked for the Nathalie Hawn family (Scotland) I have also worked for Isabella Reinaldo family(Portugal) Before leaving for Yaounde, Republic of Cameroon where I now work with the Technical assistant of SNV, a Dutch NGO present all over the world. My current family is polish and I am leaving them because my contract has ended. I have been with them for one year, on a good salary, with lovely kids. (...)”

Usually, fake Au Pairs make you believe that you are the perfect Host Family. They tell you that they don’t have enough money to pay for the flight ticket, insurance or any other expense. Their family can’t help, thus they will ask you to transfer the money and deduct it from the Au Pair’s salary.

“Thanks for your mail.I understand your fears and worries. I don't expect that you pay for my flight ticket.I have been an Au pair for a couple of years and know the rules.If it were not for the expensive flights, I would have bought the ticket by now. I had budgeted for flight but never knew they shall be this expensive.If only I had not been saving for school in an irrevocable account from which I can only withdraw in Sept 2016, I would have withdrawn some money towards the cost of this ticket”

7. The Au Pair got stuck at the airport?

This case is usually combined with the one above. The perfect Au Pair with great references, extensive experience and charming personality, is stuck at the airport in some distant country. There was some horrible accident and the Au Pair can’t leave the country! The flight ticket is no longer valid, thus he/she needs to book another ticket as soon as possible.

After sending the money you will never hear a word from this Au Pair and you will never see your money again. If you wish to share the travel expenses with your Au Pair, you can return them after the Au Pair’s arrival in installments.

8. The Host Family sends checks

The fake Host Family will write you some emails and send you fake checks in advance to make you think they really want you to become their Au Pair. A few emails later, after you have received the "money" and both of you have agreed on the terms of your stay, you will get awful news: wife and children have died in a terrible car accident, so you will be no longer needed. You will be asked to send the money back. After some time, family’s transfer will be cancelled, and you will lose twice as much money as you received.

Below is a case happened to one unfortunate Au Pair, who became the victim of a scammer. The case is slightly different, but the mechanism is clear.

“I had no money for accommodation and “the host mother” said she would hold a conversation with her partner and they will send me money to rent accommodation. The mother of the fake Host Family send me money by her partner Paypal account. She wanted to pay the rent for accommodation with them for three months, but after a while I decided that this was unreal and I decided to return all money. She did not want to receive the money back in her partner Paypal account. She told me to go to the local Moneygram office and send her money via Moneygram. 1 month later her partner made chargeback "unauthorized payment" of the money that they sent through Paypal. I was cheated!”

9. Host Family moving soon!

The fake Host Family will make you believe you are the perfect Au Pair since they will be moving to your city! Everything will be new and due to all those changes they will need an Au Pair. To ensure that you will become their Au Pair, they may even send you a certain amount of money if you open a bank account in a specific bank.

Later on, the Host Family will ask for the money for your future Au Pair placement. The previous payment will be cancelled.

10. AuPair.com references

AuPair.com checks the members daily. If we find a scammer, we send warnings to all people who were in touch with this user. We are never mistaken at this point and we will never send any message withdrawing our decision.

Scammers send messages on behalf of AuPair.com.

“This is to inform you that you were recently contacted by aupair.com team about the Family of Lewis Anthony [lewyanthonemailaddress@gmail.com] from United Kingdom which we earlier informed you may be fraud or scammer. We wish to inform you that we have re investigated and have found out that they are a real and genuine family from the documents which we requested from them. You are requested to go ahead and share any personal documents or travel details with the family; we have apologized with them for tarnishing their image on the aupair.com website and to aupair applicants. We hereby confirm them to be genuine. We also request you to report us the family on support@aupair.com if you also find that family is fraud or scammer during anytime of job offer discussion with family. Kind regards, AuPair.com”

If you ever receive a message similar to the one above, you may be 100% sure that it is a scam attempt. AuPair.com doesn’t share the email address of any of our members and will never send similar messages. If you receive it, inform us.

11. The lawyer

This fraud scheme is very similar to the fake Au Pair Agency. The Au Pair will be contacted by the family’s lawyer. The lawyer will offer help to deal with the paperwork, visa application, maybe even with the future accommodation. The lawyer may offer the help to obtain a criminal record or medical report, without any unnecessary formalities. The Au Pair only needs to deposit a certain amount of money and send scans of his/her passport, ID card or other documents. Even if your deposit is done on your behalf - you are about to lose the money.

Never deposit any money. Read about the Au Pair Program, there is really no need to pay for anything in advance.

“He contacted me via aupair.com, and after some conversations, we agreed that I would travel to UK to work as an au pair in his home. He sent me some form to fulfil ("Visa application", the contract, etc). I did it. Another requirement was to send a copy of a deposit receipt to UK (to proof funds to enter to the UK) in my name. It was only to prove I had the money to "live" there, so I could collect my money once installed in the UK. At first I didn't suspect anything because the deposit was made in my name (It was me the only person that was able to take the money). But as I sent to him a copy of the deposit, and also a copy of my passport he was able to collect my money (I don't know how).”

Account validation

What’s that and how does it work? Phishing, so called account validation scam, is one of the most common attempts to receive confidential information. In this case: your login details.

If your login details happened to be stolen through a phishing site, the scammers acquire access to your account and can deceive people on behalf of you and your family.

How does it work?

The scammers contact you through some fake account. As soon as they get to know your email address, they will send you a request for your account validation. The request is supposed to look like it is sent by us. It will be signed as AuPair.com and even the email address may look like one of our ones. Nonetheless, AuPair.com will never ask you for your account validation or block your account without a reason!

"Dear Family / Au Pair

We have noticed that there are some family abandoned accounts on our database and the management has instructed that all abandoned account on our database should be deleted.

Hence, we require that all families on our database should validate there account to avoid account deletion and you have just 24 hours to validate your account. Accounts that are not validated within 24 hours will be deleted.

Kindly enter your email and password on our validation page below to validate your account.

Reply directly to this email for more details and inquiry about account validation.

Thank you for using AuPair.com. We wish you the best in your search!

Regards,

Webmaster"

What’s going on now?

When you introduce your email address and password on the phishing site, the scammers receive your login details. They can access your account, which now will be shared between you and the scammers.

Your account, reliable and already approved, is misused through this loophole in the security. The rest of this service is in serious danger. The scammers will contact Au Pairs or Host Families on your behalf, gain their trust and contact details and use one of the described schemes above to proceed.

Is there anything else?

Unfortunately, yes. Recently scammers began to access stolen profiles and changing passwords. When you are no longer able to enter your profile with your own password – the scammers demand money for your account’s reactivation. It’s beyond imagination, but we witnessed this kind of attempts already. Therefore, let us stress again:

AuPair.com will not ask you for your account validation
AuPair.com will never close your account on its own.
AuPair.com will never demand any money from you.

The only payment to AuPair.com you can make is the Premium Membership fee. We will never charge your bank account.

Examples of scam attempts

Most of the agencies or online platforms mentioned below are legitimate international childcare program providers. Below you can find examples of messages sent by people who are scammers and claim to be representatives of these agencies.

If you ever receive messages from any agency, make sure to check their reliability by calling the agency headoffice or sending a mail to the email address specified on the Contact us pages on the official agencies' websites.

EurAupair Intercultural Child Care Programs (imposter)

Attachments distributed by the scammer:

Mails sent by the scammer:

EurAupair International Management wishes to thank you for choosing us as your preferred sponsor for the application of your J1 Au pair Visa to the United State of America. We promise to offer you the best which you will be glad you did. The Agency is a U.S. State Department-designated sponsor for an Au pair cultural exchange program. We bring to the program more than 20 years of experience in cultural exchange and hosting Au pairs with carefully screened American families. Our experience in the travel industry has served our clients well over last several years. And we are fully ASTA and ATOL protected travel agent which means your money is fully guaranteed.

ATOL – which is short for “Air Travel Organizers' licensing” – exists to protect the public from losing money or being stranded abroad because of the failure of air travel firms. It was first introduced in 1972 and it gives comprehensive consumer protection to 28 million people in the UK and USA who buy flights or air holidays each year.

We have received a request from a registered and verified Host Family; Wood with family ID WOOD-FL072706 from Miami, Florida USA to match you as their selected Au pair. As an official Au pair placement agency designated by the United States Department of State, EurAupair will sponsor your J-1 Au pair visa, organize your travel to and from the United States, and provide you with training and support throughout the year. We promise never to disappoint you as we have never failed in fulfilling our promises.

We would request that you strictly download, print, read through, fill carefully and send back to us via this email address (Simply use the REPLY function on your browser) scanned copy of the duly filled forms attached to this mail, it contains all necessary information you need with regards to the Total cost and the documents you are required to provide so that we can successfully process all your Travel document, Visa and Flight Tickets.

For your Au pair Contract,Cost and the Child Care Agreement Form for download, read and sign carefully the attached PDF document file titled-Ann Wood Au Pair Agreement, stated in this attached document is the total cost of $1,434 applicable as an Au pair which includes Round trip flight tickets.

For your EurAupair Application Form and list of required documents you will have to provide, download read carefully and Fill the attached PDF Document file titled- EurAupair Application Form.

For your Medical insurance , download the EurAupair medical record form and have a registered Doctor fill and sign the document. This will enable us proceed with you Medical insurance cover while in the USA.

We are expected to receive fully filled forms not more than a week from now, so we can proceed and schedule a provisional flight ticket for you to confirm and inform you on how to make payment.

Note: That we cannot proceed with if we do not receive the scanned copies of the duly filled form, these forms enable us to register you with EurAupair Program as an Au Pair and it also provide all necessary information that we will require to process your Visa and other travel documents so once the required payments are made with a detailed submission of all the duly filled forms then we can start processing of your Visa, Flight ticket and every other travel documents.

TERMS AND REGULATIONS

EurAupair, Inc. work in full term and condition with all international Visa & Working Permit Agency for all travelers in Countries that are not in the same country with the agency of their choice.

Which allow for the Following Terms and Regulations:

- All Document necessary must be valid and certified in the country of the traveler

-The photo Page of the passport of all traveler must show the original personality in physical.

- Visa charges and work permit fees must be paid directly to the Consulate of the Country the traveler is going which is in affiliation with the Immigration Department of the country the traveler is traveling from.

- All Customers Processing Visa of the country of their choice with Agencies in the country of their choice must send along with other necessary document the photo page of their Passport which will serve as evident of legibility at the Consulate of their country of their choice in their location.

- All Customers Processing Visa of the country of their choice with Agencies in the country of their choice must have a mailing address where all necessary document which includes letter of invitation to the country of their choice by Consulate of the country, letter of invitation by their host family and Faxed papers for Visa charges payment will be mailed to.

- Payment which was recently added in the advent of cyber-crimes disallow any form of payment without cash therefore Bank check, Credit Cards, Money orders are not accepted for payment for any service. In keeping these regulations legible applicants who are not in the same location with the traveling agency of the choice will only make payment via the host family, Bank transfer to our agency representative.

Thanks for contacting us in anticipation of your response.

"At EurAupair we are interested in getting you to your destination in style and comfort."

EurAupair Intercultural Child Care Programs

Program Assistant

(949) 444-5386

Thank you for patronizing EurAupairInc.

Your documents has been received successfully and are currently been verified by our Agency representatives. If everything is found to be accurate we will proceed with your application.

Please NOTE we have 2 payment options ;

-This involves a Direct Bank transfer from your bank to our payment Representative's bank account in USA which takes 3-5 business days for the payment to be received.

-The Instant Money Transfer with Western Union can be made at any DEUTSCHE POST BANK and other outlets in Germany and only takes 10 minutes for the money to be processed. There is also 3.5% discount available on the total fee meaning you pay a reduced amount in total ($1,383).

Please select a preferred payment option.

Email me for further questions.

Thanks for your patronage.

EurAupair Intercultural Child Care Programs

Program Assistant

(949) 444-5386

Thank you for patronizing EurAupairInc.

Your flight preference has been saved successfully.

Attached is a copy of the cancellation agreement and the payment slip.

Please email me signed copies of both documents as soon as payment has been made.

Email me for further questions.

Thanks for your patronage.

EurAupair Intercultural Child Care Programs

Program Assistant

(949) 444-5386

travel-state.gov@usa.com (scam)

Mails sent by the scammer:

Dear Au Pair,

Welcome to our family! This new year will be a great one for all of us. Not only will you have the opportunity to experience life with my family in New York, United States, our family will have the opportunity to learn about a new culture and make a life-long friend. Let us introduce ourselves. We are the Lahm family. We live in 58, Broad St., Plattsburgh, New York 12901, USA, with many things to do. We live in an urban part of New York, so you have the best of both worlds. You have the beauty of the country. You can surround yourself with restaurants, movie theaters, shopping and so much more.

You will soon see our family is just like yours. My name is Mr Lahm, 46 years old. My son’s name is Paul, 4 years of age. I lost his mom in a ghastly accident 2 years ago. May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Paul is in 1st Grade. He has grown up so fast. He loves to laugh and play. He is a sweet little boy who likes everyone. Everything is a new and exciting experience for him. It is a great age.

I usually work 5 days a week. I could work on Saturdays and Sundays if needs be. I work on a contractual basis with the U.S. Army. I often times get posted to the Army bases across Europe and Americas. So I travel a lot. Although, i am not a soldier. I only help them with the technical installation of some mechanical devices. Paul will be attending his classes Mondays-Fridays. As you can see, you will have plenty of time to yourself the days he is in school. I am offering you 3600 USD monthly. I know this seems crazy and incredible, but my son is my all, and i see no reason why one should not be able to spend this much on one's beloved child. He is my all, and he is the reason why i still live and work. Not many offer this much anyways.

Paul and I enjoy going out to dinner and to the pictures once a month. This is our way of spending some quiet time together. We try and make weekend’s family time. We might go to the park, a movie or out to eat. You are always welcome to join us. That will be up to you. We know you will have things you will want to do in your free time and only have two years in The United States to do them all (Only if you would like to extend).

Our ideal au pair or nanny is very simple to describe. It is someone who will love and care for the kid as if he is his/her own. We believe in honesty and open communication. Never hesitate to come to us if you need to ask a question or you need our help in some way.

Well, I hope these give you an idea of what our family is like and how excited we are for you to be a part of it during your years in The USA. We will do our very best to make you feel like a part of the family!

However, if we are to make any progress as regards this offer, you would have to shoulder a half of your visa expenses. Reason being that, in the new decree of the US Immigration, Employer and Foreign Employee have to halve the visa fees for the visa application. This new law was passed as a result of increasing influx of Employment Visa Applications from applicants of different nationalities. This measure is invoked with the objective of being aware of the applicant's financial capability which will determine if they will be able to take care of themselves when they arrive or not, as 50% of the application fees will be refunded (Successful or unsuccessful). Thus, my hands are tied, and therefore not able to pay fully for your application. As such, if you have the willingness to move on, write the consulate which will help with the Employment Visa Application.Write to them to inquire what is required to acquire an Employment Visa to The US. Here is their email address travel-state.gov@usa.com Write to them making reference to me and my lawyer. My Lawyer and I have a good bond with the consulate, as we have been dealing with them for many years, and never get disappointed by them. By the way, My Lawyer's name is Attorney Easton. I am sure you as well know it is hard to come by a U.S. Employment Visa. So, to make this successful and easier than one would normally encounter, i propose we proceed this way.

For the interview, i would fix up a session for it, probably when i am back in the U.S. I am currently here in Italy on a consultation in a US military base here. So, i will let you know when is the right time for it.

If you agree with my T's and C's (Terms and Conditions), get back to me with a copy of your Resume or CV for my assessment. And write the consulate i have given you their email address to know what it requires to get a work visa to The United States. Forward me their reply when you have it, for proceedings.

For reference, message this email address; bu...ev@yahoo.com . He was my domestic worker, and for sometime, took care of my son while i was away on official duties. He had a very good time with my family, but had to leave for biological reasons. My Lawyer and I processed his visa through this same consulate. And luckily for him, he got approved for 10 years. You can write to him for referential purpose.

Hope to read from you soon...

Mr. Lahm

Dear Applicant,

Domestic servants who are accompanying or following to join an employer in The U.S. can apply for a Work Visa.

There will be an annotation on the visa indicating the purpose of this visa. A work visa can only be used for employment purpose and not something else.

REQUIREMENTS:

Full Name:

Full Contact Address And Phone Numbers:

Ever Been To The U.S.:

Nationality:

Current Occupation:

Marital Status:

A Copy Of Valid And Up-to-date Passport:

2 Copies Of Passport Photograph:

A Full Photograph Copy:

Do You Speak English? If Yes, How Often?

PROCESSING FEES;

National Identification Number : $528.00 USD

Petition based visa (Category H) : $190.00 USD

Total amount to be paid by (principal applicant only): $718.00 USD

REASONS FOR DELAY OR DENIAL;

a) Incomplete application forms

b) Incorrectly or falsely completed application forms

After our management compiles all documents needed for your traveling, it would be mailed through registered courier service ( DHL ) directly to your home address.

Regards,

The US Consulate

AIR MASTER FLIGHT AGENCY (scam)

Mails sent by the scammer:

Hope all is well with you and the family.

I am just returning from the local travel agencies over here to see what they can offer.

The Air Master flight agency has also offered me a flight at 441€ on 19th September to Madrid.

The agency have reserve a seat for me and have advice that I pay for the flight as soon as possible since they have just one seat left and the flight cost might increase in time.

Presently I have struggled to raise 260€ in which I have deposited the money at the agency and have promised to pay the balance as soon as possible.

Please can you help loan me the balance 181€ so that I can pay for the fare and reserve my seat as soon as possible?

The money you loan to me will be deducted from my salary in installments .

What do you think ?

I will also prefer you pay directly to the Airmaster flight agency and just inform me so that I can drive to them and receive my air ticket .

My reservation code with them is LIQKZG

You can also contact the agency via their details below :

AIR MASTER FLIGHT AGENCY

Head Office

Ancien troisieme, Bonapriso

P.O Box 20014 - Douala, Cameroon

7/24 support (+237) 682888424

Email: airticket.salesperson@g mail.com

Hope to read from you soon.

Regards ,

Dear Maria,

I am so happy reading from you.

Hope all is well with you and the family.

I have been here for a year.

Life over here has been great and more than what I imagined and it has been a wonderful experience!

I administered all necessary vaccines before coming over and my health has been excellent as I do regular check up. I also do have a valid health insurance.

I am so happy to meet your family soon.

Also, I have been searching for the flights but they seem expensive.

The cheapest I found was 468€ on 20th September to Madrid. Other flights are more expensive. Please can you help me search for a cheaper flight?

I will be flying from the Douala International airport.

Hope to read from you soon.

Regards.

BARRHEAD TRAVEL AGENCY (USA) (scam)

Attachments distributed by the scammer:

Mails sent by the scammer:

Thanks for keeping in touch with us about your Application of becoming an Au Pair Nanny / Housekeeper / Driver in USA. Agent Au Pair is a national employment agency providing placement services for families seeking full-time, part-time or temporary childcare in United States. We recruit, screen and interview qualified applicants. We also verify references, conduct background checks and assist families, baby sitters, Au pairs and nannies through the matching process.

About Us

The legit travel processsing association (L.T.P) is the leading global trade association for organisations active in all aspects of au pair and cultural exchange programmes.

leisure frosch has more than 170 member organisations active in 45 countries worldwide.

Member organisations must meet firm business and ethical standards, and agree to abide by the leisure frosch Code of Conduct which signifies competence, fair dealing and high integrity.trave;

is a global not-for-profit organisation and a founding member of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation.

leisure frosch was founded by leading au pair organisations in 1994 at the WYSTC (World Youth and Student Travel Conference) in Vancouver, Canada.

Note: You are to print out the forms we attched below and fill it with your information and scan it back to us as soon as we confirm your details we shall get back to us with payment details as soon as we confirm your payment we shall start the processing and get back to you with some important document such as Visa form, Contract and agreement letter (etc) ..

DOCUMENTATION PROGRAM COST

The costs for Working Permit processing Program are set by the United States Traveling agency organization. The following

are only estimates of the costs to the Au pair Nanny each.

1. Application Fees : $100

2. Agency Fee: $300

3. Document processing Fee $ 200( Visa , work permits, and insurance).

4. Placement Fee of $50

Total: $650

( Your Host Family are responsible for the Visa and Flight Air ticket and all you need to pay is $650)

Get back to us as soon as you agree and read and understand the program so we can tell you the next step and how to start the processing.

Thanks for your Co operation.

leisure frosch| LCC

AuPair.com & Elite Aupair (imposter)

Attachments distributed by the scammer:

AUPAIR UK & aupaircomjob@europe.com (scam)

Attachments distributed by the scammer:

Mails sent by the scammer:

Attention Applicant;

Find attached to this mail, two (2) detailed information on requirements as patterning to your placement here in the UK, you are expected to furnish us with every information required as found on the Placement Requirements Checklist for documentation and speedy approval as your host family has pleaded with us to treat your application as priority because they will be expecting you soon.

On another hand, your host family have been issued detailed information on requirements compulsory for Au pair hosting and employment, to prove that they are capable of taking charge of their employee upon arrival and to further satisfy Au pair safety laws and principles as have been reviewed for endorsement.

We hope to hear from both you and your employer with the requirements as soon as possible and do not hesitate to write us if you have any further clarifications to make.

All requirements must be submitted via email to us.

Thank you!

ATTENTION APPLICANT;

With reference to your questions; you need to fill the form in all sincerity as instructed in English Language, while returning it you have to attach a copy of your International Passport, Passport size photo and ID Card if available in any language.

We urge you to do the needful as soon as possible.

Thank you!

To whom it may concern,

You have successfully been registered with the au pair community here in the United Kingdom. Do find attached to this mail, Au pair Questionnaire form as per contacts made by your intending host Martin Milner.

You are expected to fill the form in all sincerity as to avoid any embarrassment in the course of your job offer and stay in the United Kingdom. A copy of the form should be sent back via email to us for documentation and contract letter approval.

We wish to congratulate you on your new job offer and advice that you adhere to instructions.

Thank you!

Agent Au Pair (imposter) & respectedagencyaupair@usa.com (scam)

Travel scams and how to avoid them

Unfortunately scams are not limited to the Internt. Always make sure to stay safe while you travel around! We have gathered the 6 worst travel scams and how to avoid them. Stay safe!

Attachments distributed by the scammer:

Mails sent by the scammer:

Hello Applicant

WELCOME TO U.S AU PAIR AGENCY PROCESSING ABOUT....

Thanks for keeping in touch with us about your Application of becoming an Au Pair in USA. Agent Au Pair is a national employment agency providing placement services for families seeking full-time, part-time or temporary childcare in United States. We recruit, screen and interview qualified applicants. We also verify references, conduct background checks and assist families, baby sitters,personal assistant ,Drivers,home attendant ,security guard, Au pairs and nannies through the matching process

About Us:

RESPECTED AU PAIRS - AU PAIR AGENCY APPROVED AND RECOMMENDED BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS. May we help you find an Au Pair? Please take just a few minutes to fill out our simple form. The team at our Au Pair Agency is split between our offices in the UK and Australia, USA We want you to benefit from our expertise and passion for cultural exchange. Your satisfaction with our service and the Au pair experience as a whole is our priority and our daily ambition. Our MD and founder, a well-traveled business mum; Nicole Kofkin has lived in 6 European countries.

Nicole recognized that her professional and cultural background can help working parents find alternative solutions to the work/life balance. She began her career in International Marketing and worked for several 'Blue Chip' companies. Her role involved remote working situations, cross border staff and Skype conferences, rather than the usual 9-5 office based...

About The US Au Pair Program.

The Department of State established the Au pair program in 1986 as an educational and cultural exchange with a strong childcare component. The U.S. government designates certain sponsors to carry out the daily operations of the program and Agent Au Pair has been approved as one of the few designated sponsor organizations.

AU PAIR FEES.

Au pairing is the most affordable gap year! For candidates in the out side U.S..A Only we offer our au pair cultural exchange program in Australia and Europe. (New Zealand coming soon!) for Europe candidates :

Program Au pair fee better care is :$150USD

U.S.A working permit for six month:$150USD

Program Au pair fee : $100USD + $100USD optional comprehensive arrival package & 3 day orientation on arrival.

The Au Pair in better care fee is payable in 2 parts;

$200USD + $150USD to be submitted with your registration and $150 after your one-to-one information session.

Total fees : $500USD

The payment is payable in installment , you pay a $250USD while your host family pays the balance .

Note: You are to pay the registration fees after filling and sending back the forms and your employer can't pay for this registration fees because it is under the law ensuring you truly want to come to the United states ,your employee is only responsible for paying for your Visa and Flight ticket ..i hope you understand .

Respected Au pairs is accredited by Best Bear - Best bear helps parents to find the best childcare service providers by vetting and recommending only the best in the industry. ECAPS (European Committee for Au Pair Standards) For 2 years, Nicole Kokin represented BAPAA and the Au Pair in Britain program on the European Committee for Au Pair Standards (ECAPS), with the objective of defining au pair standards within Europe.

IF YOU AGREE WITH THE AU PAIR PROGRAM FEES GET BACK TO US FOR US TO TELL YOU THE NEXT STEP.

RESPECTED AU PAIRS LIMITED

Registered in U.S.A No. 5433237

TO PROCEED:

We need you to get back to us with the following

1. Your country international passport

2. Your Curriculum Vitae ( CV )

3. A copy of your photo

Note: We will confirm if everything you sent to us is correct so please avoid any mistake

All information collected will not be used for any illegal activity.

The information is what we are going to use in registration of your name with the United states Embassy .

As soon as you send this details ,we will send you our Au Pair forms to fill so we can proceed .

We look forward reading from you soon to proceed with all necessary action

Greetings

AU PAIR USA

James Moore

www.respectedaupairagency.com

Hi Applicant.

We will like to congratulate you on your decision to work with our Agency as an Au Pair in USA. We are glad you found an host family with us and we promise to match you with them if you are able to provide the information below and abide to the rules and regulations guiding the program under this Organization.

Documents for Application.

Please complete your application neatly since it will be presented to potential host family. You may want to write your answers on another sheet of paper first then transfer them to the application. You want to make a good first impression so give as many details as you feel appropriate. Please remember that you should keep copies of your application, all the supplements, and all your photos since they cannot be returned.

Note: Write neatly or type in English.

List of the Requirement needed for your Application and Documentation traveling processing.

1. Your Curriculum Vitae ( CV )

2. Completed Au Pair Application Forms (Attached in this email)

3. Two passport-size photos, attached to us via email(which we already have ).

4. A copy of your passport showing your name, date of birth and passport number. Your passport must be valid or invalid ( which we already have ).

These are the details (Documents) needed for the Application and Documentation process, So we want you to complete them to get in the program with us.

We accept payment through Money Gram.

NAME: DAVID MINERLEY

STATE: FLORIDA

CITY: LAND O LAKES

COUNTRY: USA

ZIPCODE: 34637

Just as we told you in our previous mail ,you will have to pay a $250USD, while your host family pays the balance . .

As soon as you make the payment ,you will have to attach the payment details including the forms and other details so we can proceed with all necessary action.

You can ask your host family for more information

Thanks for your cooperation, fill the form and kindly send it back to us.

Regards

AU PAIR USA

James Moore

www.respectedaupairagency.com

Dear Applicant.

We want you to know that everything is under process and for you to proceed further with the processing you need to print out the document attached and fill it and scan it back to us,ESTA registration is required for all travelers to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program ,you have to pay $500USD for ESTA registration , the fee is only $500USD , If you travel to the United States without ESTA, what happens ?

Visa Waiver Program travelers who have not obtained approval through ESTA should expect to be denied boarding on any air carrier bound for the United States. If you are allowed to board, you can expect to encounter significant delays and possible denial of admission at the U.S. port of entry (i.e., arrival airport). ESTA registration usually only takes a few minutes to complete, authorization often arrives in seconds, and it is valid for two years, unless your passport expires within that two-year period. In those cases, ESTA validity is limited to the passport’s validity.

As soon as you receive your visa, check to make sure all your personal information printed on the visa is correct. If any of the information on your visa does not match the information in your passport or is otherwise incorrect, please get back to us (i.e. the agency ) immediately.

The expiration date of your visa is the last day you may use the visa to enter the United States. It does not indicate how long you may stay in the United States. Your stay is determined by the Department of Homeland Security at your port of entry. As long as you comply with the Department of Homeland Security decision on the conditions of your stay, you should have no problem.

Here on this mail is attached with your invitation letter which you are to send to us and your details to proceed.

Now we hope you make the payment so all necessary action can be carried out immediately .

Awaiting your mail ....

Regards

AU PAIR USA

James Moore

www.respectedaupairagency.com

How to avoid scammers?

If you are contacted by someone who seems to be unreliable, pay attention to the following:

If there is an email address in the profile picture.
You have been asked to make a transfer through MoneyGram, Western Union, or to set up some deposit account.
You have been contacted by some agency or a lawyer. They might have sent you a visa application or sample contract.
Someone advises you to pay rent for a flat.
The Au Pair just asked you to pay for the flight ticket. Although some Au Pairs expect Host Families to help them with travel costs, there are certain rules of cost refund.
The Host Family contacts you on Facebook.

These are some of the most popular scam situations. If you encounter any of these before our administrators, or if you ever feel uneasy, please get in touch with us so we can take measures against scammers. Learn more about Au Pair scam schemes that might happen.

Do you check your users?: Yes! Although we can’t interview them personally as an online matching agency, we do our best to check as many details as possible. Nonetheless, AuPair.com follows the same rules as many other Internet communities. To ensure that you are in touch with a real, reliable person, arrange a video-call and ask about all the important details in person. If you ever feel uneasy, contact us! We will be glad to share our feedback about any user if you find him/her suspicious.

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