Warning - Do not fall for this scam!!!!!
 

Beware all!!!

I and a few colleagues of mine have been approached by a company calling themself Aplha Aviation Ltd. claiming to offer a GIV-SP position in Rio de Janeiro. To get a firm job offer I must complete an asessment in a B737 simulator somewhere in Europe but prior to these arangments being made I must deposit US$7150 (what they claim is 50% of the cost for a GIV-SP type rating) into an escrow account. I tried to tell them that I could not do that but that I would be happy to present them with a bank letter stating that the funds where available. This would not work for them!?!?!? :confused: Shortly after I received the e-mail that I have pasted below.

They offer US$6800/month + what the call an "expat bonus" of US$2500/month. On top of this you get free housing and medical insurance. If it talks like a duck and if it walks like a duck then guess what!? It probably is a duck! In other words...to good to be true! :mad:

The below quoted text is cut and paste from an e-mail I received.

"I have been contacted by one of our members regarding the above Company. Please alert all relevant organisation to advise their members who may have just qualified for Commercial Pilot status/Flying Instructors/low level experience, in particular, (and possibly others), that they should be careful not to part with any money for training as these Companies are not known and they have seemingly de-frauded several newly qualified Commercial Pilots in Europe of thousands of pounds. The details given by
our member are as follows:

Contact by a company calling themselves Intair, to the Flying School where he worked as an Instructor (PPL level), asking if any Instructors wished to apply for a First Officer position in this Company to operate a Learjet 60 (which is Cayman Island registered), out of Helsinki for a two year period. Other details were given by fax regarding remuneration etc., (salary US$4,000 per month, free of tax, loss of licence and other insurances and accommodation for Pilot and family). Accompanying the
faxed letter offering the position to the Candidate was an escrow
document for the individual to put forward money - about £6,000 up-front - as part payment for the Learjet course, which would be refundable in the event that the B737 EFIS simulator assessment (prior to confirmation of employment) was not satisfactory - this money to be held in escrow by a Spanish Lawyer (a company called Alpair, was mentioned in the Escrow document as the Training provider in Finland).

Flight Ticket from UK to Helsinki was paid for, through a Travel Agency, by Intair. The names of the people involved are R (or S) BERZ, allegedly the Exec. VP, and Georgios Constadinos.
Fax number prove to come from Spain (possibly Ibiza) and mobile phone numbers thought to be Spain too. Address on the fax was given as: Intair Aircraft Limited, King Olav V 1, VIKA, Oslo-Norway.

The flights were indeed paid for, but before the money reached the Travel Agency's account it was stopped. The member by this time was in Helsinki. The aircraft registration given to our member was VP-BTM: However Cayman Island registrations are VP-C followed by two letters and VP-CB happens to be Bermuda - so the registration was not confirmed by the CAACayman Islands.

The UK fraud squad is being informed, and our member informs me also the Finish and French equivalents has also been notified, having discussed this with some people in Finnair.

Please notify members of IFALPA so that they can alert their members.

Regards,"

So again. Everyone beware of these people taking advantage of us poor pilots!!! I only have one question: WHY??? :mad: :confused: :mad:

Will :mad:

Hi WILL,FUNNY THIS, I WAS APPROACHED BY THE SAME PERSON
WHO OFFERED ME A JOB ON A G 1V SP OUT OF RIO!!
THE DEAL WAS $6800 A MONTH.
HE WANTED ME TO GO TO ATHENS TO SIT A 737 300 SIM RIDE.THEY DON,T EVEN HAVE A 300 SIM IN ATHENS!!THEY HAVE A 200 & 400 I CHECKED.
HE GOES BY THE NAME OF GEORGE WALKER, THE CAPT NAME IS STEVE HARLEY.
THEY WANTED ,AS I RECALL A TOTAL OF $14200
WITH $5000 AT THE INTERVIEW.ALSO I KNOW OF ANOTHER PILOT WHO WAS APPROACHED BY THE SAME GUY.
THE LETTER I WAS SENT WAS POST MARKED MILTON KEYNES SO SOME ONE IN THE UK IS INVOLVED WITH THIS, POSSIBLY A PILOT.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rolleyes:

Yeah, this is really an old scam. They find something special about you making you think you are lucky, like "Because you happen to have a CPL from Canada, you can fly our C-regged Hawker 800 out of Zurich for a rich Greek individual". The usually bait the hook with a plane ticket, limos, simrides etc - their investment if you like - and then you think these guys must really be serious, and then you have taken the bait, and ready to be hooked on a large "down" payment.

After that the scam is over, and you lost.

In the above example, a friend of the person who was about to be scammed came across the mentioned Hawker, and they said they did not need any pilots, and they did not fly for the mentioned guy.

The pilot had already eaten the bait (737 sim in London), but fortunately not paid any money.


MAY THESE SCAM INDIVIDUALS ROT IN HELL !

Roller Stamp: Yep, those are the same guys! I have not received any letters so I can't comment on the postage stamp but the names are the same!

Flat Spin: If you are able to get the address then I will report it. No problem as this has really pissed me off!!! :mad: I do know of a few other people who has been approached by these guys as well!

I am fortunate enough to have a job that I enjoy but for all you people out there who has been let go and for all you who are just out of training and looking for a job; please beware and remember that if it sounds to good to be true it probably is not true!!! I know that you have all heard this before but I thought I'd tell you again :)

Take care out there and beware of as***es like these people!

Will

This might be a good start:

Economic Crime Unit
National Criminal Intelligence Service
PO Box 8000
Spring Gardens
Tinworth Street
LONDON
SE11 5EN

Tel 020 7238 8607

www.ncis.gov.uk

Scams
 

(Post deleted because of legal action threat)

Three guys from my old work place in Scotland fell for this last year, got a free trip to Helsinki out of it but ended up out of pocket by 15 grand or so between them :(

There are a few scam warnings on the bottom of this page; http://loh.nu/