CHILDMINDERS have joined yoga teachers on an increasingly varied list of York's email scam targets.
Internet con-artists are using exactly the same trick revealed in Wednesday's Press to scam carers out of their hard-earned cash.
An almost word-for-word copy of a dodgy message sent to yoga teachers by a "very busy businessman" is also now doing the rounds among childminders.
After reading about the scam, 15-year-old Press reader David Moorcroft sent us an email received by his eight-year-old brother's childminder.
David's mum, Christine, who works as a childminder herself, has also received a number of similar messages - all unsophisticated, but plausible.
David's dad, Andrew, said: "Fortunately Christine didn't fall for it. My wife is well-educated and intelligent, but the message initially seems quite reasonable, and the danger is that younger, more inexperienced childminders might get taken in and ripped off."
David, of Acomb, said: "It's obviously a common thing, and it's very unfair. They must think childminders, like yoga teachers, are an easy target. And, of course, it doesn't cost anything to send out these emails.
"Luckily a warning email was sent between childminders across York before anyone could get caught out by the scam."
Victims are asked to suggest a price.
The scammer sends them a cheque in advance for too much money, and asks for a refund. Their honest target pays the money back - only to discover the original cheque has bounced.
The Press reported how yoga teachers' email addresses were being collected from online databases and used as targets for scams.
York yoga teacher Wendy Jacob received four such messages, and wasted time trying to establish if they were genuine.
THE SCAM EMAIL
Hello, Good day to you over there, I am Mr XXX XXX from West London. I need a childminder for my 5 year old son, andrew. You were recommended as a good carer to me, as I am a very busy businessman My son is living with my cousin living in Yorkshire. I want you to get back to me with following details- 1) Your years of caring experience. Payment via check or money order, looking forward to hearing from you soonest.
2) Total cost of caring for 1 year (10 hours per day, 5 times in a week.
3) Your present residence address and telephone number.
Regards, Mr XXX XXX.
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