Au Pair Scam Warning

Unfortunately, unscrupulous people exist in all walks of life and this includes nannymatching and au pair matching websites.  However, there is much you can do to watch out for these people and report their behaviour.

Never send cash, cheques, moneygram payments of payments by Western Union.  Money should never exchange hands before meeting and if you are asked for money at any time, then be aware that the person asking may not be genuine.

A common scam is when a host family email an au pair accepting their services and sending them a (false) cheque for their travel.  A little while later, they cancel the agreement with a plausible excuse and ask the aupair to return the money by wire, often via Western Union.  This scam particularly seems to be generated in the Cameroon and Nigeria at present.

Another less common rouse is for a family to ask the applicant to deal direct with their own (bogus) travel agent.  The agency may seem genuine and ask all kinds of travel details and then request a down-payment to be sent.  This again is a complex scam and you should not be taken in. You will not hear from the agent, the family or your money again.

• Beware of any offers which seem to offer much more than the standard rate – they are often not genuine.
• Beware of any communication where you are not convinced by the questions. ie, the questions are of a too personal nature or concentrate too much on money.  Genuine applicants and families will ask many natural questions which will be often followed up by further emails and telephone calls.  Question an offer that is made too quickly.
• Beware of anyone who is not able or very unwilling to provide background documentation such as photos, references etc.
• Always check references.