Oddjob Redux

The Oddjob post has generated several comments from others who replied to the Harish Challa solicitation for a copy editor for his book. Here's the experience of one person:

Hello, my name is Angela and I too applied for and accepted this position. I was mailed a check for 3,500 and wrote back asking Harish to verify the amount and company to which he responded that I was to pay the publisher's fee myself using the money from the surplus in the high check I had been mailed. I responded that I was not comfortable sharing my bank information or mailing a personal check but that I was happy to tear up the check and have him mail me a check for the correct amount so he could pay the publisher himself.

*I have not heard from him since.*

**I never received a manuscript**

I believe this to be a definite scam as he sent me the exact same e-mails verbatum that you have posted.

Here is the e-mail I sent him, I have not heard from him since:

I have been very aware of the threat of internet scams and thus have been careful not to give out any of my personal information outside my name and contact information.

I feel it is strange that I still have not recieved the manuscript, and am totally not ok with sending a check to the publisher. Both of these aspects seem very strange to me and alert all my warning bells, however I am hoping things can still work out, please let me know.

I will wait eagerly for the manuscript, but will not conduct any kind of monetary involvement, including depositing the check, until it arrives. Also, under no circumstances do I feel it is acceptable for me to be giving out my personal banking information or sending personal checks. I would be happy to dispose of the original check so that you may pay the publisher directly and send me a check for the correct amount of $1000.

I hope very much that we can still work together under these conditions as I truly would love the opportunity to work for you as a copyeditor, but I must stand firm in these policies.

Thank you very much, and have a great day!

So, since it has been weeks and weeks since I have last heard from Harish, even just to tell me I no longer had the position, I would say that this was definitely a scam!! BeWare!

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The person who left this comment 20 Dec at 01:20:50 used MSIE 7.0 browser on a computer running Windows Vista with a 1280x1024 monitor

The tracking site was unable to determine the location of the visitor, which raises a flag but is not terribly unusual since the IP address -- 173-138-28-135.pools.spcsdns.net (173.138.28.135) -- is from a pool of Sprint IPs in the United States.