HOWARD — Twenty-year-old Heather Beougher just wanted a job. She is set to take an adult program through the Knox County Career Center later this month, but was looking for something that would get her foot in the door to a career in bookkeeping or accounting.

Looking through the help wanted ads in the Mount Vernon News, Beougher found a classified that stated, “Bookkeeper needed for immediate employment. Attractive salary. No formal experience needed.” Interested applicants were encouraged to send a resume to an e-mail address.

She thought she had found her dream job, and started on a cover letter. She e-mailed it, along with her resume, as required.

Within just a few days, she received a reply to her resume stating the job was hers.

“It said ‘You got the job. Here’s what we do. Here’s the tasks you’ll have to perform,’” Beougher said.

But it was nothing like the ad made the job to appear.

According to the e-mail she received, Beougher would be sent a money order or cashier’s check, either by UPS or FedEx. She would be required to cash the check and keep 10 percent for her commission, then send the rest of the funds by Western Union. She was also told that with the first check, she could also keep an additional $100 as a set-up fee. In addition, she would receive a regular stipend of $500 a month.

“I was so excited at first, then found out it wasn’t even a bookkeeping job but just transferring money,” she said.

According to an e-mail sent to Beougher by Frank Wilson of YTC, formerly known as South Yorkshire Tiles, of the United Kingdom, Wilson’s company is a tile retailer that deals with various kinds of tile and bathroom furniture and accessories.

YTC’s need for “bookkeepers” is because, according to Wilson’s e-mail, the company continues to grow and supply tiles to businesses and individuals, and it needs someone in the United States to handle the money orders and checks received as payment.

“We bluntly refused accepting this mode of payment because we pass through difficulties cashing these payments here in the UK. This is because foreign checks take up to 21 to 28 working days to clear, which certainly delays our business because we can not make any deliveries until we confirm the payment. The task is just for you to receive and keep a record of all payment for the company which will be made out to you and mail to you via UPS/FEDEX,” Wilson said.

After several days of no communication, Beougher received an e-mail stating she would receive her first payment to process via UPS; she was to contact Wilson with a confirmation number once payment had been transferred to him.

“I got the check today,” Beougher said on Tuesday, adding that she knew right away it was not a venture of which she wanted to be a part. However, she did speak to Wilson by phone at that point.

“I was just seeing what happened,” she said.

Beougher wasn’t the only local person to contact Wilson through the classified ad; several readers contacted the News when they found out what the position entailed.

“We immediately killed the ad,” said Cathy Conkling, News classified manager upon realizing the intent of the ad.

Wilson’s plan of attack is becoming more and more common. In fact, additional attempts were made to place help wanted ads in the News by way of the TDD system that assists the hearing impaired make telephone calls. When the relay operator let the potential advertiser know the News required a faxed copy of both sides of his credit card, he discontinued communication.

Businesses and individuals need to be cautious when doing business with strangers — no matter where they are.

“If something is too good to be true — it probably is,” said Detective Cpl. Matt Dailey of the Mount Vernon Police Department.

Dailey said that regardless of the fraudulent check’s origin, if you cash it, you can be prosecuted. Anyone who receives such a check should just shred it, he said.