   Am I being conned and is this dangerous?
  Back when I was in high school I did work on a biometric door access system. I was the only programmer, and the hardware was crap bought from veridicom. I was really the only person doing work on the product (and I worked from home, emailing in updates). I was found by a guy on monster.com who came up with the idea and needed someone to implement it. I decided to do the work for the experience so I''d have something on my resume once I got to college. I never really trusted the guy and the income I got for the project was far below minimum wage (I never actually filled out any paperwork for this job), but I really didn''t/don''t care. I got the bullet item I wanted on my resume out of it.Unfortunately, I had to contact him recently because he was the only evidence that I had done this work (The company I''m hiring on at needed to do a background check). Now though, the guy wants me to do work on some new project he''s come up with. The work is really easy, and he''s offering decent pay. So basically, I could just put in a little effort every so often and make a little money. The problem is this. I just got the following email from this guy who is supposedly a partner:quote:Hello Ben... It was nice talking to you last week...My hope is that your new job will be a side line when you start to make more money with us then you know what to do with  In any case, I need a couple things from you for the attourney.....As a shareholder we need the exact spelling of your name, address, phone # and Social Security #. This will remain confidential. Please feel free to e mail me with the info when you have time. Thanks again. BOBI love the first line of this email. It reads like a frickin nigerian scam.Anyway though, I''m curious why an attourney would need my social security number to write up a stupid contract and non-disclosure agreement. It sounds really shady to me. Id like to hear what you guys think though. What are the dangers of giving out all that info? --Ben 
  amything that they would need your SSN for, they would have to send to you. That way, you can read the fine print. Never, ever, ever, ever give your SSN over email, or IM, or any other non-secure means of communication, you never know who is listening.This is definitely a scam. ;  SSN is needed for employement.  A lot of forms require SSN for tax purposes.  So it''s possible it''s legit.I''d suggest getting a lawyer, they''re not too expensive and they can save you in the long run. ;  They claimed over the phone that they'd be mailing the forms to me after the attourney got done (I don't even know exactly what they include yet). I could just fill it in then you'd think. That's why I was really surprised to be asked to email this stuff.So, if they are mailing (normal mail, not email) the forms to me, is there any legitimate reason why they'd want me to email this info to them?Edit:Quick question though: When I fill out the W-4 and I-9 forms with normal employment, can those just be sent in, or is it necessary for the company to actually have a copy? (I'm not very knowledgeable on this stuff so forgive me if that is a retarded question). I basically would prefer these guys never had my SS# if it's at all possible.Thanks for the advice so far guys. I agree with what you've suggested. I'm definitely going to be as careful as possible. [edited by - atreyu on February 1, 2004 2:24:39 AM];quote:Original post by atreyu  So, if they are mailing (normal mail, not email) the forms to me, is there any legitimate reason why they''d want me to email this info to them?Because they are inexperienced in business matters, because they are not thinking about scamming you and thus it never really occured to them that they shouldn''t be asking for it over email or because it''s a scam.;quote:Original post by atreyu  They claimed over the phone that they''d be mailing the forms to me after the attourney got done (I don''t even know exactly what they include yet). I could just fill it in then you''d think. That''s why I was really surprised to be asked to email this stuff.So, if they are mailing (normal mail, not email) the forms to me, is there any legitimate reason why they''d want me to email this info to them?No, reply that you only want to deal with your original contact.   There was no mention of him and therefore, you don''t feel comfortable with releasing your personal information to him. ;quote:Original post by atreyu  When I fill out the W-4 and I-9 forms with normal employment, can those just be sent in, or is it necessary for the company to actually have a copy? (I''m not very knowledgeable on this stuff so forgive me if that is a retarded question). I basically would prefer these guys never had my SS# if it''s at all possible.Only in cetain special circumstances do those forms leave the employer''s files.  They go to those guys and that''s where they stay.Even if they set up you up as an consultant, they would need your ss#( but only if they pay you more than $600/yr) so basically if you do any work for them, they will need it.  If you don''t trust them, don''t do with work.An idea came to me as I was writing this, if you start your own business, ie get a tax id number, you could give them that instead of your social.  It would be harder for someone to get credit with that, as most business credit requires a personal guarantee.-----------------------DISCLAIMER------------------------I am not an attorney.  Always seek the advice of an attorney concerning legal matters.;quote:-----------------------DISCLAIMER------------------------I am not an attorney. Always seek the advice of an attorney concerning legal matters.phew, thank god for that. We were all taking bets on how well you had done on your bar exam, but you cleared the air there! ;quote:Original post by Nervo  quote:-----------------------DISCLAIMER------------------------I am not an attorney. Always seek the advice of an attorney concerning legal matters.phew, thank god for that. We were all taking bets on how well you had done on your bar exam, but you cleared the air there!  Chuckle, chuckle...;  Hey, man... I''m Nigerian >'':\ so screw you =P 