Hollywood Big Wigs ... Pawns in New Nigerian Money Scam

How would you like to be the assistant to a MAJOR Hollywood producer? You can get the job now by going online. You will receive a job offer and an assignment ... that will ultimately screw you out of thousands of dollars, thanks to Nigerian fraudsters.

Here's the fraud by the numbers ...

-- People who want to break into Hollywood post resumes on various websites. Some of them get an email from people claiming to be major Hollywood players, looking for an assistant.

-- The "players" -- who actually register Gmail accounts using the names of the actual big shots -- offer jobs to the super-eager applicants from all over the country.

-- The "players" give the applicants a start date and a first assignment, to get their feet wet.

-- The "players" actually send the applicants a check to deposit -- usually for $3,000 -- and then purchase pre-loaded debit cards. The applicants are told to send the cards to several charities near and dear to the "players."

-- But since the applicants haven't even had their first day of work, the "players" tell them to snap a photo of the debit cards with the numbers to prove they followed instructions correctly ... kind of a test.

-- The applicants then dutifully send the pics and the "players" then execute the fraud by draining the cards with online shopping.

So, by the time the charity gets the cards the account is dry.

As for the checks ... well, they look like the real deal, but they're fake. So by the time your bank figures out the scam, the money is spent and you're on the hook.

We've confirmed the names of 2 big wigs are being used ... famed director Louis Leterrier and big-time producer Alex Orlovsky -- he made Ryan Gosling.

We're told the feds are investigating the case, and we've learned all of the IP addresses and server information goes to Nigeria. And everyone has a friend who's a prince in Nigeria.