How to Handle a Mystery Shopping Scam Check
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If you have gotten one of those checks for thousands of dollars from someone representing themselves as a mystery shopping company, you are about to be scammed. Unless, of course, you follow the advice in this article.
Mystery shopping companies do not send checks for thousands of dollars to potential mystery shoppers. Ever. They do not ask you to wire money. Ever. I have written about mystery shopper scams many times, but even some of the people who read those articles will want to believe that their situation is the exception, and they are going to get paid $400 for a couple of hours of work. Not gonna happen. Ever.
Before you cash the check and wire the money off to the scammer, humor me for a minute. Do a couple of things to check them out. If I’m wrong and the “offer” if legitimate, you can post a comment and say I was wrong. But if I’m right, you will save yourself thousands of dollars, lots of aggravation, and possibly some jail time. (Cashing a forged check is a crime, and you may have to convince the police that you are the victim to get out of trouble.)
Here’s what to do…
Call the company listed on the check and see if they sent it to you. Do not rely on a phone number on the check or in the package you received. Go look them up online and find contact information for them. Sometimes the check has the name of a legitimate mystery shopping company on it, although they did not send the check. But I have seen some drawn on accounts for auto parts stores and other businesses. Why would an auto parts store be paying you to mystery shop WalMart and Western Union?
Anytime a scam involves a cashier’s check, official check, or money order from a bank, and you believe that it could be counterfeit, you should contact the issuing bank directly to verify authenticity. As with the company that supposedly issued the check, when contacting the bank, do not use the telephone number provided on the check, as this number is probably not associated with the bank, but rather with the scam artist.
To locate a bank’s mailing address, you can check the FDIC’s Web site at:
http://www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bankfind.asp.
So now you have learned that the check is a fake. What should you do next? Resist any impulse to call the person behind the mystery shopper scam. One option is to shred the check and throw it in the trash. Another is to contact the authorities. In addition to notifying the bank named on the check, there are others whom you also should notify if you receive a counterfeit item. They include:
- For all scams: Federal Trade Commission (FTC): by telephone at 1-877-FTC-HELP or file an electronic complaint via their Internet site at www.ftc.gov.
- For Internet-based scams: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Fraud Complaint Center: www.ic3.gov.
- For mail-based scams: U.S. Postal Inspector Service: by telephone at 1-888-877-7644, by mail at U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General, Operations Support Group, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100 or online at http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/MailFraudComplaint.htm.
If I was wrong about your check, post a comment and let me know. You can even taunt me. But if I was right…well, I won’t even say, “I told you so.”
on June 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Getting started in Mystery Shopping can be a bit of nightmare as there are lots of people scamming. I would research what you want to do and try and get as much information about the subject. I have been a successful mystery shopper for 7 years now and I find it a great way to earn extra cash while doing something I love…… shopping. Please do be careful good advice in this post
Jane
on June 23rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I was recently a ‘stupid’ victim of a scam. I received 4 Money orders for $525.00 ea. They were drawn on an Albertson’s Money Order. They were for a future mystery shop. I took them to my bank and inquired if they were “real”. The teller went and talked to someone and came back and told me they were real. I cashed them. Not long after that, maybe 2 weeks all of my checks started bouncing, even though I had the money to pay my bills. Turns out a money order can be cancelled. Instead of the bank calling me or even paying my bills first, they started bouncing everything. Even a check for $7.00. That one cost me $35.00. In total I lost over $500.00 When I contacted the company that sent me the money orders, they thought I was trying to scam them!!! I replied that if I was going to scam them Iwould I have been dumb enough to go to my own bank. What an idiot I was!!
on June 23rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
Joan, you don’t have to be stupid to fall for one of these scams. The scammers are clever and do a lot of things to make their scams look legitimate. It is especially frustrating to me that the banks are not doing more to head them off, especially when people such as you ask about whether a check or money order is legitimate. As bad as your loss is, consider yourself lucky that you lost “only” $500. Many victims are out thousands of dollars.
I’m sorry you had this experience, but it’s good that you are letting others know what happened to you. It may save them from becoming victims.
on June 23rd, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Aaah the check, it came yesterday. I showed it to my husband. It had a legitimate mystery shopping company. Perhaps a legitimate bank and location, another legitimate company with a different address. Some contact lady with still another address and the letter was postmarked from Canada.
It was an assignment to check out department stores western union services. How about that? Not sure what level I will proceed at reporting this yet.
Thanks for your info.
on June 24th, 2009 at 7:32 am
The scammers use lots of tricks to get you to fall for the scam. Using the names of legitimate companies is common.
Glad you didn’t get scammed.
on June 29th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I checked into that secret shopper from research partnership inc. I received a letter in the mail a few days ago, and thanks to this persons comments about secret shoppers I didn’t do anything stupid. I notified the bank and they want me to notify my police department. By the way the check was for 3370 dollars. I’m so glad I looked for information first before cashing this check.
on June 29th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I’m glad you were able to check it out before cashing the check. For anyone else reading this, the name of the company on the check does not matter. It may be a made-up name, or the name of a legitimate mystery shopping company. Either way, if they send you a large check, tell you to cash it and wire money somewhere, it is a scam. No question about it.
on July 5th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
The same thing happened to me as did to Jane Smith. About 2 months back I received a check for $4000.00. Took it to my bank and was told it was fake.
on July 6th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
yea i got that paper check too today , that really sucks for a stay at home mom like me who was just looking for a little extra cash ! glad i read this first , thank you
on July 12th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I myself was so close to becoming a victim in the mystery shopper scam. So close in fact that I cashed the check and was about to go to western union when I had a really bad feeling. I went home called the bank that was on the check and my feeling was right. The check was fake! What also made me weary was the fact that the check was for $2,399. and $400 was to go to me, but that same day I recieved two more checks with the same amount. I knew that making $1,200 within 4 days was to good to be true. Thank god I called that bank! My bank was aware of what I had figured out so I spoke to the head department at my bank. Hopefully they find out who is doing this and throw them in jail. Its so sad that they prey on people at a time like this.
on July 17th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
i was almost a victim as well, about a year ago, i was looking for a house to rent, and someone sent me a scam saying that i could live in a nice house he owned in eugene oregon, all i would have to do is manage his assets and finances here in the us. i got the check and took it to a bank other than my own. ( i was pretty sure it was fake) turns out that the account was already closed due to fraud!! so creepy!! i didnt cash it but i did call the police, and they shrugged it off like it was no big deal!! i gave them his email, phone#, and alllllllll the 20 or so emails. they never even called me to let me know what happened. i almost fell for it because it had all kinds of typos in the emails and the man spoke to me sooooo confidantly that i was thuroughly trusting his words. he is evil and all of them are!! they have absolutly no concern for you or how bad your life will turn out because of it!! please dont be a victim!! call the banks and also dont pull the money if you do deposite it!! a friend of mine fell for simillar and now her man is in JAIL!! please be safe and dont do business w/ people from other countries you’ve never met!! its REAL trouble, not a slap on the wrist, more like slapping handcuffs on your wrists!! ever been pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt when you really were? well they will still ticket you!! just for their suspicion. its worse when $$ is involved!! be safe and have a good summer!!
on July 22nd, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Thank you so much! I got one of these scams in the snail mail today, and I reported them. Am also taking the letter and check to the local postmaster. You helped me to avoid a real headache, heartache and wallet ache!
~~~
on July 22nd, 2009 at 7:10 pm
I’m glad to hear that many of you were able to avoid being scammed. Please spread the word to help others avoid these scams, too.
on July 29th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Dear Cathy,
I am a twenty-three year old college student. Recently, January 2009 I received a check with a letter promising me a great opportunity to Mystery Shop and get paid great money. The check was for $2800 and I cashed it at a currency exchange. I wired money and was told to spend the rest at certain participators, grade their store, and keep a sum for my time. I did all that was asked. Mailed them back the receipts with my comments on the store. I received another one after that, I put that one into my bank account. Unlike others, I waited until it cleared to spend the money. it did not clear. I told my bank how I received the letter and they took the letter to make a case. Yesterday, I was working and two detectives approached me for questioning about a bad check. I was then taken into a lock-up cell, processed, and twelve hours later asked about the check. I told them what i had done. I explained I had no idea there was anything wrong. I am not sure if the police believe me. But the currency exchange is holding me accountable for the check and fees. I researched online and I found a law stating clearly, “We are using National Consumer Protection Week to once again warn consumers that, if they fall for a fake check scam, they will not get that money back.” Any suggestions? Feedback on my situation would be very helpful!
on July 29th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
It is unlikely that you will face criminal charges–the banks, police and prosecutors know about these scams. However, you will have to pay the money back to your bank. Contact them and ask about making arrangements to pay them back.
on August 7th, 2009 at 11:47 am
I just want to thank you so very much… for your pertinent information and it totally saved me from a ton of aggravation!!! Additionally, I am a writer/humorist and I write about the trials & tribulations and highlights of life. This experience has completely given me a totally other avenue of writing!!! Thank you again.. and thanks to the “Power of the Internet” we can all connect and help one another!!! Love it & Aloha!!
on August 18th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Hi, haha! good thing I read first before I doing anything. Got a check $3,897.45 last June. I opened the letter few days ago. The name of the letter is WHC INC and the check was Wampum Hardware Co. The instruction was to shop in some store and send some $$ to another name using Western Union. I wonder how these people got my mailing address. The check looks so true. I want to do something with it like block my name and post it somewhere for people to be aware, (report, I will not waste my effort of the police don’t care about it), or go to my bank and show it to them so they will do something on it for people to be aware. (Sorry if I sound stupid, English is not my first language. I am Asian) Any suggestion? Or maybe I just shred it… Thanks again for this website.
on August 19th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
my husband got scammed he received a check for 3,481.00 from the irs… he cashed it…. well it was a bad check… the bank called the police 4 months latter… he went to jail… 1000 bail i bailed him out…. he now facing a felony.. and looking at jail time how is that a crime he didn’t no the check was bad help me please
on August 19th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
It is becoming a common story that the police and prosecutors are not sorting the scammed from the scammers. There is apparently no question that your husband passed a bad check. I am not a lawyer, but I think his defense might be that he didn’t know the check was bad, and he acted in good faith. I hope it all works out.
on August 25th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Thank you . I have received several checks.Very disappointing and frustrating. THAMNK YOU
on August 25th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
idea to do with those fake checks
wall paper your bedroom! or another room
on August 25th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
LOL! Thank you, Martha Stewart, for the decorating idea. ;o)
Do anything you want with them as long as you don’t cash them!
on September 8th, 2009 at 2:16 am
I replied to the email that I didn’t receive both the 1st & 2nd packages that were sent to me, and now I got an email from the guy “Barry” stating: “We are not going to take this from you this time. We will handle it seriously.You will be visited soon.”…Should I be worried?
on September 8th, 2009 at 7:40 am
It sounds like they are trying to intimidate you into going along with their scam. It is unlikely that they would travel all the way to wherever you live to hassle you in person. You may want to notify the police of the attempted scam and the threat, though.
on September 15th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
they not gonna harm you, but they might threatening in order to let you leave them, good luck,
on September 15th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
hmmmm ya i recieved a check for 3,500 today. It said that I would be a mystery shopper. Ya right, my first instinct was why would someone send me a check for 3,500. Then I noticed the scammer spelled several things wrong. Hello if u want toscam someone use spell check next time. I also noticed that the postage stamp was from canada but the adress was from the united states. I will contact the authorities tomorrow. If u look closely at the check u can tell that it was copied. My advice to everyone. If u recieve a check with a larges sum of cash investigate it. I googled the company and the address and it was not right. It was very fishy right when I saw the check. The check i recieved said it was from Service Force USA INC. The bank it says it is through is PNC bank in Virginia.
on September 28th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Recently I Have Received an email from a “Glen Morris” about a mystery shopping job around my area at a Kmart. He basically said that there would be a money orders via ups express totaling $1900.00 and that I would need to cash them and keep $200 of it for my job and send the money, the rest of the money ($1700) to a Emmanuel in Charlotte, NC. This just put a big red flag up! Is this typical?
on September 28th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
It is not typical for mystery shops, but it is par for the course when it comes to scams. When they tell you to cash a check or money order and wire money to someone, it is ALWAYS a scam. It is NEVER a mystery shop. Do not respond to the scammers who try to get you to do this.
on October 12th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I answered anhelp wanted ad from Craigs list for a mystery shopper they responded with a job description included was testing western union services by sending me a check and having me wire money to someone they also mentioned shopping wal-mart and other retailers my pay would be $250.00. I sent them my address and phone number and after reading your info am worried they might hassle me, they have requested location of closest Maceys department and western union office I have not responded and will not should I report this to authorities?
Gary
on October 12th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Well, it is definitely a scam, so don’t follow through with them. You may wish to report it to the authorities, but they may not be able to do much of anything about it.
They will probably not bother you. There are lots of other victims willing to follow through. Most scammers do not want to waste their time with someone who is not going to play along.
on October 14th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
I recieved a letter today from maryland (postmarked) that was for 3840.00 to be a mystery shopper , for western union or other stores. Thank goodness I did a little more research before I did anything with this check, it defently is a Scam. Thank you for the blog and I defently will be reporting this.
Thank you for saving me a lot of headache.
on October 19th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I almost got scammed. i replied to an advertisement on craigslist and i actually believed it was true until i received the check and the scammer started calling me and the number came up as private on my cell phone. i started to ask myself why is this man calling me private if this was for real he would not be calling me private or he would give me his phone number.
on October 21st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
[...] fraudsters using MoneyGram and Western Union transfers, it is a start. (You can read more about the mystery shopper scam [...]
on October 25th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Everyone should be extra careful for this. I hope everyone will check first before trying any thing like this.
on November 3rd, 2009 at 12:26 am
Well, I should have checked out your website first. I am so embarrassed about my naive approach to the internet. Anyway, I received one of those checks to buy a K-Mart purchase and mail money to England. I deposited the money in the bank and will call them tomorrow to pay whatever I have to keep that check from going through, then if I get it back, take it directly to the Post Office for their mail fraud department. Maybe many people in our area are receiving these checks. Thank you sooooo very much for your blog. Keep up the good work.
on November 9th, 2009 at 12:32 am
hey cathy,
have you heard of market force? is it a legit mystery shopping company? i answered a craigslist ad and am receiving emails from robert bartlett of market force. he has an aol email address. i already recieved a check in the mail that he wants me to use to wire money within the u.s. i checked out market forces website and they seem legit. could he be posing through them?
thanks,
katy
on November 9th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Market Force is a legitimate company, but the guy you heard from is clearly not associated with them.
Employees of legitimate mystery shopping companies will not communicate with you using email addresses from AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail or other such services. They will use email addresses from their company’s website.
Most importantly, mystery shopping companies will NEVER mail you a check and tell you to wire money somewhere. This is always a scam.
Remember that anyone who will steal thousands of dollars from you will also lie about who they are.
on November 9th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Im appreciate this website dearly. Ive already delt with scam artist and glad i didnt go through with this again. I recieved the check yesterday,he told me to do a money transfer through money gram. i sent an email telling him that everything didnt add up, he wrote me saying the this is what mystery shopping is, and if i had any questions to contact him and then gave me his number.
on November 9th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Just ignore the scammer. It doesn’t do any good to engage them.
Glad you avoided getting scammed.
on November 11th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
I appreciate the information posted on your website; especially regarding the large “multi-thousand-dollar” checks being sent out with a letter stating “you’ve been selected….as a mystery shopper…….go to WalMart & wire money”. I called the bank (in Wisconsin…..I’m in a different state); they immediately knew the name of the “remitter”. I faxed the check & the letter to the bank, so that their fraud dept could follow-up on it. The bank also asked me to take the check & the letter to the local police dept, to report it as fraudulent…….they may or may not do anything. People like this should NOT get away with what they’re doing; if it means a few minutes of research/phone call/trip to the PD…..& it helps, even remotely….then it’s worth the time!! Thank you
on November 13th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
I received an email yesterday from a guy who said he was an employee recuiter for Apex Consulting co. He said they had an opening for a mystery shopper in my area, but the email address to reply to was an Aol address..Is this a scam?
on November 13th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
@Amanda – Based on what you say here, I would say there is a 99% chance it is a scam. Legitimate companies do not use AOL addresses, and they generally do not just contact random people on the Internet. Ignore it.
on November 18th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I received the same scam from Robert Bartlett, and today received the email the check was coming via ups I already suspected it as a scam. I found the real marketforce website on the bbb.org site I always go there when I think a company is a scam.
on November 20th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I received a check for $1980, stating it’s a part time secret shopper job. They want me to deposit the check and send $1200 via western union to someone else. I was kind of curious as my mom was a victim of a scam in the past. So i called the number, and the guy has a deep african accent, when i asked for their website he said that they do not give out their website and that i would need to be working for them for 4 weeks before i can refer someone else. there i suspected it was a scam. So do you think i should call back and say i know you’re scaming me and that I’m going to report them? because they already have my real phone number.
on November 20th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Do not call the scammers and do not engage them in any way. Just ignore them. Read this to find out what happened to one woman: http://www.mysteryshoppersmanual.com/do-not-engage-mystery-shopper-scammers
on November 21st, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I just want to add a name to the list to look out for. Shannon Wood(swood150@gmail.com) has sent me emails with the same Walmart/Moneygram Mystery Shopper instructions. It was not unsolicited as I found her pitch on SimplyHired.com which is a consolidated job search site. I received a check via FedEx today for $1,850.00. The company on the check is Idaho Power Company, in Idaho, while the FedEx was sent from Edwards AFB in California and the Moneygram is to be sent to: Catherine Connell, 87 Davis Rd. Jacksonville, Florida 32218. I will either bring the check to the athorities or throw it in the trash. Thank you Cathy Stucker!
on November 22nd, 2009 at 9:48 am
Got a check in the mail for $1980 from Oregon Work Force Inc, was going to call BBB and see if they were legit before i did anything and saw this site. Same deal they wanted me to wire $$ with western union to someone in NY and then spend $200 at best buy or walmart ect and keep the product and I would get paid $420 for me services..LOL They old saying, if it sounds to good to be true, it usualy is!!
on November 22nd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Unfortunately, checking out the company with the BBB usually doesn’t help spot this scam because the scammers often use the names of legitimate companies. Never assume that a check you receive like this is actually from the company it says it is from.
Glad you avoided the scam!
on November 22nd, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Thank you cathy and love this site. To many people out there that are to lazy to work so they pick on people like us for an easy ride! VERY SAD!
on November 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 pm
In the first post on this site “Jane” said she has been a mystery shopper for 7 years. would she be willing to share the company she works for? I would love to do it but have no idea who is real and who are scammers
on November 22nd, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Most shoppers work for multiple companies. You can find a list of nearly 200 legitimate companies (that do not charge you to shop and will not scam you) at http://MysteryShoppersManual.com/mystery-shopping-companies.
on November 27th, 2009 at 8:55 am
thank you so much Cathy you are awesome!
on December 3rd, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Yes “Jane” said she was one for 7 yrs I would love to be a Mystery Shopper to Earn Extra Cash Daily but it has to be LEGIT! please an thanks. Happy Holidays!
on December 9th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
#
Almost Gotme said,
on November 21st, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I just want to add a name to the list to look out for. Shannon Wood(swood150@gmail.com) has sent me emails with the same Walmart/Moneygram Mystery Shopper instructions. It was not unsolicited as I found her pitch on SimplyHired.com which is a consolidated job search site. I received a check via FedEx today for $1,850.00. The company on the check is Idaho Power Company, in Idaho, while the FedEx was sent from Edwards AFB in California and the Moneygram is to be sent to: Catherine Connell, 87 Davis Rd. Jacksonville, Florida 32218. I will either bring the check to the athorities or throw it in the trash. Thank you Cathy Stucker!
Almost fell for the same scam. Same address and person in Florida. 87 David rd, Jacksonville, FL. I google mapped-it the location and no such address exists (or it’s in the middle of a parking lot).
Thankfully, I didn’t MoneyGram any money. the checks I got were both from Princeton Theological Seminary.
on December 9th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
The name I was contacted under was:
Kathleen Liu Mingqun. Look out for that name, and the address: hr.tbl@hotmail.com
on December 9th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
The name of the company or person doesn’t matter. If you are sent a check and told to wire money to someone, it is a scam. Glad you didn’t get scammed!
Many of them use addresses at Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo or AOL. Legitimate mystery shopping companies typically do not.
on December 19th, 2009 at 8:01 am
hi, receive a money order for 850$ by. linda housa was name from. along with the instructions. to send wire money in western union and keep 250$ for doing the job. deposit the check on my account yesterday the money is available already. I wasn’t sure about this pls help….what should I do? information that contact me:by email.. clarke wolfe, the shadow survey inc. in canada…
on December 19th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
One more time: Whenever someone sends you a check and tells you to wire money somewhere it is a scam. No exceptions. None. Nada. It is ALWAYS a scam.
Contact your bank immediately. If they hear from you that the check that you deposited was fraudulent, they may be less likely to assess fees or have you arrested.
on December 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I just received an email from a company called Little Secret Shopper’s Inc. They claimed they have a secret shopper position open for a walmart near my home. They said it would pay 200$ up front. I saw nothing about sending money elsewhere by western union and such. There was an attached application asking for name, age, address, phone number, and hours available. I filled it out(before finding this site) and sent it back to them via email. No response yet. The bottom is signed by Larry Benson of Little Secret Shopper’s Inc. There was alot of background info on the company inside the email, does this make it legite? If not, how does one go about locating an actual legitamate secret shopper position?
on December 30th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
The next step is that they will send you a check and tell you to wire money. Scam.
No one is going to pay you $200, upfront, to go to WalMart.
There are 200 legitimate mystery shopping companies listed on this site. Do not pay to apply, and do not wire money anywhere.
on January 18th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Yes, I received two money orders in the amount of 920.00 each today. But I had previously emailed this scammer back and ask them “Why would you just send someone you did not know a large amount of money to send to someone else”? Of couse they proceeded to give me what they said was a legitimate address. Well I will be contacting the authorities.
on January 27th, 2010 at 7:39 am
I had posted an ad for a very expensive piece of medical equipment that I don’t need anymore. Low and behold up pops this Catherine Connell lady offering to take it off my hands for the asking price of $800. So then she sends me the most shady emails I’ve ever received from anyone. I mean shaaaaaady. She is sending me a money order for not $800 but for over $1600. Wants me to keep $1000 and send her the rest for shipping? I thought I was the one who was shipping. Said she was sending some guy to pick up the device from my home once I let her know the transaction went through. Well she and her courier are going to be in for a HUGE surprise. I spent 4 years working with the CIA and FBI so the my bank and the government agencies will be notified. As for the guy coming to pick up my equipment…..I spent 10 years in the Navy in teams (SEALS) and I’m not bragging but he’d better just jump back on his flight and go back to where he came from or they are going to need that $1600 just for his ride in the ambulance.
I’ve also got two older brothers who work for the U.S. Marshals office and they are ready to be here in a heartbeat. Although I did get the same address: Name………….Catherine Connell
(address removed), I already had doubts about this one from the get go. Long story and I wish I could post the emails for you guys so you could get a good laugh but I won’t be able to do that until the investigation is over and all of this is done. Keep your eyes open people. If it sounds too good to be true? That’s right boys and girls…..it probably really IS too good to be true.
on January 27th, 2010 at 8:38 am
The check scam is an oldie but goodie. This is another version that has been around much longer than the mystery shopper angle.
on February 4th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Please BE AWARE!!! I just rec’d a cashier’s check for $4,999.99. I had received an email from (email address removed) stating there was a mystery shopping task in my area and would like me to enroll. The email was from a Michael Williams who had a “gmail.com” email address to respond to. They asked for my name, address and phone number. Once this was sent, they emailed me again saying that they were running a survey on a western union in my area. There had been complaints about service and timeliness of monies wired. I would be receiving a check in the mail and I would have to cash this and then transfer the money (less my $200! talk about too good to be true!) to another secret shopper. There was no business name associated with this, which was a red flag.
The package had Allice Williams in PA as a sender and enclosed was the cashier’s check drawn on a WI bank. I looked up the bank online (after reading the above) to get the phone number. I called the bank and was immediately asked if the cashier’s check was from Carey Smith. I told them that yes, that is the remitter on the check. The bank told me to destroy the check – it is not valid. Iwas told that the authorities are aware of this and it is being investigated. It is also being done through Craig’s list.
Thank you SO much!
on February 4th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
I edited the previous comment to remove the email address the scammer claimed to be sending from. Be aware that scammers can put any address in the “From” field. The real address is usually shown in the email header. And if they ask you to reply to a free email address, such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail, assume it is a scam.
on February 5th, 2010 at 12:50 am
My co-worker actually recieved the 200$ check from walmart Secret shopper deal last week. He took the check, got the check and is now hesitant to do anything with it. They didn’t ask him to Send anything anywhere, they told him to go to walmart, spend 1 hour there and buy 150$ worth of items. He keeps the “Extra” 50$. My question is how could this be a scam, and if it is who does it benefit other then walmart?
Please investigate this because I know it sounds too good to be true, but I can’t seem to see the scam.
on February 5th, 2010 at 1:01 am
Your co-worker may not be telling you the whole story. In any case, he should not cash the check.
on February 5th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
I RECEIVED TWO MONEY ORDERS FOR 890 EACH I CALLED VERIFIED THEY ARE GOOD, THEY HAVE NO HOLDS …NOW I AM QUESTIONABLE BECUASE THEY WANT ME TO SEND A WESTERN UNION, FOR ITS A JOB FOR WESTERN UNION, BUT THEY SENT ME OTHER MONEY ORDERS NOT ENDORSED BY WESTERN UNION… AND I AM AFRAID TO PUT THEM IN MY ACCOUNT AND HAVE EVERYTHING BOUNCED… CAN THEY BE LIGITIMATE..???
on February 5th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Do not wire money to anyone you do not know personally, for any reason. It is always a scam. Always. The money orders you received are forgeries and you will be responsible for repaying the money to your bank if you cash them.
There is no way this is legitimate.
on February 26th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
I just cashed 2 checks sent to me from a mystery shopping company. I called the bank that the money orders came from and all they could tell me was that the money was in the bank. So I went to my bank and cashed them. I didn’t know what to do with it since there were no instructions on what to do or even why I got the money. I just thought wow, I must have won something or the surveys I have been filling out for months worked. Now I am in a dilemma. I have spent some of it catching up on bills. I got a phone call from the person who sent it and he told me to check my e-mail. I did and now I think I am in one of these scams. What do I do now? I need some help. I don’t want to go to jail. I had no idea. The guy who is doing this is named Paul Benson. These money orders were from Chicago. Is there anyway to go back to my bank and put in what I took out and have them cancel those money orders so I don’t get in trouble?
on February 26th, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Amy, I sent you an email about this just now. This is a scam. Notify your bank immediately that you were the victim of a scam and that you just learned that the checks you deposited are not valid. Do not wait until the checks bounce and the bank contacts you.
You will have to repay the money to the bank. Make arrangements with the bank to do so.
on February 27th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
I was stupid enough to actually receive a check in the mail and deposit it to my account and then wire money through western union, I gave them the tracking number to pick up the money but I caught onto this in time and called western union and got my $3,100.00 BACK. The only thing is that check is still in my account and that company keeps calling me and I am not sure who to report this too or what else to do about this matter please help.
on February 27th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Oh I forgot to add that they have a paper that I faxed over to them with the last four digits of my account and a form that has my address on it can they do anything to me with this information?
on February 27th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
It is amazing that you were able to get the transfer stopped before they picked up the cash. That almost never happens. Congratulations.
Notify your bank immediately you just learned that the check you deposited was a forgery and will not clear. Of course, you should not spend any of the money. (When the check bounces, the bank will debit your account. You do not want to be overdrawn.) They may put you in contact with law enforcement.
As for what they can do with the information you gave them, if they do not have all of your account information it is not likely the scammers can access your accounts. Ask your bank, and tell them exactly what information you gave the scammers.
The scammers may harass you. The next time they call, tell them you can’t wire the money. Say that the bank has informed you that the check they gave you was forged, and they are threatening to have you arrested. Act scared. Cry if you want to. Do not call them, do not tell them that you know they are scammers. Do not threaten them or say that you have called the police.
Good luck.
on March 12th, 2010 at 10:48 am
I recieved 2 checks today from a lori collins hand signed out of Harris bank. Nothing on the check said anything about what it was for. 950. each. No number on the check to call the bank. had to yellow page it. Found the bank and called. Found out it was a scam. The teller asked me if I applied for any mystery shopper jobs lately. I told her yes just 4 days ago. Here’s a copy of the email:
Dear Candidate,
We are actually looking for a Mystery Shopper who will be working for our company.(Cemak Service Concept.)
Working with us won’t affect your present job.
* EARN NO LESS THAN $150.00 USD
* NEED EXTRA INCOME!
* BECOME OUR [ MYSTERY SHOPPER]: Earn [ NO LESS THAN $150.00 ] PER VENTURE:
*IT IS VERY EASY AND VERY SIMPLE:
*NO APPLICATION FEES:
Job Salary : 10% of check to conduct the Mystery Shopping
Start Date : 2 – 5 days after application is received.
Job Description : We need mystery shoppers all over United States.
***Our Major Secret Shopping is carried out on Money Transfer Service & Major Stores.***
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS TO CONTACT THE EMAIL BELOW,
paubenson2@aol.com
ENCLOSE YOUR:
NAME:
FULL ADDRESS (Including City,State and Zip code):
COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE:
PHONE NUMBER:
AGE:
Occupation (if any):
Email
THANK YOU.
PAUL BENSON
I can’t believe what could have happened to me if i was one of those who falls for these scams. I was exspecting a follow up email form paul bensin with a possible interview or link to a business web site. Instead i get 2 fake checks.
on March 12th, 2010 at 10:59 am
This is typical of how these scammers operate. Glad you caught it and didn’t get scammed.
Note to readers: When you get an unsolicited email from a “mystery shopping company” using an email address at AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, etc., it is almost always a scam. If they send you checks BEFORE you do anything for them, it is close to 100% certain that it is a scam. If they ask you to wire money to someone you do not know, it is absolutely, positively a scam.
on March 25th, 2010 at 6:32 am
Hi,
I didn’t get any fake checks but I do want to let know about this one…
While browsing on http://www.ebay.co.uk I saw a link and when I opened it I couldn’t stop laughing…Why? Because they state that they are giving priority to those applicants who live in Brussels. And yes, I am currently in Brussels. I guess they started using IP tracking device to tack the city you are in.
But I must admit they really did a good work with the site
Regards.
on March 25th, 2010 at 9:59 am
That is a common trick used by scammy ads. I’ve seen it for lots of ads where they want you to think that people in your hometown are making money with their scammy offer.
on March 26th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I received a check yesterday in the mail for $2500. I called both the company and the bank the check was drawn on and they told me the check was no good. This morning, I was contacted by the scammers. I received two emails and a phone call. My father answered the phone and he told me the caller sounded foreign and was threatening. He told my father that he (the scammer) has our home address and phone number and that he wanted his money. He will not accept the check (My father offered to mail it to them). Should I be worried? I looked up the information in the email and both the name and the address are fake (The street has been renamed and the address is listed for a church.) What can I do?
on March 26th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
He doesn’t want his money, he wants YOUR money. Ignore him. You can report this to law enforcement, but they probably will not be able to do anything.
on March 29th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I also have been a victim of the Secret Shopper Scam, my question is WHY??? have the banks not changed their check cashing policies. My suggestion is that the banks make consumers aware of the possibility of checks being forged and that cashing the check will make them responsible for the funds cashed. For better consumer protection banks should request a hold on all checks that can not be varified emmideatly.
on March 29th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
The banks are required by law to release funds within a certain number of days. They can not legally hold funds until they have verified that the check has cleared, especially since it may be weeks before the fraud is discovered.
However, I believe that banks have a responsibility to answer questions accurately. Too often, when a customer asks how long before a check will clear, the bank tells them how many days it will be before they make the funds available. They should explain that even though the funds are released, the customer is still responsible for making good on the check if it is not a valid check.
on April 23rd, 2010 at 12:32 pm
I received a mystery shopping assignment in the mail last year it also had a check I called the banks head of security and found out it was all scam so I mailed the letter and the check to the bank that it was addressed to I am happy not have fallen for that scam
on April 24th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Our mystery shopping company has been a target of those scammers for years using our name. We had to develop security measures to avoid those checks being honored, as they supposedly were drawn on our bank. The latest scam that we were made aware of a month ago involved random mailings to people all over the country using our name, logo and return address to send back the “evaluation form.” This last scam was more damaging to our company because pretty much all the information the scammers used matched what was on our website- except, of course, the 800 number to contact the “evaluation coordinators.” In addition to the above advise for what to do with the checks:
1. If you got a solicitation by email, report the email address to the ISP it’s supposedly from. Send the entire email as an attachment so the ISP can see the headers. They may be using an alias that doesn’t even show up as an email address holder with the ISP or, surprise, it may be an actual account holder and they can shut down the email account.
2. Don’t shred or throw away the check. Take the entire contents of the local police department- including the envelope. It may or may not result in the law enforcement being able to track the perpetrators but it can establish a patten.
3. Western Union and Money Gram will cancel the transaction or refund the money IF it hasn’t been picked up yet. If you find out the check is a fraud at any time before the money is received, you can redeposit the money so you won’t be liable for any overdrafts or fees. The bank may look at you funny and wonder if you’re in on the scheme but file a police report while contacting the bank so you look more credible.
Don’t feel bad if you’ve been taken. We’ve all done it sometime, even attorneys, according to this article:
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202424058323
Thanks for posting this Cathy. I hope you saved a lot of people some grief.
on April 29th, 2010 at 9:14 am
I have recieved numerous checks from Canada. I just recieved an email last night of someone that is supposed to be a mystery shopping company that I would recieve a check today for $3,400 dollars and I am to kee 400 of it and wire the res to Daubui. I am tired of calling local law enforecement becuse they can do nothing untill the check is cashed. I am going to go up the chain if this one shows up today. It’s supposed to be a ompany in England that is sending it. Knowone should csh any of these checks without checking them out first.
on April 29th, 2010 at 9:39 am
No one should cash any of these checks at all, period. There is no need to check them out first, as they are all scams.
There is no legitimate opportunity where you will be asked to cash checks or money orders and wire money to someone you do not know. Never.
on April 29th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
WOW!!! cant believe it but ive just recieved a cashiers check from bank of america for a mystery shopping network same instructions to wire the a certain amount and keep 400 for the fees and then to keep the rest. The odd thing is that on the check it states that Marie wilson purchased the funds and im recieving the email from a martin perkins that have several emails……The funny thing was when I emailed this Mr. Perkins about this check being a fraud he never responded….. sounds a lil fishy to me… If it sounds to good to be true, IT IS….
on May 6th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
wow, I see the same name that send me the checks (Martin Perkins). I just received the fake checks 2day and I had a lil hunch that it was too good to be true. So I googled it and I ended up here. Thank goodness I didn’t cashed them yet. Now I’m really positive their fake checks.
on May 7th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
I just recieved a money order for 925.00 for a mystery shopping job. It was sent from a cindy randall, blank money order was supposed to be made out from a martha perkins, and the email correspondence I have been recieving is from Martin Perkins. I researched to see if it was a scam and ended up on this website. Thank you so much for saving me alot of money!!!! If it seems to good to be true it usually is. I took the money order and shredded it. My boyfriend also looked at the money order closely…the money order ink is not the same for the amount and the date etc…the security label is not correct ( uneven), there is no water mark.
on May 11th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
I received the check and letter in the mail. I was pretty happy thinking that I was going to have this weekly income. I called the number on the letter and they actually had me convinced that all I had to do was follow the instructions on the letter. Well today I was ready to go deposit the check in my checking account, but something told me to just check this company out before I did anything with this check. I came across your article here, followed every instruction you gave to the letter and sure enough, this company is a scam. I googled the phone number, I can’t find it registered to a company, I googled the address postmarked on the envelope … thank google for their street view because the address shows in the middle of a highway… not to mention that the postmark on the envelope is from Ontario Canada, and the Bank on the check is from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Thank you for your informative site…this really helped me by not becoming another victim to these scammers out there. With the way the economy is now a days, we definitely do not need to fall victims to such scams. Most of us are barely making ends meet today and can’t afford to have to pay back money that someone else is going to be enjoying…not to mention we don’t need any problems with the law.
I hope that others would just go with their instincts and do as I did and not let temptation lead them to falling victim.
on May 11th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
You were smart to trust your instincts and check it out. Glad we could help.
on May 24th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
i got one that i knew from the start was a fake.whoever it was was pretending to be my father sending me money for something but i had to wire to whoever more.i knew it wasnt my dad for one my dad doesnt have that type of money.for two i live with my dad
on May 24th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
Question: I got a 3,900 dollar check the other day for mystery shopping. I knew it was a scam instantly but the check look soooo real. the letter didn’t instruct me to deposit it into my account and then dispense it as instructed. So what I wanna know is do you think i can cash this check at a neighborhood check cashing place?
on May 24th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
You could cash the check if you want to risk being arrested and sent to jail. Otherwise, I would just shred it and get on with your life.
on May 24th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
There are lots of versions of the check scam. Sometimes they send a huge overpayment to buy something advertised on CraigsList or eBay, then instruct the seller to wire the overpayment amount to them. The seller is then out the merchandise and the money.
on May 31st, 2010 at 10:05 am
There is no way to stop the scammers. I have contacted the police, my postmaster, and bank managers. Nobody is interested in doing anything more than just taking a report and then filing it “no further action” box.
I collect bad checks. I respond to scammers and encourage them to send me checks. Then I laugh at them.
My record is a single check for $79,939. I am supposed to cash it, keep 10%, and forward the balance to an account in China. When I balked, they sent me a second check for $39,000, similar treatment. Again I balked and they implored me to use Western Union to transfer the money. Eventually they caught on and I never heard from the gang again.
My methods are for amusement purposes but they are not for everyone. Folks, stay safe out there.
on June 7th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
i had gotten two checks in the mail and i just lay them aside and about several months later i gotten two more and i bank those but my banker told me it be 10 days before i could get the money but before the 10 days was up the call me and told me the checks was fake and i was glad they caught that before i got the money because i could have never paid that money back
on June 9th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
I took the Money orders to Wells Fargo and let them know what was going on. If they would have cashed them, I would have done the task at Western Union. It is important to note that I DO NOT have an account with Wells Fargo, so I would have just used the cash.
Oh Well, too bad it was a scam.
on June 11th, 2010 at 11:29 am
Thank you for this blog. I received one of these checks a few months ago. I figured almost immediately that it was a scam, but decided to look a little further. The name and address on the check was for a dentist in another state. No idea why a dentist would want me to do a mystery shop on Wal-Mart and Western Union either.
Main thing was I had no idea what to do with this check, or who to report it to. Thanks for sharing that information. I know what to do if it happens again.
on June 11th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
One more little tip these check for the most part come inf Federal Express if you look at the envelope it came in you will see a tracking number go to the web site and put in the tracking number. You will see were it was sent from compare that to the return address and the address on the check. You will notice the cities do not match as well as the state. I have done this many times on these checks only to find out nothing matches. Like I just got one from Oklahoma I just got sent from California! The Company the check was drawn from would not return my call. But the bank said it was no good!
on June 20th, 2010 at 12:12 am
Thank you so much for this information. I just got a fraudulent check in the mail today, and as much as I wanted to believe that this was a genuine opportunity I suspected that it was to good to be true. After reading these stories I saw that there was many similarities such as a Canada post mark but they didn’t leave a address. The check was for $ 2,981.50 and the check looks legit in every way. I can see how many people could fall victim to these scamers. I’m going to follow your advise and find all the additional information needed online to further prove that this indeed is a scam just to be 100% sure. I’m 99% percent sure thanks to you. I thought it was strange that they would ask me to do a money gram at Western Union. They even sent me an evaluation form, but like you said this isn’t topical for mystery shopper companies to send checks and then later to do a money gram. Well, I’m so happy that you have this website to help people from getting taken in by fraudulent scams. I’m going to take as much information as I can to the authorities and work against it like you. Thanks Cathy Stucker! You saved me from a bad situation…(smiles)
on June 20th, 2010 at 8:45 am
I’m glad you didn’t get caught up in the scam. Kudos to you for checking it out.
on July 16th, 2010 at 9:09 am
Dear Cathy,
I got a Postal Money Order for a similar job and would like to know what this is. Usually they send checks and it is a scam, but this is a UNITED STATES POSTAL MONEY ORDER. i didn’t cash it and it is still with me. Please explain this to me.
Carmen
on July 16th, 2010 at 11:19 am
It is a scam. The money order is forged. Anytime someone sends you a check or money order and asks you to wire money to someone you do not know, it is a scam. No exceptions. It doesn’t matter if it is a check or a money order, it doesn’t matter how real it looks. Scam. Every time.
on July 19th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
The other day I received an unsolicted e-mail from Paul Green, from paulgreenwork@live.cn about doing mystery shops for Service Evalulations. They claim to pay $299.00 for each evaluation done. Glad I checked here before I gave my personal info out.
on August 4th, 2010 at 9:21 am
My 3 Children recieved a letter via US Postal mail with a job offer to work for Market Force as a mystery shopper. (I assumed that they all got letters because they all posted their resumes on Craigs list looking for work) The job entailed cashing a check that was enclosed in the letter for $3950.00 at the bank and then using the cash for the first assignment, which was to evalute customer service at the Walmart Store and at Western Union. They give you 24 hours after cashing the check to do the assignment. You are to mail approx. $3515.00 to the person they tell you to. They tell you that when you cash the check you are to call them back for the details of who to make the transaction out to. The woman tells you to go to Walmart and spend $40.00 at the store and evaluate your service there. You may keep the merchandise. (how nice of them) She tells you to fill out the evaluation form for both western union and walmart and mail it to them. Two of them went to the Citi Bank where the check is made out from to cash it, for they didn’t have enough money in their own accounts to cover a check of that amount. They were told by the teller that the checks were counterfeit. I’d love to call them back and tell them that we cashed the check and got the money and that we will western union it to any location. Then show up there to see who picks it up. But I believe that is a Police detectives job to do. I can see how these scammers could take peoples money if they try to cash the checks at their own banks. Thankfully, we knew better and went directly to the bank that the check is made out from. I reported them to the FBI, CPA and FTC. That’s the best I can do. Hope they get caught!
on August 4th, 2010 at 9:59 am
I’m glad your family avoided being scammed. Just one note to readers: Market Force is a legitimate mystery shopping company. These checks did not come from Market Force, but from a scammer using their name.
Using the name of a legitimate mystery shopping company (or the Mystery Shopping Providers Association) is one way scammers try to make their schemes appear to be legitimate opportunities. Do not rely on the name given when trying to determine if an opportunity is legitimate. Scammers lie. It goes with the territory.
What you can rely on is that anyone who sends you a check, with instructions to cash it and wire money somewhere, is a scammer. No exceptions.
Also, the reason that the police can not be waiting for the scammers at Western Union is that they can pick up the money at almost any location. The money is not sent to a specific WU office.
on August 5th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Thank you for posting this article. I almost fell victim to this scam as well. The email sounded totally legit, especially since I had just applied with some companies to become a secret shopper. The email appeared to be from Secret ShooperR, but when I hit reply it was a gmail account. This made be suspicious. I went as far to ask the person to call me and they actually did. He could barely speak english. I went one step further and contacted the real Secret ShopperR company who told me this was a scam.
on August 5th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I almost got scammed today. I signed up at a mystery shoppers ad in kijiji and was responded to very fast. A cheque was sent to me for 1900$. The company that apparently sent it to me was Boys and Girls Club of Boston. I found it a little fishy since Im in Canada and Boston is very far from me. I did a research and luckily I found this site and read all of your stories. Its good I did a little research first before doing anything I’ll regret in the future. What should I do with the cheque? Am I in danger for I gave them my complete address? Im a little scared. Should I do a police report?
on August 5th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
You can notify law enforcement if you wish. It is not likely they will do much.
It is also not likely that the scammers will do anything with your information. Just do not engage with them. Do not return the check to them or confront them. Just ignore them.
on August 16th, 2010 at 11:55 am
I was sent a check from a secret shopper company and since this was my first time doing any secret shopping i was clueless but the check was for $2990.90 and they wanted me to wire 2600 of it to them and i keep $200 and spend $40 on the mystery shop it sounds so right but so wrong so i asked my grandparent and they said rip it up or write void on it and through it away. Oh and by the way when i called to talk to someone about it no one ever answered except once and she said that they would have to “ACTIVATE the check!
Shifty
on August 16th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I had signed up for a couple of different mystery shop places. I received one of these checks today. It was for $3241, do the shop cash the check and keep $200, send the rest to some person listed in the letter. I knew it had to be a scam, I know mystery shopping does not pay that well. Hopefully people looking for a legitimate shop job does not fall for this.
on August 26th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
wow as i have read a lot of the comments i to have almost fallen victim to these mystry shoppers scams!!! I recived my check in the mail a couple of days ago and have been really weary of cashing it…. IN fact i’m pretty nervse about it all…. The check is worth $ 4,620.00 The check looks pretty legit but then they instruct me to spilt the fund in 2 and send it off to 2 differnt ppl…. I have since then showed the check to several people and have asked there opions…. Some say it looks real others say that it’s fake…… I”m not sure what to do with this check weither i should call my sheriff office or should i go downtown and turn it in to the FBI..???? Please give me some good insight on where to go with this….. The good thing is i dont have a checking account or savings account so no worries there
on August 26th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
The check is definitely fake. And I don’t even have to see it to know that. ;o)
You can take it to the police or the FBI, shred it, set fire to it or whatever you want to do. Law enforcement doesn’t seem to be able to do much about these guys, but once in a while they get one.
on August 27th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
I received two $800. US Postal Service money orders, inside a blank piece of paper, in the mail today. No instructions, nothing. I have not been contacted by anyone or asked to do anything. what’s up with this. I don’t want to get in any trouble, don’t even have a bank account. Sure could use the money though LOL
on August 27th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
That’s a new one–my guess is that they will be in touch soon enough. But don’t cash the money orders and certainly do not wire money to anyone. It is always a scam.
on August 30th, 2010 at 11:38 am
So i fell for one of this scams last week i resived a check for $2,900 and i took it to my banc and deposited 3days later after fallowed the instructions that came in the piece of paper and sending more thatn $2,000 to some person i find out that the check did not go have funds, know i have a big – in my banck account.
on August 30th, 2010 at 11:39 am
Does anyone have any advice or what i can do in this situacion???
on August 30th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Work with your bank. They will expect you to repay the money, so see what terms they will give you.
You and your bank may also want to notify law enforcement.
To everyone reading this: When you are asked to wire money to someone you do not know, for any reason, it is ALWAYS a scam. No exceptions.
on September 21st, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Thanks to this website we did not deposit a check my husband received in the mail today. My husband was excited since we are going through hard times right now. He honestly thought he was chosen for a part time job. I told him to hold on to it and do some research. I came across this website and we are glad we did not deposit the check. My husband called the number that was on the letter and a man with heavy accent answered. The man who answered the phone wanted to know if he had the western union number. My husband responded back telling him well I thought you had all my information on a computer how can you want the western union number if I just received the letter today. The man did not know what to say I guess we caught him at a bad time. We are going to report this first thing tomorrow morning.
Thank you
on September 21st, 2010 at 10:39 pm
I’m glad you checked it out and didn’t get scammed. Good for you!
on September 23rd, 2010 at 10:19 pm
So I got a check, but it is a USPS money order… so it’s real right? wierd
on September 23rd, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Nope. USPS money orders are forged all the time. Still a scam.
on September 25th, 2010 at 7:55 am
I am currently out of a job and my unemployment checks are running out quick. I have been absolutely unable to find any job of any kind. So i started brainstorming one night and go on the better business bureaus website for any possible job leads. I have been reading in the newspapers where you can be a secret shopper. i checked all of thos in the classifieds and just as you and everybody on here said the better business bureau has never heard of them. So i decided to look on my on on the BBB website for legitimate mystery shoppers websites and found market force. the bbb gives them an A+. Now i know you have already said that market force is a legitimate comapny and i have done my research and agree with you. I filled out an application and was accepted free of charge. I also read on the BBB website and on here where scammers are using market forces name in a scam. i have not actually done a shop for them yet but plan to in the near future. My question to you kathy is after i do a shop and get a check how do i know that a scammer didnt somehow intercept my info and my check and replace it with a fake. are there any scams like that out there? what do i need too do if something like this does ever happen too me. im just afraid im going to d oa shop and get a check like im supposed to and it turns out scammers replaced it with a fake? how do i assure myself that my first check i get after doing a shop is legitimate?
on September 25th, 2010 at 8:39 am
You are misunderstanding how the scams work. They send you a fake check for a few thousand dollars. The scammer tells you to cash it and wire money to someone (them). You do, then later learn that the check was fake and you are out the money (perhaps $2000 or more) that you wired.
When you get paid for a mystery shop, you get paid after you have completed the shop. The scammer would have no way of knowing you did the shop and no interest in intercepting a check for $20, $50 or $100 or so even if they knew. And they would have no reason to do so.
Always be certain you are dealing with legitimate companies, and if someone asks you to wire money, just don’t do it. That is always a scam.
on October 7th, 2010 at 2:45 am
About two months ago I received an email from a man named “David Anderson”. He claimed they were in desperate need of “prospective shoppers”. They promised $250 for each assignment. I gave him all my basic information (thank goodness not my social security). Lately though, “David” has been emailing and kind of “freaking out” about me not cashing this check and wiring the money through Western Union. The check is due to arrive tomorrow. “David” did give me a number to call, so tonight I called him and he could barely speak english!! I also then checked the number I called, and come to find out, the number isn’t even from the same place that this guy claims to be from. What should I do?? Is it okay to just throw the check away and block this guy from my email? I’m really nervous right now.
on October 10th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
You can throw away the checks or turn them over to law enforcement. Do not talk to him, do not respond to emails. Ignore him.
on October 29th, 2010 at 11:54 am
What is a good website to go to, to make sure you will not get scamed because I got the check in the mail and went to my bank and thank god they hold the check to make sure it is real.
on October 29th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I can guarantee that the check is not real. They never are.
on November 3rd, 2010 at 12:38 pm
So I just recieved a check today and after reading all of this I feel that I might be apart of a scam. What should I do?
on November 3rd, 2010 at 1:02 pm
I got 2 Albertsons money orders of $985 each payable thru Wells Frgo Bank Anchorage, Alaska yesterday. This morning, I received an email about mystery shopping instructions — cash the money orders in my bank and wire the leftover money to someone in the Philippines after deducting $300 (for myself as payment) and $30 Western Union fees. Sounds too good to be true. The checks really look real! I live closeby an Albertson’s store and will ask them about the money orders. By the way, the email says that I should email them back immediately too if I am done wiring it.
I know that it is a SCAM but out of curiosity, I would like to investigate more and report this to the authorities. What should I do?
on November 3rd, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Alicia, it is definitely a scam. You can report it to the authorities, or just destroy the checks.
on November 3rd, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Maria, it is unlikely that law enforcement will do anything, but you can contact law enforcement and report it. Do not engage the scammers. They are not people with whom you want to deal.
on November 7th, 2010 at 9:30 am
I found this site by accident, and I was looking at the real vs. fake mystery shopper jobs. I actually wanted to share 3 situations where myself and two of my friends have encountered scams:
1. My friend had her rabbit for sale for $100 on craigslist, and they sent her $1200 and told her to give the rest of the money to the person who would bring them the rabbit. She told me about it, and I knew instantly that it was a fake, because shipping is at MOST $300 for an animal of that size… and that is the fancy companies. The bank refused to cash it, and she was told that it was a scam.
2. My friend posted on Craigslist that she was looking for a tutor position, and she got a response. He wanted her to teach his son english while the son stayed here for the summer. He sent her a check for over 3k and told her that she was to pay the maid as well as herself with that money. She refused and shreaded the check, and we found out it was a fraud later.
3. I was in a jam with school, loans were a nightmare. I got a call from a company with “government grants” that wanted my information to get me school grants. Luckily, my brother and mother were right next to me shaking their heads and rolling their eyes… so I told him I needed to check with my bank, and I would call him back… but he had no return phone number. Clearly a scam, and I did notify the police.
The moral of the story, if anyone tries to give you money without you having earned it already, or without you having applied for a grant/loan… it is ALWAYS a scam.
on November 7th, 2010 at 9:38 am
Nadine, you are absolutely right. These are common examples of scams. That is why I want everyone to know that they should never wire money to anyone they do not know, for any reason. The “mystery shopper scams” are not about mystery shopping. They are really fake check scams, and those have been happening for a very long time with all kinds of scenarios. Thank you for the comment.
on December 2nd, 2010 at 1:43 pm
I answered a craigslist ad for a receptionist position and got a reply back that the position had already been filled but there was a promising career for me in the secret shopper industry. I just lost my job so desperate for cash i agreed, gave him some simple info, name phone, mailing address, then he got back to me about a week later saying he sent a check for $1,450 for walmart, western union and my salary… I was thinking.. he doesnt even have my super important info.. why would he trust me not to take the whole check… so thats when i started looking up info on scams.. I havent even gotten the check yet and i know its a scam… I wonder if western union knows all this scamming is taking place through them.. it looks like the scammers use them alot. his e-mail is barrydavid09@gmail.com, probably scamming more people.
on December 2nd, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Yes, Western Union and MoneyGram know that they are being used in this scam and many others. They take small steps toward stopping the scammers, but nothing that will really stop them.
Their excuses are that they are already giving notices (such as never wire money to someone you do not know) and that many of their locations are contracted, so they can not require them to post notices about scams, etc.
One of the biggest problems is that the crooks can pick up their cash almost anywhere. That is for customer convenience, but it also enables the scammers. With the many millions lost to scammers every year, it may be time to consider a change in procedure.
on December 23rd, 2010 at 5:26 pm
I was recently scammed by one of those mystery shopping companies. I have been doing mystery shopping for a long time. I did not think any thing of it when I recieved the instructions and monmey orders. I deposited them in my account and withdrew the amount that was requested. Two weeks later the bank called and they were phony. What is the next step?
on December 23rd, 2010 at 5:56 pm
You were not scammed by a mystery shopping company. These scams have nothing to do with mystery shopping.
The next step is that you work with your bank to pay back the money. You can file a police report or report it to the FTC, but it is unlikely that you will ever see any of that money again.
on February 8th, 2011 at 9:42 am
This happened a few years ago. I had a momentary lapse in jusgement and got involved with a man from Africa. We would chat and video just about everyday. Then he sent me 5 mo’s for approximately $500 each. The first thing I did, however was to call the mo place to verify validity. They were no good. The first thing you do is to check with the issuer, MoneyGram, Western Union, etc to see if the mo’s are real or fake. I contacted the authorities, cut him off after I cursed him out. Now to present. I am a part time Mystery Shopper. I have shopped Taco Bell and then became a regular with a company for CITGO gas station. I have never paid to be one so when asked or instructed to pay one fee or another I delete. The other day I got my first assignment (pasted below)
“This e-mail is to notify you about your first assignment coming to you today via ups courier service
1. In order for you to receive your fee, take the moneyorder you have received to your bank and have it cashed or deposited into your bank account. Funds should be available the very next business day.
2. Once you have cashed the financial instrument I need you to send the excess fund via Western Union as follows:
a. Deduct 100usd as your commission.
b. Then from the balance left set aside $20.00 to cover the wire transfer fee.
c. Send the remaining funds Western Union according to the instructions below
You will be Evaluating any Western Union outlet in your City.
you will be using Western Union services to send the balance to another Mystery shopper to carry out her own Assignment.
Send the balance to the below information
First name – Xin
Last name -Xie
Adres- 137 TAOJIN LU
City -guangzhou
Country – CHINA
ZIP CODE 10004
Please try as much to be discrete when doing your work as a mystery shopper, just observe all you see and report back when you get back home.”
Are you kidding me. The first warning should of been the first email I got. Nope, I ignored it. But then when I got this one and saw that I was sending to a whole other country so they can complete their mystery shop job…
on February 8th, 2011 at 9:56 am
As an update to my first post, the company is called Apex, Inc. person named Dr. Robert Denise. My family often teases me because before I do anything I search the web and see whats there. Car reviews, business opportunities…Why didn’t I check Apex Inc? If I would have I would have found that this company is no way real; Apex is listed as Limousine service, weapons manufaturer (Smith&Wesson), engineering firm, computers, water proofing, etc. The list goes on and on. If anything should come, it won’t go to my bank but directly to the authorities. Thanks for this site.
on February 11th, 2011 at 11:15 am
I was reading all of these comments yesterday when I got a text from my boyfriend telling me I had just received something in the mail from some Seborah Miller…I thought this was extremely weird because first off I don’t know anyone by that name but even more so I hadn’t given out my address for anyone to send me mail since we have only just moved in 2 weeks ago!! He opened it for me and said there were two checks for $932 and some odd change. I knew immediately what it was, unfortunately I had heard of all these scams (my mom was scammed by them about two years ago which even then I had a bad feeling about it when she went to do it) but I went ahead and signed up with a company about 2 weeks ago and completely forgot that I had used my new address. Either way when they first sent me the email saying what my “assignment” would be and I saw the Western Union I knew it was a scam and promptly replied to them that I had heard it was a scam and I would not carry out that assignment, I would do any others but I would not do that one, they of course never replied to that message and continued to send more emails to which I gave the same response until finally I told them I wasn’t interested and to cease with the emails immediately.
Well they didn’t and the checks came yesterday. Of course the first thing I wanted to do was cash them and scam the scam artist kinda take Karma for my own and put them in their place but I read this site and obviously decided against it. I wanted to give them a piece of my mind but again after reading what all of you have said well I decided “Ok, I’ll be silent.” and I have. As of this morning I was sent an email threatening to take me to the authorities or the FBI, obviously I know they will not since that would bring theirselves down but I want to say something to get them to cease the harrassment…what can I do that won’t cause them to take any of my information and delegate it around like they did with a 65 year old woman from NY?????
(Thank you so much for the site and the replies with all the stories! Had I not read this I probably would have sent a few nasty emails in response to them since I did know from the get go it was a scam. Bless all of you and I hope everything works out in your favor and you find the extra income with no more scams in the future!!)
(Here’s the email from this morning)
Hi,
Greetings to you, We don’t know what you are up to, with your sudden silence over the payment you receive from us to carry out the assignment, We have send several mails to you telling you about the payment and instructions on how to go about the payment, but you never reply back. If you know that you are not ready to work you should have not given down your details to us. I am sure you are aware of the fact that you can never abscond with the company funds and if your intention is to make away with the company fund, you will face the penalty and will be sue to court… So I will urge you to get back to us within 24 hours if only you don’t want to face the penalty. Your response is needed urgently concerning this payment and I need you to get back to me ASAP.
We shall await your urgent response within 24 hours or else your details will be forward to the FBI and I can bet it with you that you cannever make away with the company funds.
INFORMATION CLEARLY SHOWS THAT CHECK PAYMENT HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO YOU VIA THE COURIER COMPANY, AND YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO KEEP SILENT OVER THE SITUATION. AN INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO CASH THE PAYMENT .
YOU ARE THEREFORE GIVEN 24 HRS FROM NOW TO WRITE BACK, AND LET US KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ABOUT THE PAYMENT. I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST WE FINALIZE THIS WITHOUT HAVING TO INVITE THE LAW ENFORCEMENT TO INVESTIGATE THIS.
PLEASE, REPLY AND LET ME KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENING ABOUT THE CHECK .
Thank.
Collins.
on February 17th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
I too received emails asking what the status was. I did reply telling them I checked and the mo’s were fake and that I would not be working for them in any fashion. the last email I got I blocked so they could no longer bother me.
on February 22nd, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I also received a check today and was terrified to do anything with it. I was at first afraid to contact the police in regards to retaliation as the check was from some Liberian company. I thank you for this wonderful site and for making this information public. I will probably not be contacting the authorities as they never do anything about this but we will see.
Thank you again.
on March 24th, 2011 at 1:13 am
I just received a check and a letter from ritznetmarketinginc.com and idk if it a fake but I’m taking the check to the bank tomorrow to find out if it is and will let you guys know
on March 24th, 2011 at 7:18 am
I can tell you two things without seeing the check: It isn’t from the company that you think it is and it is a fake. No question about it.
Even if your bank says that it “looks real,” do not cash it and do not wire money to anyone. This is ALWAYS a scam and the check is ALWAYS fake. The bank is not taking the risk here, you are.
on March 29th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
okay so i just recieved a check from a company in california and it was for $900 and they wanted me to keep $200 and wire the remaining $700 to some guy in illinois they said then send report on the guys behavior and his attiduede n actions and things like that to me, i dont know if this mystery shopper is real or not but i did apply to be one off craigslist like few months or weeks ago back , and i cashed the check at my local hyvee and just not have wired the money yet, he told me that once its wired he will then tell me the second job, does it sound real or fake, its just im from iowa and illinois where they want me to wire the money is only 4 hours away and it seems real? hes always emailing me back and nice about it?
on March 29th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Of course it is fake. One more time:
NEVER WIRE MONEY TO SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW, FOR ANY REASON.
This is always a scam. It doesn’t matter where they say they are, what name or company name they use, whether it is a check or money order, how much money is involved or what they tell you. This is not mystery shopping, it is a scam.
on April 5th, 2011 at 6:58 pm
I got one of those checks today. I am going to scotch tape it on one of my vision boards on my bedroom wall…it’ll help me visualize the real checks that I am believing I’ll be recieving from sweepstakes and lotteries…no worries…I never pay to enter sweeps and lotteries and I never pay to recieve a prize…been scammed far to many times.
on April 5th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
Hah! Using the fake check as inspiration is a creative idea!
on April 14th, 2011 at 5:12 am
After reading this article, it helped me. I didn’t know if it was true and I was thinking about cashing the check in but decided to look it up and see what would happen if I did. Thanks! I am now going to throw it away.
on April 14th, 2011 at 5:17 am
I got another question… What would happen if I cashed the check in but never wired the money to anyone? Just kept it to myself.. The thought came up but I wouldn’t ever do it.
on April 14th, 2011 at 8:21 am
What would happen if you cashed the check and didn’t wire the money? Within a few days or weeks, your bank would notify you that the check you cashed had been returned and they were taking back the money, plus any fees they charge for depositing a check that is returned. Or they might just have you arrested for fraud. It has happened.
The best course of action is always to shred the check or turn it over to authorities. Don’t play games with scammers or with your bank. You will not win.
on April 19th, 2011 at 11:45 am
It appears that now these rotten **** have expanded to focus groups, not just mystery shoppers. I have applied for and done several focus groups (and got cash). I was looking for more on Craigslist and found for for grocery shopping for $200. Flags went up but I emailed name and phone. Got an email this morning that sent up more flags. Kicker was this part:
you will receive funds in form of Money order Which you will cash at your bank by Evaluating the Cashier , because it is not safe sending cash through regular mail .
The signature at the bottom says Little Secret Shopper. That’s when I started searching and found this site.
Thanks for all your info. I’m going to pass on this, to be sure!
Stay safe and alert everyone! Sad but true!
on April 19th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Suzanne, thanks for sharing this. Sounds like a new twist on an ongoing scam.
on April 20th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
ok you guys i just went to market force and filled out everything including my ss# does any one know about this site b/c I have never done this before and thought it would help me being at home we have3 kids 2 in school one at home starting in aug and we lost our newest addition to s.i.d.s. in nov of last year. I just wanna make some money as a secret shopper and get me out the house…I f I did somethiong wrong some oen tell me please ..where do i need to go to try to find a decent secret shopping job.?
on April 20th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Market Force is a legitimate company. If the site you were at is http://www.marketforce.com/ you are dealing with a legitimate company.
on April 21st, 2011 at 10:29 pm
add me to the list..received a check for 2800 to take out 200 for doing an evaluation at walmart, 30 bucks for gasoline and 50 bucks to be spent at walmart and keep whatever i purchsed. Having believed everything was legit, (i deposited the check into my bank account) and was going to do the assignment once the money posted untill today when i received an email from them asking why i have not yet wrote my evaluation on the store or wired on the money to the next participant via western union, i started questioning things now because of the terrible grammar and spelling typos and decided to search online for scams related- wolla! – here i find rthis site and see how common this is.. i had no idea. Now, I see the check was posted in my account and I’m going to have to contact my back and tell them i had no idea this was a bad check….. will they come down on me for this??? I simply deposited a check I BELIEVED TO BE REAL at the time. Thank goodnesss i didn’t cash it at a currency exchange, but i guess now my worry is the fact that i did deposit in my account…. what happens now??? thank you….
on April 21st, 2011 at 10:41 pm
I am so glad you discovered this before you wired money. Contact your bank ASAP and tell them what happened. Lots of people fall for this, and if you don’t withdraw the money and let them know you were the target of a scam you shouldn’t have a problem. They will probably still charge you a returned check fee (usually just a few dollars–not like the fee for bouncing a check you write) but they might even waive that if you get in touch with them right away.
on April 21st, 2011 at 10:51 pm
thank you SO much.. hoping you’re right, i called them today and told them i suspected something maybe- but that the check got posted and they said if I’m suspecting something that I should still wait 3-4 days before using any of that money.. Hopefully now that I’ve seen this sight and am confident that it’s a scam (based on the fact my story is SO similar to everyone else’s) I’ll tell them I called to today concerned but wasn’t certain… I just don’t understand ow the check could have posted even? If it was fake??
on April 22nd, 2011 at 8:11 am
Three to four days is NOT long enough to wait. It is often two weeks or longer before these checks are discovered to be fakes.
Under Federal law, banks have to make funds available to you within a few days. That does not mean that the check has been proven to be valid, it just means the bank was legally required to release the funds. If the check comes back one week, two weeks or a month later, you are still responsible for repaying the money the bank put in your account.
This is 100% a scam. Do not touch the cash. You were wise to look into this–apparently wiser than the people at your bank. How do they not know about this scam?
on April 26th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
If you go to the “Little Secret Shoppers” web page, they look official they say they are a BBB accredited business, according to BBB the are NOT!
on April 26th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
JC, scammers lie. They not only lie about being BBB accredited, some of them use the names of legitimate companies that really are BBB accredited. You can not trust the word of a scammer.
on May 16th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
got my $3125.00 check today from “webasto inc.” did somer research…and yes…a scam. ask me to shop at walmart with $100 then fill out a form on the experience at that store. was told to keep $450 for my first payment and wire them the remainder, then fill out a form about my experience with western union moneygram personnel. pretty convincing at first, but then i thought, $100 would be enough to evaluate western union, why $2500? that’s when i started checking it out. thanks for your info about what to do with the check and letter from them.
on May 19th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Hello, my mom just recieved a check from a company for $986. Basically telling her to go to a couple stores, buy things and send the rest of the money to western union. Well we actually called the peopel that made the check, and they said everything was legit. Is this a scam?
on May 19th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Of course it is a scam. And think about what you wrote here:
If you call a scammer and ask if they are scamming you, what would you expect them to say? “Yes, it is a scam. Whatever you do, do not cash the check and wire money to us. We are up to no good.” They are going to tell you that it is legitimate and you should cash the check and send the money ASAP. They want to take money from you.
It is a scam. These checks are ALWAYS scams. No exceptions.
on May 26th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Well now they are posting job ads for other things then replying to them. I responded to a Craigslist ad for a personal assistant and recieved an email in repsonse two days later filled with the same info about secret shopping! Crazy! How do you stop these people?
on May 26th, 2011 at 5:09 pm
The best way to stop them is to ignore them. If the day ever comes when people stop falling for scams, the scams will stop. Unfortunately, too many people want to believe they are getting a great opportunity and are afraid to look too closely at it.
on May 26th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
The @gmail was my first sign. I work for a very small business and we even have emails @companyname.
on May 26th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
p.s. mikhaelhecks@gmail.com was the email the scammers used to contact me!
on May 31st, 2011 at 5:30 pm
I recieved a phone call for a “mystery shopping” job. They told me I would receive and assigment that contained 3 different stores to shop at and that I only needed to provide them with my address. I gave them an address of my freinds workplace just to see what they would send me. I am pretty sure this is a scam but how do I tell?
on May 31st, 2011 at 7:16 pm
If they are sending you something in the mail (or by FedEx or UPS) you will probably get a package with one or more checks or money orders. They will be forgeries, so do not cash them.
In general, if you have not applied to a company and they contact you out of the blue, it is more than likely a scam. If they send you checks before you have done any work for them, it is definitely a scam.
Never pay to apply and never wire money to anyone you do not know.
on June 24th, 2011 at 1:33 am
I got a check from one of the mystery shopping scams and realized it was fake so I didn’t cash it. I told the scammer that I would not be cashing it or participating in the charade. Now they are threatening me and saying I don’t want to mess with them and they are contacting the FBI. Can I get in trouble if I didn’t cash the check? What should I do?
on June 24th, 2011 at 9:21 am
Rachel, do not tell the scammer anything. Do not contact them and do not respond to any communications from them.
How could you possibly get into trouble for failing to cash a forged check? The trouble comes if you DO cash it.
Do you really think that a scammer is going to report you to the FBI for refusing to be scammed? How would that work exactly?
Ignore them and get on with your life. They will move on to a more easily scammed victim.
on July 2nd, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Thank you for your informative article. All of your facts are right on target. I received an unsolicited Email from “Damon Hauser” the “H.R. Manager” for Bridged Gap Worldwide. Since I was laid off (downsizing half of the staff) from a great job I loved, I was desperate for a job. My “asignment” was to evaluate the closest Kmart and Western Union stores. I would receive a check in advance for my work. I was so excited! This “Mr. Hauser” and I communicated several times via Email and everything seemed legit. Even the Mystery Shopper Company, BridgedGap Worldwide has an authentic-looking website. I received an overnight package via FedEx with a money order for $870.00!!!! I figured it had to be legit since I know it costs a few dollars to send a FedEx overnight envelope. But, my Guardian Angel pointed a few things out to me that raised a few red flags. On the money order where there are lines for the sender’s name and address, they were blank! On the lines for the payee information, my name was crudely printed…not very professional looking. The main red flag was I was instructed to cash the money order, then I was to keep $200, then send a check or money order to a third party in England! At the bank, I told the teller about this new job and how excited I was to find such a good paying job, and hope that I get more assignments. The bank teller’s supervisor overheard our conversation, and asked to see the money order. The teller told her it looked legit. After doing some research, the supervisor said that the money order was an excellent counterfeit, and explained to me how the scam worked. If I had cashed the money order, after a few business days, it would come back to the bank as counterfeit, and I would have to repay the bank the $800.00 they lost! I was so grateful to the supervisor and the teller for taking the time and interest to prevent this scam from fruitiion! The next day “Mr. Damon Hauser” sent me an Email asking for my reports for Western Union and Kmart. I will not tell you what I wrote in my Email to him since I am sure you would be offended by the four letter words I used. The foul language I used sounded like I needed an exorcist! I was so hurt, angry and felt so violated. I was also grateful to the bank personnel who helped me avoid becoming still another victim of “BridgedGap Worldwide”. I have never heard from “Mr. Hauser” again. I reported (in detail) this scam to the FBI, FTC and my local police department. I was told by each agency that there was nothing they could do due to the high volume of scams, they do not have the time, budget or personnel to investigate and prosecute every scam that is reported. What a shame, that these criminals can flagrantly try to rob, steal and cheat citizens of the greatest country in the world, because our law-enforcement agencies can not investigate and prosecute! I am sure if I sent a counterfiet check or money order to you, I would find myself in Sarasota County Jail within one week. Strange how our laws work. I’m just glad there are people like you who try to warn potential victims. There are a lot of retired people here in Florida, and I am sure they are easy targets for these type of scams. There are many senior citizens who are looking for an easy, part-time job that pays good. So, like you, I try to inform as many senior citizens as I can about these scams. I am almost there myself, being sixty years old. The nightmare and expense of these scams scares me! Thanx for your informative article! Sincerely, Gregory Schwartz, Sarasota, FL
on July 2nd, 2011 at 5:11 pm
You were lucky. Too often people get answers such as you got from the teller, that the check “looked legit.”
It is hard to catch these crooks because most of them are operating in other countries. They use disposable cell phones and change their contact info often. Tracking them down takes a lot of luck.
Do not try to judge the validity of an offer by a website they show you. They can link to a legitimate website, claiming it is theirs, or they can copy the website of a legitimate company and put it up on another domain.
The best rule to remember is never wire money to anyone you do not know, for any reason.
on July 5th, 2011 at 2:01 pm
I received a check for almost $2000 with no return address. Postage from Canada. They said in their letter to call when check is received or they will put stop payment on it. I called and they told me to deposit it @ my bank and to call them when it’s cleared so they can give my my shopping assignment. i didn’t cash anything. I checked their website creation date through “whois search” which is http://www.ShoppingDatainc.com and it shows that the website was created just on the day I started looking for a mystery shopping job. How coincident could that be? Just anyone know about http://www.ShoppingDatainc.com? The other name and address on the check they sent me is
GLM ENTERPRISES
5440 Everhart Rd, Suite 9
Corpus Christi, TX 78411
The bank posted on the check is:
The forest national Bank
Corpus Christi, TX 78408
They never mentioned in their letter anything about sending them cash via Western Union. I am wandering if that was their next step after I deposited the check and after they made me shop here and there and were going to ask me to send them the rest of the cash???? Anyone had a bad encounter with this company.
I researched GLM ENTERPRISES, but there’s no trace for them. I researched The forest national Bank Corpus Christi, TX 78408 bank under FDIC.com to find out if this bank is active, the status shows is not active.
Any body has a fraud with this so called company??? Please post here. Thanks, Darla
on July 5th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Good job checking them out, but none of this matters. The way to know that it is a scam is that they sent you a check for $2000 out of the blue. No mystery shopping company does this.
Yes, they are going to ask you to wire money. That is how this works.
I guarantee that this is a scam. DO NOT cash the check. DO NOT wire money anywhere. The check is not valid, and you will be out any money you send to them.
The company name does not matter. There is no company, only a scammer.
on July 6th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Thanks Cathy,
They called me today using a private ph #. I told the woman I don’t want to do this because I changed my mind [I didn't want to fight with them as you advised to leave them alone]. The woman said do you still have the check? I told her I through it away. She said YOU THROUGH IT AWAYYYYYYYYYYYY???????? I told her you can stop payment on it like you said you would….thanks very much …bye.
She sounded as if she was talking from inside a compacted box or a jail cell. I SWEAR
No way I was going to cash this check… whether it was for just one dollar or for a million.
on July 6th, 2011 at 10:41 am
Yay! One more scam FAIL!
Way to go, Darla!
on July 7th, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I would have been scammed if it wasn’t for this website. I got an email about mystery shoppers needed that got paid $250 per assignment. So I responded and they said I had been chosen and to pick a local Walmart and Western Union. I received an email saying a check would be sent via Fedex for $1990….$250 of that for me and to wire the rest to somewhere in the Phillipines, which sounded crazy. I was supposed to deposit this check into my bank account. My husband said it sounded funny to him. So I googled the name “David Clarke” and came across this site and I just want to say thank you for people blogging about this or else I could have been a victim as well. After reading them….I called my husband and told him to SHRED the check. Thanks again.
on July 7th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Thank you, Rebecca. I am SO happy to hear that this site helped you.
If you want to really become a mystery shopper, there is lots of info for that here, too. It usually doesn’t pay $250 per assignment, but then neither do those scams masquerading as mystery shopping. ;o)
on July 9th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
i received a check from shopping data inc i was so desperate for money that i deposited the check i was also asked to wire money and go shopping in 2 different department stores kmart and jcpenny i did everything they asked me emailed them back the report and receipts exept now my account is under 2thousand dollars and i have no way of paying it back i will probably loose my car because now i have to repay this money back ahh if i had only ran to this website ahead of time im so frustrated with myself i tried to get out of a tough situation and now i just made it worst
on July 11th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
I too have needed income due to my job loss so I have my resume online with several search engines and this is how Richard Duncan contacted me saying he was a recruiter for Mystery Shoppers and had part-time job openings in my area. After several emails to me he asked for my name, address, phone number and nationality and my email address. I thought it was odd to have me state my email address again and especially my nationality but legitimately needing income I complied. He didn’t respond right away but several days later and said I was approved and congratulated me. Then stated in his next email that he would be sending me an email with information about my first assignment with a tracking number to be delivered by UPS Delivery Service also saying it would arrive on the following Tuesday in my inbox for the email. On Tuesday there was no email from Richard Duncan. After another week he did contact me again apologizing for not responding sooner but he had been ill and in the hospital but was feeling better and he again would send me my instructions on the following Tuesday. I still did not receive a tracking number but on that Friday I received via UPS Delivery Service at 6 pm a packet and the only contents was a cashier’s check for $2,950.99 and nothing else inside. So I went to my inbox and sure enough an email from Richard Duncan asking me if I had received the packet via UPS. So I responded yes and his return email was for me to deposit the check into my bank account keeping $250.00 of it and go to my nearest Western Union office which he had listed on the email address stating that my assignment was to evaluate the Western Union office and it’s personnel. I was instructed to mail the money to a woman in UK which was also the address on several of his emails. Vision One Research Ltd. at 85087 Bayham St., Camden Town, London, NW1 OAG complete with a phone number of: +44-702-409-6451 and a fax number too. his email address was: recruit.mysteryshoppers@consultant.com
My “If this sounds to good to be true” radar went up and before I did anything I showed my husband all of the correspondence to my husband which I had been printing of and making a file on and his comment was this is a SCAM. So I did some further research of my own and Goggled Richard Duncan recruiter for Mystery Shoppers and Holy Cow! a complete list and letter of the same original email I had received with the job offer. Plus a different address of where he was, a N.Y., N.Y. address and a different email address. I also looked up how to handle a SCAM and found several online places to file a complaint to warn other people so they won’t have their money stolen by these crooks. I filed with the FBI, FTC (Federal Trade Commission), IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center), Econsumer.gov, FTC.gov/sentinel, the Better Bus. Bureau, and plan on contacting the Attorney General’s Office as well. Everyone needs to report these thieves to as many law enforcement offices that will listen. I hope this information will help everyone looking for a legitimate income not to be a victim.
on July 12th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
What are some legit Mystery Shopping companies. We’re talking about all the scams but if we have some legit company names we can stick with them.
on July 12th, 2011 at 2:31 pm
There is a list of 200 legitimate mystery shopping companies right here, at the link that says “Legitimate Mystery Shopping Companies.”
on July 28th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Concise Surveys LLC Sean Lawson emailed me for mystery shopping in the SLC area. Today I got a USPS Postal Order for $995.00 (spelled out as none hundred ninety fife dollars) which USPS says is not issued by them. I was to go to USBank and western union $ to another party (keeping 100 for myself). I was also to complete & return a survey evaluating the experience. I wonder how many people actually believe that an unknown party would send a check for that amount to you. The internet sets us up for these scams but also provides sites like this one to check them out and inform others.
on July 28th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
These scams have been around since long before there was an Internet so, on balance, we are better off today. I got a letter about a similar scam (not claiming to be mystery shopping) many years ago and there was no Internet to research it. I knew enough, though, to turn it over to the Postal Inspectors.
Scams have always been with us and they will be with us as long as there are people who fall for them.
on August 16th, 2011 at 10:26 pm
Well I just got that email today wanting me to sign up to be a mystery shopper. I had applied to one a long time ago and I thought maybe they are getting around to it? Anyways, I expect a scam check to show up now. Thanks for the info here, I wont be falling for the scam. Though might just hang in on the wall as a reminder. That said, are all the companies on this website legit? I wanted to sign up for one but when I got to the part that wanted my social and my bank info.. it got scared and shut it off.
on August 16th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
The companies listed at http://MysteryShoppersManual.com/mystery-shopping-companies are legitimate. Companies ask for your Social Security Number because they need ti to report your earnings to the IRS. Some ask for your bank account number to pay via direct deposit. This may be optional–you may elect to be paid by check instead.
Never pay to sign up. Mystery shopping companies do not charge you. And never wire money to anyone you do not know.
on August 22nd, 2011 at 7:18 am
Wish I had read this site first. Received a series of emails that was not a free site like gmail or aol and was able to visit a website (concise surveys llc-sean lawson). Did give my personal contact info then I got the email saying they sent via UPS $900 money orders. I didn’t understand why it would be so much if I was to only do 2 evaluations. Read your site and the warning signs to look out for. Just received the email with my instructions to cash the money orders at my bank only and to evaluate Walmart with a $20 purchase and western union by wiring money to someone in another country. Thank goodness for this website.
on August 22nd, 2011 at 7:48 am
Michelle, at least you found us before you sent money anywhere. I’m glad we could help.
You may want to turn the money orders over to law enforcement or just shred them. Either way, you know not to cash them. Do not contact the scammers and if they try to contact you, do your best to avoid them. If they call, hang up or tell them that when you tried to cash the money orders your bank threatened to have you arrested. Then hang up. Do not argue with them, don’t tell them you are “on to them” or anything else. Just avoid them.
on August 23rd, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Update: The money order delivery came and was a complete fake. Looked on the USPS site for “spotting fake money orders” and the security measures that should be on each USPS issued money order. It had bits and pieces of what should be on a real USPS money order . When you compare what the site says should be there, you can see the difference.
on August 29th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Hi, I recieved a check for 2,850 dollars today out of the blue i have done some research the company and bank account are legit. Fedex delivered it this morning. There was no letter or instructions to do anything the companys names is Jesco Inc and i have not signed up for anythng or given my bank information out is this a fruad???
on August 29th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Yes, it is a fraud. The company and bank account may be legitimate, but the check is not. Jesco is a construction company. Assuming that this is for a “mystery shopping” assignment, why would a construction company send you a $2850 check to do mystery shopping? Of for any other reason, for that matter. It is a scam. You may want to contact Jesco and ask if they want you to send the check to them. They probably already know about this fraud, but the check may be evidence they can use.
If you do contact them, do not rely on any information on the check or the package you received. Look the company up online.
on August 30th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Just got a cashier’s check today. Drawn off PNC bank and sent from Indianapolis, In. Check amount is 3800. I was told to deposit in my account, spend money at Walmart ($50), keep $350 and WesternUnion $3400 to Jamaica. Wow, this doesn’t sound like a fraud to me. roselyn grossman is the name on the email and Camille Johnson is the reciever in Jamaica.
Thank you for the site
on August 30th, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Thanks for the info, Ron. Yep, that is definitely a scam.
A reminder to everyone reading: It doesn’t matter what names they use, what company the check is from, whether it is a check or money order, whether they use Western Union or MoneyGram, etc.
Bottom line: If you are asked to wire money to anyone you do not know, for any reason, RUN! It is a scam. It is always a scam. No exceptions.
on August 31st, 2011 at 10:05 am
Not on my watch!
This came from: jameslawrence01@aol.com
Dear Candidate,
We have a job offer available for you that will not disturb your present occupation. Currently we have available position for you to work for us. See below description.
“We have a mystery shopping assignment in your area and we would like you to participate” Mystery Shopping Providers Association® (MSPA) is accepting applications for qualified individuals to become mystery shoppers. It’s fun and rewarding, and you choose when and where you want to shop. You are never obligated to accept an assignment. There is no charge to become a shopper and you do not need previous experience. After you sign up, you will have access to training materials via e-mail, fax or postal mail.
ABOUT US
Secret Shopper® is the premier mystery shopping company, serving clients across America and Canada with over 500,000 shoppers available and ready to help businesses better serve their customers. Continual investment in the latest internet and communication technologies coupled with over 16 years of know-how means working with Secret Shopper® is a satisfying and rewarding experience. Secret shopping as seen on ABC NEWS, NBC NEWS, L.A.TIMES. Stores and organizations such as The Gap, Wal-Mart, Pizza Hut, and Banks. One amongst many others pay for Secret Shoppers to shop in their establishments and report their experiences. On top of being paid for shopping you are also allowed to keep purchases for free. Secret Shopper® NEVER charge fees to the shopper. Training, tips for improvement, and shopping opportunities are provided free to registered shoppers. Mystery shoppers are either paid a pre-arranged fee for a particular shop, a reimbursement for a purchase or a combination of bo
th. Secret Shopper® has available
You will be required to interact with the shop clerk.
You may conduct the shop alone or as a couple.
The assignment will pay $200.00 or more per duty
Kindly Fill Out the application form below and we will get back to you shortly with the assignment:
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
First Name:
Last Name:
Street Address (No Po Box Acceptable) :
City, State, Zip Code:
Cell Phone Number/Home Phone Number:
Age:
Current Occupation:
Alternate Email Address:
AVAILABILITY:
Days/Hours Available
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Hours Available: from _______ to ______
Assignment: We have had complaints on some western union, walmart, Restaurant and money gram location in the services they render and we want you to investigate it personally as our new Evaluator in your area By Going there to send funds. We will be sending you Payment in form of Money Orders to carry out this assignment. So please take note of these instructions below.
We will send you Money Order which you will take to your Bank for Instant Cashing then you are to proceed to the location we are going to allocate to you for investigation and you are to carry out every instructions we will be sending to you via email to investigate this location.
We will want for you to email us as soon as you have carried out the comprehensive investigation and let us understand what you found out about your survey.
I hope you do understand what we have requested for you to do as our new
Evaluator, Please confirm you do understand so we can approve your application and your new assignment will kick off immediately.
This is a very exciting job and is very rewarding. So please get back to us confirming your interest and we await your response for us to go ahead and approve you.
We await your urgent response.
Thank you for your help.
We look forward working with you.
Sincerely,
James Lawrence
Recruiting Department,
MSPA®
on August 31st, 2011 at 4:26 pm
Hello,
I received so many of these emails it was driving me crazy! Twice the number I deleted did more come. I have called my local FBI (who was quite unconcerned and rude), found there email address and started forwarding the messages to them and to the person they originally came from. One guy actually wrote me back and said that I did not need to contact the FBI! I took the last one I had and delivered to the Post Office along with emails, fedex envelope and money orders that were sent to me. Guess what, postal service is just as bad. I don’t know what I expected but certainly a little more than no contact what-so-ever. Finally, I took matters into my own hands as much I could in this situation, I changed my email and deactivated that account. I have never felt so free!
on September 16th, 2011 at 7:57 am
I wish i would have read this a couple days ago. I replyed to an ad on craigslist i was sent a money order for 890.90 i never have tried any thing liike this before so i was not under the impression that it was a scam. I went to a store to cash it. The man took the money order and my id. he sai that he was calling the police after waiting a hour and a half for them he finally gave me my id back. The police never came. I went home and made a police report yrsterday an ivestigator called me and wants to go to the store if the money order was fraud what will happen to me.
on September 16th, 2011 at 11:11 am
You are probably lucky that the check cashing store spotted the money order as a fraud. I’m sure that the police have seen a lot of these situations. Show them any emails and other correspondence you received from the scammers and tell them exactly what happened. It is unlikely that it will go any further.
on September 17th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
I was contacted thru email about this kind of scam. I have the postal money order. These scammers keep calling me on my cell phone telling me I need to finish this mystery shop or they will file a lawsuit on me. I know this is a scam and I plan to go to police and/or the post master monday. The question I have is I told these guys I knew this was a scam and that I was going to the police. My wife is now scared that these type of people will maybe come after us now they know that we plan to do something. Do you think I am in any danger? When I told them I wasnt going to do this and I was going to the police he said I was going to be in as much trouble because I signed for the fedex package. He said since I signed for the package I had to finsh the assignment. I’m still going to the police but dont want put my wife or both of us in harms way. If you have any other things you think I should do please let me know. Other than that I plan on going to the police. Thank you.
on September 17th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
They are not going to do anything. They try to intimidate people into being scammed. They are not going to fly to your town to come after you when they have people lining up to get scammed by them everyday.
on September 21st, 2011 at 10:17 pm
I recieved a check yesterday for $1950.00. I took it to the bank and the teller said it was probably a scam, he deposited it anyways and said it would be on hold for 5 days. I came across this website and now i just feel stupid. Would my best bet be to just call the bank branch tomorrow and tell them to cancel everything with the check? Or what if it confirmed and I have $1950.00 in my account? Will I be seen as a fraudster in the eyes of the police?
on September 22nd, 2011 at 1:43 am
Call the bank and tell them that you are the target of a fraud attempt. You have just discovered that the check you received and deposited is a fraud. It is better if you inform them instead of waiting for them to have the check returned. You shouldn’t have a problem as you have not withdrawn any money.
on September 23rd, 2011 at 12:05 pm
After reading this site, and received two post office money orders, I called the post office and was told both money orders were fraud. I emailed my “mystery shopper contact” and received the following:
Calling the postal office does not guaranteed you a 100% Assurance that there going to verfify them for you .
That why we instruct you to have them cash at your bank for record purpose .
I need you to get back to me now .
on September 23rd, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Catherine, do not take the money orders to your bank. Take them to the post office and turn them over to the postal inspectors, give them to law enforcement, or just shred them. Your bank may very well cash them and release the funds. But you will be responsible for repaying the money when it turns out that they are forgeries. And they are forgeries. I can guarantee that.
on September 28th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
well guys now they are trying new things instead of checkes they are using interac e transfer hey cathy can interac money be withdrawn by sender at any time
on October 16th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
I received two money orders saturday for $956.10 each. I was told in the email to deposit $300 into my bank account for my salary and deduct $20 to shop at walmart. The scammers claimed to be the hiring manager for Market Force Inc. They wanted me to western union the remaining money to a Jennnifer Green in the Philippine(spelled wrng). That was a red flag for me. So I decided to goole all the names on the money orders and emails I received and the was socical workers and CEO ‘s. The addresses that were listed dont even exists. So I will be contacting the fraud dptmnt firsth thing tomorrow.
on October 18th, 2011 at 11:08 am
I recieved a check for $2,950 from Wheeler Court Shopping Center located in Los Angles, Ca and i live in NEW JERSEY. Right then i knew then the check was FAKE. I tried calling the bank the check was from, Zion First Nat’al Bank, and i couldnt even find the phone number. i knew the check was Fake from the beginning. Just wanted to post this for anyone else who may have recieved this check.
on November 9th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Recent e-mail we received regarding secret shopper scam.
Dear Applicant,
Thanks for your response, your information has been accepted and approved by our Recruiting Department.
YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT DETAILS.
Western Union Money Transfer had reports about lapses in the services of some of their outlets and some of their staff, the complaints are based on reports forwarded anonymously by customers and phone calls, which were also made to the head office. Some western union locations were reported for evaluation for the below reasons:
– Customers have reported money missing
– Slow services
– Unbalanced transfer charges
– Poor services
– Rudeness to customers
– Excess charges
– Late opening time and Closing before time.
Your Secret Evaluation would be:
1) To transfer funds from any given Western Union Money Transfer location to other mystery shoppers, the funds would be picked up by another mystery shopper at another western union location where customers had reported.
2) You would have to record the time at which you got to the location and how long it took you to get service.
3) You would be sent money orders which would cover your payment of $200.00 fringe benefit for the assignment and duty before the evaluation. As soon as you receive the money orders you should cash it at your bank, and deduct $200.00 benefit on the assignment and send the rest of the funds for assignment.
4) Enclosed with the payment for the assignment would the details of the western union location, also the name and address of the mystery shopper funds would be transferred. You would have to keep a comprehensive report on every activity you carry out.
Should you believe you can carry out this evaluation with little or no supervision. Kindly confirm your interest in the assignment via email or contact Rob(418)800-9427.
I will await your confirmation response.
Yours Sincerely,
Shannon Banks
Secret Shopper®
on November 23rd, 2011 at 12:12 pm
I also received an invite to become a mystery shopper. I did look under BBB to check the company but, for some reason I saw the company name but not the same address. I received another email stating that I was chosen to work with the company. There were some misspellings in the wording yet I still continued because I needed the money and thought to myself this would be a great opportunity for me. I then received a big check in the mail for 48,555.10. I said this is too good to be true. I wrote them back and asked what should I do. They told me to deposit into my account and wait for further instructions. I got curious and started asking people about this and looking up information. They told me to keep 10% of the check. I said to myself, That’s a lot of money for doing nothing but depositing the rest into my account. I then wrote them back and asked to get a login. They got rude and said, was I trying to make trouble with them and their customers? By asking all types of questions. Just go and deposit the check. That’s what led me here to this forum….this was not legit at all….Thanks!!!
on November 23rd, 2011 at 12:25 pm
I’m glad you found us. Yes, the check you received was fake. In this scenario they always are.
Just a quick note on something you said about checking them out with the BBB: It was sharp of you to notice that the address information didn’t match. Whether it does or not, you should never assume that the people you are dealing with are who they say they are. Scammers who will steal thousands of dollars from you will also lie to you.
on November 24th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
This Walmart and western union thing is so common lol. I responded to craigslist for a receptionist position and instead, they replied and said they were looking for mystery shoppers. Has anyone received the same email by the same person?
shoppers shoppers@melcorps.com to me
Attn Esteemed Mystery Shopper ,
You will be evaluating Wal-Mart Stores Western Union Transfer Services in your neighborhood, kindly check out for 1 Wal-Mart store, 1 Western Union Outlet you would like to evaluate, make sure the store and the outlets you will choose are close to your area as much as possible. You will have to send the name and address of the 2 locations to me.
Please note that you are to act Cool, Calm and Confident through out the period which you will be carrying out your survey at the store, in order not to arouse any suspicion.
You will be shopping at the Wal-Mart store and also making a transaction at Western Union .
You will write a report about the customer services, you will send your report back to us via Email, you will have to use the following pointers to prepare your report :
1) How long it took you to get services.
2)Ambiance/Outlook of the Shop/Outlet
3) Smartness of the attendant
4)Customer service professionalism
5)Reaction of personnel under pressure
6)Information that you think would be helpful
7)Your comments and impressions.
A package will be sent to you,inside the package you will find Payment in form of Money Orders or Check which you will cash and deduct your Compensation payment and other funds you will use to carry out your survey process.You must not use your personal money to complete any of the survey and there will be no reimbursement of any kind since we are providing you with all the funds you will need to carry out the survey.
Once you receive the package, you are to Check your EMAIL for Evaluation Instructions……this will tell you what to do at the Wal-Mart and the Western Union location and how to expend the fund at each location.
Please reply this Email and give us the name and address of the Wal-Mart and Western Union Outlet you will be evaluating , if you have any question get back to me.
You can get addresses of locations near you via their websites (www.walmart.com & http://www.westernunion.com)
Your prompt response would be highly appreciated.
Thank you
James Dejesus
Secret Shopper®
Personnel manager(Hr dept)
Global Finance Company
http://www.Globalfinance.gr
276 477 5118
on November 24th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
They look for victims everywhere. The theory is that if you are looking for work you might fall for their “easy money” scam.
Good job spotting the scam!
on November 28th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
hi i wish i would of read this a week ago im so screwed right now im one of the ones that took this check to the bank and the bank cashed it.Iv had my bank account for 14yrs now they just called me and told me the check didnt clear and i only had so long to pay them or they were going to go to the majastrate.i have 4 children a singal mother and hear it is xmas time what am i nto do.These people desrve everything i hope they get i am the only thing my children have there father wealked out on us a year ago we been strugglin ever since my kids try to help in every way possible and its not fair that kind of responsabilty they think they have to put on ther shoulders so im asking if anyone can please tell me what and how i can get this money back please.Or am i just plan screwed I hope not.Dont these ppl have hearts my goodness i could never do something like this if someone out there knows how i can get any help with this please tell me please
on November 28th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
If you wired the money, it is 99.9% certain you will not get it back. You can try contacting Western Union or MoneyGram to see if the scammer picked up the money, but they are usually quick to do that.
Sit down with the folks at the bank and see if you can work it out with them. You will have to pay the money back.
on December 19th, 2011 at 10:35 am
So glad I looked this up before I did anything without thinking. So my story is that I have been looking for a job. I would respond to customer service add on cragslist.com and on monster.com. I recieved a responds back from a guy for a secret shopper.. I responded and I didn’t hear anything until today. I just received a checked for 2950 dollars. Didn’t contact anyone yet but I will be! Thank you so much for the tips.. Saved me thousands!
on December 20th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Hey Cathy, I received two emails from Mystery Shopper Provider Association and they gave me an assignment to complete involving going to a western union and transferring money to another mystery shopper. My first question is, is this standard practice?
I was given two checks that totaled up to $1950.72 and I was told to withdrawl $200 for myself; I already cashed the check and spent the first $100 of it and waiting for the rest of the check to clear… I started feeling a weird sensation and wondered if this was all normal and then I started reading all of your responses..
so my question to this previous statement is Should I be concerned? What should I do? I am calling my bank tomorrow to see if the check cleared, is there anything I should mention?
thanks.
on December 20th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
It is a scam, the same as you see here. No mystery shopping company will ever ask you to wire money to anyone.
Also, the MSPA never hires shoppers. They are an industry association. Mystery shopping companies belong to MSPA, but MSPA is not a mystery shopping company and you will NEVER get hired by them or receive checks from them.
The checks are fakes. They will be returned and the money will be taken from your account. Do not assume that if the bank allows you to withdraw the money that the checks have cleared. They have to release funds within a few days, but the checks will be returned later.
Call your bank and tell them that you are the victim of a scam attempt. Let them know that the checks are fake before they let you know.
There is no question that this is a scam. Do not wire money to anyone you do not know. Ever.
on December 28th, 2011 at 7:19 am
I was victim of it. I recieved an email saying that they looked over my resume on careerbuilder. Which I know I posted it on there. But the job wanted me to cash the checks and send them money and I keep 10% . So I was like sure easy money being that I gave birth and need the money. So two weeks later I recieved two check one for 1925 &1870. I went to my bank and tried to cash one but it wouldnt go through. So the teller told me to deposit the checks so I did. It made $200 avaible so I used it to pay bill. But didnt use the whole 200. I called my card to see if the rest of the money was on my card. But wad told they were closing my account. Because I deposited two fake checks. I talk to a call rep she said I wasnt in trouble. Because most of the money wad still there. What should I do. I didnt know the checks were fake. They looked so real. I dont want to go to jail. I know I made a stupid decision. Should checked it out more.
on December 28th, 2011 at 11:38 am
I really need advice. I called again this morning and I talked to a secound woman which she comformed that they are infact closing my account. Said I would just be infault for the money I spent and the returned check fee. She also said it would be hard for me to open up another banking account with them. Should I still worry?
on December 28th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
You need to talk to someone at the bank to straighten this out. Go in and talk to someone in person. They may not reopen your account, but you need to figure out how to repay any money that you took out of the account from the bad checks.
I would mention to them that after the checks appeared to be bad, the teller told you to deposit them. Seems as though they have some responsibility here, too.
on December 28th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
I talk to the bank manager today and she gave me a number to call to tell them what happened. Because she told me the same thing that the bank was closing my account and I had to pay the overdraft fee. When called the number the man told me the same thing and said if I wanted to file a police when I get all my paper work mail to me. Said I wasnt in trouble becuase the money was still in my account. Just not going to open up another account with them.
on January 16th, 2012 at 12:46 am
i have recently been scammed out of 945.00 ,my story is like others in these posting. i cashed the money order at my bank , i evaluated walmart , and western union, and then i wrote a report and sent it to the culprit. 2 weeks later i went to pay my mortgage and the 945.00 check had bounced, I went and talked to the bank manager, and she told me that the money order had bounced. i myself thought that a money order could not bounce. and was told by the teller when cashing the check that it was a good check. I since have received a check for 3000 dollars and two checks for 945 dollars in one fed ex envelope, also a girl from maryland called to ask me if i got the imformation about doing the job. to end the story i have taking all of this imformation to the police department, and have filed a complaint .about this scam. I have created a monster, every day from the time that i fell for the first scam i have recieved imformation , to be fooled again, research, research before getting involved in any of these dishonest schemes. good luck to everyone cindy
on January 16th, 2012 at 6:03 am
Hi Cathy, I just received a check this afternoon for a Mystery shopper job.. I’m kinda curious about this that’s why I searched in yahoo about this job and found so many scams.. now, I don’t know what should I do in the check. As you’ve said above I should throw it in the trash can.. I just have one question, am I not be liable in that check if I throw it??
on January 16th, 2012 at 8:19 am
Ghenisz, you would not create any liability for yourself by throwing away a check, even if the check was good. In this case, the check is a forgery with no value to anyone. Your choices are to turn it over to law enforcement (or maybe the company named on the check) or throw it away.