Shoppers Inc. - mystery shopper scam!
Look closer… much closer! If it looks too good to be true, it is! Scams are everywhere, and unless people blow the horn on them, they will continue to take advantage of unsuspecting people.
I was prompted to blog about this scam as it is good… it looks very legit, and apparently many people are being taken in by companies just like this one.
Today, I received a congratulations letter along with a nice hefty (legit looking CIBC Toronto) cheque in the sum of $4650.00 CDN from a company who calls themselves “Shoppers Inc.”
Read on, and beware.
SHOPPERS INC.
Shoppers Inc.
5407 Gatebridge Road Richmond VA 23234
Tel: 1-819-580-0971
Fax: 1-509-272-0978
Web: www.theshoppersinc.com
RE: JEANNETTE DUGUAY
Position: Customer Service Evaluator
Rep ID# S.I 101
CONGRATULATIONS! With reference to your recent online application with us, I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to become one of our representatives in your region.
Please be informed that there is only one probationer training assignment that you are required to complete within 48 hrs. This training assignment takes about 2 hours to complete and is a PAID training. Training pay rate remains $200 per day. The aim of this training assigment is for you to familiarize yourself with the practical feel of what investigative shopping entails. Please note that enclosed is a Check in the amount of $4650.00 USD
This assigment has been put together to be completed at any Wal-Mart location or Money Gram store. The objective of this assignement will be to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of a payment system called “Money Gram” which is available at any Wal-Mart store or local Money Gram agents. The moneygram system is encountering problems varying from loss of customer money transfer completely, non-refund of funds if customer had decided to withdraw the transfer just to mention a couple.
A major part of this assessment is “Confidentiality”. Please keep your identity HIDDEN as a secret evaluator in general, to avoid employees putting up acts while you are on assigments.
You are required to cash the enclosed CHECK at your local bank or check cashing facilities, and take the cash minus your fee(s) and do the following:
You will pose as a potential customer sending a Money Gram payment to HELEN GIBSON a relative of yours in CALGARY ALBERTA CANADA. The fund needed to complete this transaction assignment has been arranged and has been enclosed with this letter. For our verification of assignment completion, please call the number above and also e-mail our office at recruitment@theshoppersinc.com to provide the MoneyGram Reference Code immediately after completion.
Below is the breakdown of the attached fund:
Required funds to be sent via MoneyGram ——–$4350.00
2 hours evaluation training ————————-$200.00
Service charge by MoneyGram ———————$100.00
TOTAL —————————————– $4,650.00
In the process of this evaluation assignment, please take note of the quality of service in order to be able to fill out a fair and unbiased opinion on the Customer Service Evaluation Tool (CSET) form enclosed with this letter. This form should be faxed back to our office after the completion of your assignment.
Have fun! Have fun! Have fun! Have fun! Have fun! Have fun!
Sincerely,
(signature here)
Lewis Grant
Note: It is most important you call this office as soon as you receive your package for the final instructions before you start the assigment.
============
On the bottom of their letter is a stream of logos including: Pepsi, The Bay, Gap, McDonalds, Starbucks, Blockbuster, AVIS, Western Union, Pizza Pizza and Harvey’s.
This type of scam has been going on for quite some time by a variety of companies, and has been a great source of income for the scam-artists, and grief for unsuspecting victims.
While the internet is an amazing technological accomplishment, it also brings with it the dark side. Let’s get the word out, and get eductated.
Technorati Tags: jentekk, moneygram, mystery shopper, scam, Shoppers Inc, wal-mart
April 4th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I have reseived almost this same letter. i had tried calling the number since it siad to check in before starting the assignment and it went to a message saying the customer couldn’t be contacted at this time. so i waied and called a few times more. then i tried contacting them on the email. after that was returned i assumed that it must have been a scam. today i tried looking it up and the web page doesn’t work, and then i found this site talking about it being a scam. i am glad that i didn’t try to cash this check and send the money through walmart.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Hi Amanda.
I’m so glad to hear I was able to warn you about this scam and save you from being yet another victim.
Also, good for you on doing a little research. You had a hunch something was wrong, and you were absolutely right.
Hey… you’ve saved yourself a chunk of money - treat yourself to something nice, you’ve earned it!
April 10th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Hi there,
Just got the same letter today from a Montreal , QC address for $2350, same wording and everything.
RIght in the trash I say.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Exactly Bev! Well done.
April 11th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I got the same letter today and was kind of wary…(seemed to good and to easy). That’s when I checked it out on line and found this site. Mine’s going in the trash as well!!
April 11th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Hi I received one of these letters to and went on site to check it out at snopes and came across your website. Thanks for the heads up.
April 11th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Hi Brad and Dawn. I had a hunch people may be doing a search on this. I’m so glad I’ve been able to help out.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
I too received the letter today from Shoppers Inc. and was wary enough to search. I actually am a mystery shopper for other companies and this just seemed too odd. Thanks!
April 12th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Your welcome Karin, have a great weekend.
April 14th, 2008 at 4:48 am
I live in Halifax and received the same letter. I was very sceptical when I saw the plain white envelope this information came. Then, to find a cheque in the amount of $2350 made out to me … too good to be true. Putting this right into the shredder bin!!! Thanks!
April 15th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I received a letter also pretty much the same thing. The only diference was that I was not told what to do with the money. I was told to contact them and they would release the funds so that I could cash the cheque. Once the check was processed I was to call them and they would tell me the places and the amounts that I would need to go to shop. My check was for 3,900.00 I also thought it was too good to be true. I took my check to the bank and did some investigating. My bank thought it was fishy and they told me to go to the Caisse Populaire, since that is were the cheque was from. I payed the Caisse Populaire $5.00 to call the branch in Motreal that the cheque was from. They told us that the funds were available at this time and that the name of the company on the cheque was ligit. I then returned to my bank and told them the information that I had received. The employee their advised me for my own benefit to place a 14 day hold on the cheque. She said that should be enough time for the cheque to go through all the process and see if it was going to go through. Thanks to my bank that is what I did. Today I received a call from my bank to inform me that the cheque came back Non Sufficiant Funds. I then through google found the companyname(from Quebec) and their number from the cheque and they told me that they had to recently cancel that account because someone was handing out fraudulant cheques from their account. They have contacted the Police in Toronto because the cheques were all sent to people from ON CAnada. I have also contacted my local police and I am waiting to hear from them.
April 18th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
I recieved a letter today in the mail from Consumer Research PLC New York, Ny for the amount of 2950.00 says i have two assignments one is to go to walmart, home depot or office max and purchase merchandise worth 130.00 then send 2400.01 including fees of 119.99 to one of the research cordinators specified by our account manger Carmella Raymond and gives a number. i would make 100/hour X3 and keep the merchandise i bought. I thought it was toooooo good to be true so i decided to do some research. I cant pull any info about this company but the lady did answer the phone. One thing i noticed in the letter was “Consumer Research PLC PO Box 1750 New York, NY 2690.” 2690 couldn’t be a real zip code arent they 5 number long. Also gives you a Representative id number. I just wanted to make sure this is a scam and should i report this so noone will fall for this? Thank you for your blog
April 18th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
@ Cheryl, Rachel and Cassie. You’re very welcome. All too often, if it sounds too good to be true, it unfortunately usually is. Yes, you may want to report this to your local authorities. Maybe they can find a way to catch these crooks.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:34 am
I just received a letter this am with a check in it for over $4,000 so I took it to our local bank to see if it was legitimate and they said it sounds like a scam.
O well,. Guess when they say its too good to be true it usually is.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I received a letter today from Mystery Shoppers PLC 25 Broadway New York, NY 10004 tel 1-403-401-3081 . It states basically the same as all the above. The spending 100.00 at kmart , home depot ,etc then wiring money to 3 different people and etc. I tried inquiring on line and came to your site. Guess it is too good to be true!! I will be sending this to my local police department fraud unit for further investigation , so glad I inquired first, because I have inquired about mystery shopping in the past, think it would be fun!!
May 1st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I too was almost conned by these people! Lucky for me, I had a feeling it might be so I did some research online and found out that this has been going on for sooo long!! I had answered an ad in the newspaper via email for a customer service evaluator and they sent me step by step instructions on what to do. They said that they were evaluating Moneygram and that they were hired by Moneygram to evaluate the customer service being given at each Moneygram location. I thought to myself”wow this sounds like easy money!” So I just received the two moneyorders via UPS this morning with instructions on what to do. I was kinda excited thinking that I was going to make some extra money for myself! I then went to my bank to try to cash, but was told that there would be a hold put on them to verify that they were legit. So, I then came home and communicated thru email that I wasnt able to cash right away-awaiting a response from the individual that I had been communicating with. When I had not heard back from this person, I started to think that maybe this really was a scam so I started to investigate and came across so many different stories just like mine!! I then went back to my bank to let them know that Im sure I was just scammed and got the money order back. I didnt want anything to do with that dirty money!! The name of the so-called company was Global Solutions Inc. So, PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR THESE PEOPLE !! They also wanted the money to be sent to Canada.
May 4th, 2008 at 12:22 am
I was also almost scammed by the GLOBAL SOLUTIONS INC. folks. Same thing wanted a mystery shopper for moneygram at Walmart. Sent me two bogus checks for over $900 each… I was to keep 200 for my time and send the rest to Canada. I took them to my bank where they told me they were fake and I turned it all over to them and will follow up with fraud authorities…DO NOT FALL FOR THE MYSTERY SHOPPING SCAM!!!
May 13th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I recived 2 letters one from Legal Network Services and the Other from Consumer Research PLC. The letters stated that I had been selected for the job from my online applications that I had submitted so at first I did think that it was lagitimante so I when to the bank and submiited one of the checks fortunatly goverment banks place a 5 day hold on any check over the amount of 2500.00 well the checks I recived were one for 2750.00 and the other for 3900.00 yea I was about to get suckered if I would of place the check in to my acct that I have my life savings it would of cleared because I had the money I would of done the asingments and would of been 6650.00 short in my savings that has taken me so long to get saved up so I used dome commensence and deposited in to my goverment bank acct. that is seperate from my savings acct.. good thing.. I also attemted to research this companies and there are no were to be found so my next step from here is contacting the FBI’s fraud department see if they has been anyother complaint along with my locat news paper so we can get the word out to the consummers on this new scam..
May 18th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
today I got a letter from Global Research Inc in Canada I called them several times and all I got out of them was cash the check and call us back I did the mistake of depositing the check in my bank but after I researched on this site I know to wait to make sure funds to not come back unavailable or insufficent funds I was not aware of scams of this sort but what caught my eye was my check was for 3995.00 100.00 to do a mystery shop, a money gram , a western union, and then a fee for me of 465.00 but I was told when I called back after I deposited my check I asked about my assignments and told them my bank would hold it til it clears and all they said was that I should call them back when the check clears so I am asasuming this is as above described a scam I assume the only thing I can do right now is to put hold on that check so I do not loose any money by fees for a bad check from my bank
May 29th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
I received a a letter from Consumer Research PLC. Letter came from Montreal QC and the letterhead said New York, stamp was Canada and looked like a reg. stamp someone gets from a post office to mail letters. Same info as the above, and the letter said “mystery shopper”.
I did not cash the check as told to by the person on the call named Julie Carmen Castro. My point is, how does this scam benefit the sender?
If we did cash the check, and thefunds were unavailable, the bank would charge for “insuf. funds” from the bank in the form of a fee. how would the sender benefit? The bank keeps the fee as a processing charge. If the funds are not available from their bank, and you didn’t use the funds that you deposited, I don’t see how one could get harmed other than a fee for the funds not being available.
It doesn’t seem at all possible that the sender of the check would be able to make out on this deal.
Teddy
PA
May 30th, 2008 at 11:30 am
People please remember to be smart about these total strangers offering to send you lots on money for little to no information at all. Notice the broken english on these e-mails. If you recieve any checks from these scammers, take them to your bank and have your bank report the fraud.
Just recieved this one via e-mail solicitation:
Hello Secret Shopper,
Top of the days to you. Your funds for the evaluation would be mail out to you after you have CONFIRMED this email that it should be mail out to you.
Thereafter we will be expecting an Incisive and detailed report from you via email
using the pointers given as guidelines for your evaluation reports for both Wal-mart and Money Gram evaluations.
You are to include the Money Gram reference code and Wal-mart receipt(TC#) number in your reports as it is required for Company feedback purposes on service delivery.
You will have deduct $100 for shopping at Wal-mart and also As we are Evaluating transactions above the $1000 mark, you will be sending $1400 at each Money gram Outlet you evaluate.
Below you will find your expenditures breakdown:-
Money Received ….$3350
……………………………………………………………..
Salary ……………..$200
Wal-mart…………….$100
Money Gram……………$1400*2===$2,800
Transfer costs……….$80*2===$160
Transport/Miscellanous..$90
Wal-mart stores and Money Gram outlet where you would evaluate would be email to you as soon as your funds have been mailed out to you.
We expect to read from you soonest so as to continue with mailing out your funds to the address giving to us…
Thank you…
Hiring Manager
Creasy Ramos
May 30th, 2008 at 11:56 am
@ Teddy - before people/banks were aware of this scam, people were depositing these fake cheques and quickly following the instructions as directed - completing them within 2 days .
This means they would be withdrawing from their own savings, only to find out a week later that the check was fraud… thus losing their own money.
More info: http://www.snopes.com/fraud/employment/shopper.asp
May 30th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Thanks everyone for your stories. As word gets out, these scams will no longer be effective. Of course they’ll come up with another one!
As its already been said… if its too good to be true, it probably is.
Have a safe ’scam free’ weekend!
May 31st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Hi, thanks for putting it up. I just got a letter today and a check for$2,800.00 the check is from Eagle Componets Inc. I checked them out and they seem real. It’s pretty sad that A-holes like that are out there. I’m taking the check to my bank and handing it over to them. I hope these people get scamed on a larger scale! Thanks again, Jon
June 6th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I received a letter today from CAMYSTERY SHOPPERS, INC. for $3,530.00.
I am a former law enforcement officer and knew when I seen it that it was a scam. I told myself, I am gonna have fun with this. I called the number on the letter 902-218-0800 and a woman who sounded half asleep and who clearly was of other than American nationality answered. At first she sounded confused as to the name of the company to answer with. I asked her what I was to do with the check and she wanted the last four numbers. I lied and made up four numbers. I asked her where she was located and she didn’t know what to say. She said, “New York”. I said, no where are “YOU” located at this moment. She became quite nervous and agitated. I told her that I believed this was a scam. She said that she used the last four numbers of the check and it had now been deleted…. I told her “do you mean cancelled?” I told her she had been on the phone long enough for me to learn her exact location which I know is not in New York and she hung up. I laughed and enjoyed the rest of my day. My concern is if this check is cashed or deposited into your account perhaps they can acquire the account number later.
June 6th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Hey Crystal - you made my day also. I had a good chuckle over the way you handled this. We need to put these scammers on edge, let them know we are on to them. The idea of making them nervous really appeals to me… ha ha ha…. does that make me evil?
June 12th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I got a letter and chack today i also though it was to good to be truth , but my question is how do they get our information to send this stuff our names and address?
June 14th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I recieved a letter on May 20,2008, which stated that I was also selected a a mystery shopper. Enclosed in the letter was a check in the ammount of $2800. $300 was for my probation tarining pay, $119 was for service charges, $130 was for funds needed for shopping, and $2250.01 was the ammount that was required to be trainsfered via western union or money gram. I was very disapointed to know that this was a scam because with today’s economy I really could have used the money. I am glad this blog was posted because after I made the call to a supposedly company representative, I was headed to the bank to cash the check with confidence. I just had a nagging feeling so I decided to do one more check, which was your blog, and I’m glad I did, once again THANK’S FOR THIS BLOG.
June 16th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Hi Jenny. You’re very welcome. It is interesting that as much as we’d like to believe something is legit, our instincts have a way of letting us know when something is not right. Glad I could help!
June 23rd, 2008 at 5:26 pm
this is elnoria do you have woman name kristy hudson i have a lettle wih a check for 4,985 .00 i can call this number 1-905-599-6844 email me let know call me at 704 -233-9503 ext 100
June 26th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I too replied to an ad in our local newspaper, I was contacted a few days later via e-mail congratulating my acceptance into their Mystery Shop program. The company:
Brand Name Market Research had a website that looked legit, although they did not have a shopper login. I too have been a mystery shopper for a number of years, but I guess this one got me. I received a Cashiers cheque from HSBc for the amount of $1700.00 which I was to cash at my local bank.
The funds were released to me immediately and I followed the instuctions. I was to go to a local Money Mart or Western Union and wire the funds minus me pay and service charge to a relative in the UK. Fill out the questionnaire, which was very vague, but I did so and also included an extra page of my observations of the assignment.
I did try to contact them via phone to give them the transaction # but their mailbox was full. 2 Days later I received another envelope, this time with a cheque from Citizens Bank in Vancouver for the amount of $ 1900.00, but there was an error in the name. It was made out to the supposed relative of mine (same last name) that I wired my first assignment to. I was able to reach the company by phone and advised them of the mistake, I was told that I would receive an e-mail with instructions and a replacement cheque. Today I received another cheque, same mistake. I wrote them an e-mail to request corrections, and started getting suspicious. Then I started snooping around on the net and found this blog. I guess I have been scammed, and now I do not know what to do. Worried and nervous, from Montreal
June 26th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Hi Viki, I’m sorry to hear that you were a victim of this scam. I don’t think there is any way to get your money back, but perhaps you’d like to take your case to the local authorities. I’m not sure what kind of progress they are making on this if any, but maybe if more of us reported it, they would place this case on priority and get to the bottom of it.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
yup I just recieved a letter from TC Mystery Shoppers Inc. p.o. box 1499 sacramento,ca 95812, But on the check they are out of Bellevue, Wa 98004 the check looks good and from bank of america. They also left a phone # which I called to see what was next, and it was a bad recording and when asked for more options press # I pressed # it kept telling me invalid entry. Why would you cash it at your bank, with all those cash checking places out there? Won’t that make it a little safer for you and your savings? But really what do these people have to gain with all the precausions that banks take so they don’t loose money…
June 27th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
So I filed a complaint with the RCMP and today I received another 2 cheques for a whole lot more. Thanks for your help, I post an update when I get more news
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Just came across this site as I also got scammed for $1700 bucks! I have contacted the police and they have my info. I am reading Vicki’s blog and feel for her too! I should have been smart about this but I asked my bank and they told me it was just like a money order, that it was like a certified cheque, guaranteed! Then I got another one in the mail on Monday, double the money this time, so I called the Citizen’s bank of Canada to find out that it was a fraudulent cheque and that they have been getting alot of phone calls about this. How can anyone steal cheques and get away with it? I hope my bank will work with me to pay themoney back.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hi Elana.
I’m very sorry to hear that you were victimized by these creeps, and hope that your bank is able to work compassionately with you.
@ Viki - good for you! I look forward to hearing your updates.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 am
Hi,
RCMP contacted me today, they are coming to get all the paperwork and the RCMP said they will be doing a Press Release about this type of scam as they have been getting alot of calls in this region about the exact same company. They are going to my bank to try and get the cheque back. Wonder if anyone ever received compensation for fraud?
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I received a check for 3530.00 saying to purchase product for $100 and then money gram 2980.00. The name of the marketing company is United Mystery Shoppers INC PO box 105366 NY NY 10019 with telephone numbers 1-450-502-5800 and fax 1-888-553-0986. My check came from some bank in St. Petersburg Florida, I looked up the bank and it was on line so the bank was legit, I unfortonately deposited the check but I have not done anything yet, I have called their rep and given my ref number and they said ok to wait for check to clear before I money gram the money. Sounds too good to be true what do you think? oh also she wants me to money gram to a woman named danielle sandridge in Quebec Canada.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Well it looks like the Police in Windsor ON are finally on to this:
Windsor police warn of costly mystery shopper scam »
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Hi I went to Bank of America and they took the check and all the info and are going to presue this fraud case. The thing is if I didn’t say anything the teller she would have cash it cause it was a real account and a real check. I don’t bank there so I would not have lost money, but I went there to inform them of this check and of the people behind it. They also said that if the check turned out to be legit I would recieve all the money, go figure… Anyway be smart if it sounds to good it probably is.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:03 am
So I just received The NSF from my Bank, stating that the cheque was fraudulent. And they are debiting my account for 1700.00, I still have the other 4 cheques. I wonder if I should contact these people and tell them that my bank is holding the cheques. Maybe this will keep them going till the authorities catch them
July 4th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Y’know I have this creepy feeling the whole scam is being run by one woman because I too talked to a woman with bad english. BOTH times. Last week I called answering an ad in the paper and had trouble getting her to spell and say my last name correctly. She said she would mail me an application for the job I though I was being offered. Yesterday I too got almost the same exact letter with the whole fake check and instructions to send money through Moneygram at WalMart. I called the number because I was confused as to who sent this and how they got my info, i hadn’t yet connected back to the ‘job application’ i was expecting. I told the woman on the phone, who curiously sounds like the same woman, that I got this letter and didn’t remember signing up for this. She got a little snooty and told me that it would be much more mature and professional to write down the information when I apply for something and that if I wasn’t interested to just tear up the letter. I politely said that when i had called before I hadn’t been GIVEN any info about the company to write down or I surely would have…she just repeated that if this didn’t sound like something I wanted to do I could just tear it up and forget about it and she hung up. I then was very suspicious and did the net search, sure enough, found this article and others telling me its a scam. I can’t believe the nerve of that woman , ripping people off like this and then telling ME to be more mature and professional! I really wonder if it is just one woman behind all this. Anyone talk to someone other than a foreign sounding female voice?
July 4th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
When I called the company “Brand Institute Market Research” I spoke to a male with an accent, possibly African? No female, but I also researched on the net and found an article in the Windsor newspaper that the police apprehended 2 suspects working under this name, and counterfeit cheques from HSBC… I tried to do an ip search, and got somewhere in Toronto. I have kept all e-mails, envelopes and such, I hope the RCMP contact e soon, as for my bank, they won’t refund the money
July 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am
I recieved one of these letters today with a amount of 2987.00 something about a money gram from a company out of Ny but the envelope was from Cananda . I have to fax a copy of the check to the bank and they will let me know if it is real or not. Believe me this money could really be used by us right now as we are just getting on our feet from being homeless last year because our landlord did not pay their mortgage , and we had no place to live with 6 children and no help from social services . Thanks for this blog and keep it going. As for me I spoke to a man with not so clear english so I did not get a woman yet and my woman’s name is Jackie James . Also the company number that was on the check was out of service but I was transferred to a different number . Hope this helps someone.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I recieved email after posting my resume, looking for a second job. My family needs help. When I recieved the email saying I got the job I was ecstatic. I recieved the check thismorning from ups. Looked up the company and they had a good site. Turns out they used a ligit company for thier front. My bank did not cash it because of our money trouble, then I tried to cash it at a check cashing place and they told me it was a fraud and that they will report it, it was not the first they had seen. Thank god my bank would not cash it, or we would be hurting worse.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I got a letter on 6-17-08 from United Market & Consumer Research. Unfortunately I had the money in my account as well so when I went and cashed the check I was able to send the money gram right away. Today I got a note in the mail from my bank stating that the check came back unpaid. I am sick. The only reason I had that money in the bank was because I had saved up to go back to school. I am a single mom with four kids and now I have nothing. I can’t believe I was so stupid. I did look on the internet but couldn’t really find anything out about the company. When I got the note from the bank I looked under scams and found this site. I should have looked first. My check was for 3875.00 and said almost exactly what the rest of you have been saying. I had to go to walmart and send a money gram as well as shop at two other places. I hope this site helps some others. I don’t understand how people can do things like this. By the way in answer to Felicia I did talk to two different men. But when I tried to call them back tonight the phone has a message in a woman’s voice and speaks a different language and then justs cuts off.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I checked my PO Box today and there was a return to sender envelope that I never sent. Curiosity got the best of me seeing as the return address was my old PO Box number (which no longer exists b/c the building got torn down) and the addressee was someone I’d never heard of in Texas. I opened the envelope and lo and behold, a shiny (REAL) cheque for $2,800 and a letter from Consumer Research PLC.
Now the funny thing was that the company name on the cheque was different than the company name on the letter so I was a little suspicious. I googled both. The name on the letterhead came back with “fraud” and “scam” and the name on the cheque is a real company “Eagle Components, Inc.”
Went to their website and on their homepage in big bold bright red letters was “WARNING!!! If you received a check from Eagle Components for a sweepstakes, Wal-Mart secret shopper, or lottery, this is a bank scam. Sorry no free money and sorry for the inconvenience.”
So if anyone reading this gets a letter with the return address PO Box 1883, Station B, Montreal QC H3B 3L4, that is no longer a valid address (hasn’t been for 18 months now) and everything inside the envelope is a scam. Just letting people know.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Samantha! I hope you have also reported this to RECOL, Joy I am so sorry for you loss, It was a big one, everyone who got scammed, or didn’t but had this type of experience should keep all documents and report it. I hope that with enough of us they catch these Ba&^%@#$, sorry for the swearing, but it just isn’t fair.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I received a letter in the mail today from Endeavor Mystery Shoppers, Inc. with an address in Newport, RI. The letter included a check in the amount of $4,850.00 drawn on Citizens Bank, Rhode Island. The instructed me to evaluate Wal-Mart, Home Depot, JC Penny (sic) and one day lodging at “this Hotels” Best Western or Days Inn. My second evaluation would involve me to go to Western Union or MoneyGram and I would be instructed to send money to “our-training agents in a different location to be specified to your assignment coordinator.” The letter contained grammatical errors and JC Penny is incorrect.
The check definitely looked legit - even had security features included on the back. Of course, I was skeptical because the check had the preprinted name of Endeavor Seafood. So I researched Endeavor Seafood in Newport, RI and it is legitmate. The address matched up to the one on the check except for 2 things - different Suite # and entirely different area code and phone number. So I researched the telephone number on the letter and it was out of Quebec.
The envelope they used had my address on a pre-printed label and the stamp was a Canadian stamp. No return address. I am definitely taking this to my bank for their fraud department to investigate.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Viki, I went to the RCMP office and left the letter and cheque with them. They told me they would contact me in a few days. Just waiting now…
July 14th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I just received a letter similar to those above except this one was $4,850.00. I went to the bbb.org website to report them because I knew it was too good to be true. They have a rhode island address in the letter but a Canada stamp. The company that sent mine was Endeavor mystery shoppers inc. Wow it looks so real.
July 17th, 2008 at 7:23 am
How weird, I just got one of these in the mail, as well. This one was only for $650.50, though. Awkward, really. It wanted me to deposit the check, send some to an unknown person (who is only mentioned in the sending) and then keep the rest for myself, which totals out to be $475. Wayyyy more than I normally get from them (on average I get around $20).
This is really weird though, I secret shop for Fullscope, but the person is claiming to be from there and they even have a cheap address like “fullscope1@hotmail.com”. What doesn’t make sense is that it’s not a corporate address (like it should be) and the agent isn’t the person I normally talk with.
Of course, being angry, I sent a lovely message back:
“Hello Scott,
My name is Frank McDougal and you have been talking to an agent of the Federal Trade Commission. Currently, it is my job to intercept, prevent, and end these types of internet schemes. We have been working hand-to-hand to prevent false claims and “scam”s associated with the Fullscopre, Inc.’s trade, so we will have been granted full access to their members log. Scott, I would like to see your seven digit identification number from Fullscope, Inc. as well as your current Fullscope, Inc. company email address to verify your service with the company. Please note, however, if you do not reply with your information, the Internet Fraud and Safety Department (FSD) of the FTC will be forced to open an investigation concerning these recent events. However, if you have been accidentally associated with this false firm, which we will check with the identification we receive from you, we do provide our greatest apologies and will attempt to return the information sent through us via UPS through The United States Postal Service which should take up to 4-5 days to receive. We are sorry for this inconvenience. However, please do, once again, note that we require your Fullscope, Inc identification immediately and that the information we have received (via UPS and E-mail) will be held for prelaunch investigation until further notice.
Thank you,
Agent Frank McDougal”
Haha, hopefully it scares them. I guess I’m going to report the check to my local police station, since I have nothing else to do with it.
July 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Way to go Dan!!!
Maybe by taking matters in your hand will scare these scammers!
But reporting to the police I hope will also help
July 17th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
@ Dan, that is too funny!
@ Everyone… thanks for sharing your experiences.
It seems this scam is sweeping across the country. I sure hope the authorities are able to crack down on them. It makes me sad to know there are many who’ve fallen victim to these scams.