Mystery Shopper Scam. [email protected]

Become our Feedback Specialist. You will earn $300.00 per venture. You will be paid for shopping and dining out. Your job will be to evaluate and comment on customer service, undetected, in a wide variety of shops, stores, restaurants and services in your area. Feedback specialists are needed throughout America. You'll be paid to shop and dine out, getting free meals, free merchandise, free services, free entertainment, free travel and more. Great pay, fun work, flexible schedule and no training required. If you can shop -you are qualified! Feedback Specialist reports provide businesses with unbiased reviews from a customer standpoint.

This allows business to identify problems which might result in unhappy customers and loss of sales. Feedback Specialists have a great responsibility and are paid accordingly. As a Feedback Specialist, you can earn $300 per assignment, have a flexible schedule and hours, and choose the assignments you want. You can even bring your kids with you! We send you checks for your assignments. You cash each check and use our money to carry out your assignment. You do not use any of your money. To complete your application, please provide the following information: Full Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Work Phone #(s): Home Phone #(s): Cell Phone #(s): Email: Age: Occupation: We look forward to working with you Regards, The Human Resources Department Century Marketing Services, inc


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I got the identical email, but mine was from brown harison <[email protected]>. It was the second email. The first simply asked if I was interested in a job as a "feedback specialist". When I replied asking what a feedback specialist is, I got the identical email to the above.

The fact that there is no other contact information other than the email address and the company name, there is no web site, they only want to do business by email, and there is virtually nothing about them via google search makes me suspicious.

I'm tempted to play investigator and apply for the job to find out more, but I really don't want to give these people my contact information.

Instead, I think I'll just ask him more questions about the job, and the company, and see what kind of runaround I get. I'll post back here if I find out anything more.

I found this on customerservicenumbers.com, posted on 2/1/2012 (highlighting is mine):

"i have a check from a company that is a customer of yours, Frost& sullivan is the companyon the checks from century marketing services if i am correct. my bank up here in alaska are trying to tell me that they are fraudent but the rt# is the same as i see here online. i am working for them as a feedback specialist for this company whom contacted me online. i would like to know asap if this is legit or not, i wil try to contact you as soon as i can my cell# is"

Sounds like their checks are no good. Wonder what they're getting out of it?

Looks like the reason there's so little to find about them is that this particular scam (or more likely, this particular version of a common scam) is that it's relatively new.

I did a search on "feedback specialist" and found a link to a thread about "mystery shoppers", essentially the same thing, on crimes of persuasion dot com at http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Cri ... hopper.htm

There's a whole thread about scams related to this. Essentially they all boil down to the same scam, which I was beginning to suspect (wondering how they could profit out of it). Victims are sent a check which they are told to cash, and then keep part of the money and use part to evaluate a wire transfer or western union office by sending the rest of the money to one or two people. The check turns out to be bogus, and the victim is forced to repay the bank.

BINGO! Scam uncovered again.

Here is an afterthought: I believe the reason this person targeted me, especially with the term "feedback specialist", is because I have made a number of purchases on Amazon recently, and I diligently left reviews of each of the products I purchased. I think they got my email address from there.

I got the same email too about a couple of days ago.
Would you like to be a Feedback Specialist ?
I emailed and asked for more information. Than I got this email. Become our Feedback Specialist. You will earn no less than $300.00 per venture. You will be paid for shopping and dining out.Your job will be to evaluate and comment on customer service, undetected, in a wide variety of shops, stores, restaurants and services in your area. Feedback specialists are needed throughout America. You'll be paid to shop and dine out, getting free meals, free merchandise, free services, free entertainment, free travel and more.
Great pay, fun work, flexible schedule and no training required. If you can shop -you are qualified!
Feedback Specialist reports provide businesses with unbiased reviews from a customer standpoint. This allows business to identify problems which might result in unhappy customers and loss of sales. Feedback Specialists have a great responsibility and are paid accordingly. As a Feedback Specialist, you can earn up to $300 per assignment, have a flexible schedule and hours, and choose the assignments you want. You can even bring your kids with you! We send you checks for your assignments. You cash each check and use our money to carry out your assignment. You do not use any of your money. To complete your application, please provide the following information:
Full Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Work Phone #(s):
Home Phone #(s):
Cell Phone #(s):
Email:
Age:
Occupation:
We look forward to working with you
Regards,
Anthony Thompson
HR Manager
Darius Heritage Inc.
Than I sent another email and I got this:
This is only eligible to those that are 18 and above. You are not paying us a dime to get started. It is free. If you are genuinely interested in the opening, kindly furnish us with the required details to get started. Thank you.
Than I sent another email and I got this.
Thanks so much for your promptness. Our company's name is Darius Heritage Inc. We are located in Wheeling, IL. Our website is still under construction if not we would have loved to send you to view but please feel free to call or text us at 773) 770-5033. If you are genuinely interested in the opening, kindly furnish us with the required details to get started. Thank you
A. Thompson
Than I sent another email and I got this.
Once again, you could be asked to carry out an assignment once or twice a week depending how fast you are with your assignments. This is a real and a genuine opening. A try will convince you though.
A. Thompson
Than I sent another email and this is what I got.
Dear Lisamarie,
We already informed you this is a real and a genuine opening. We will be sending you a US certified check that you can easily process at your bank for clearance. Okay ? If there is anyone interested in the job oepning, kindly request them to contact us directly.
Thank you for your concern.
A. Thompson
So my question is has anybody heard of this specific company called Darius Heritage Inc. and they gave me a phone number. I just want to be sure before I try it. I am hoping it isn't a scam.
My last question is how would a person such as me know that they are working for a legitimate company? How would I know that when I take a check to the bank, it won't bounce. Is there a way of doing this a safe way. There are some companies that are work from home that are really legitimate ones. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone.



Lisamarie

I just want to be sure before I try it. I am hoping it isn't a scam.
It is a scam, absolutely no doubt about it.

My last question is how would a person such as me know that they are working for a legitimate company?

In this situation, you most definitely would not be working for a legitimate company. You would be attempting to process fraudulent checks for thieves.

How would I know that when I take a check to the bank, it won't bounce.

It very likely won't bounce immediately--that is what the scammers count on. The bank may give you the cash in a few days, because if they haven't proved the check is fraudulent at that point, they are required to do so by law. But the law also allows them to take the money back days, weeks, even months later when they do discover the check was fraudulent. And they can charge you huge fees for the bad deposit, plus overdraft fees for every check that you wrote that is no longer covered because they took all the money back. Plus, if they want to, they can call the police and have you arrested for fraud, leading you to even more costs, possibly attorney fees, and fines (if you are lucky and you receive fines rather than jail time.)

Is there a way of doing this a safe way.

No.

There are some companies that are work from home that are really legitimate ones.

There are, but the truth is, legitimate work from home opportunities that you can get on the internet are few and far between. The pay is MUCH lower than most of the appealing scam offers. And legitimate companies will not hire you for a high-paying job based on an email. NO legitimate job includes you receiving and transferring money, or reshipping packages from home.

Real mystery shopper jobs are typically very different from these scam offers. The pay is nowhere near $300 for a mystery shopping assignment. You are NOT paid in advance, and your responsibilities do not involve cashing and transferring money. In a real mystery shopping job, you perform the task at your own expense, submit a complete, detailed report and a request for reimbursement, and may wait weeks for your reimbursement and payment.

Has anyone gotten the mystery shopper solicitation from [email protected]? It begins with an email stating that I have been selected to be a mystery shopper. Then, you'll get a USPS packet with instructions and a USPS money order. Cash the money order at any bank; go to Walmart and spend $100; keep $100 of it as a services-rendered payment; then, go to a Western Union and and do an electronic funds transfer of the remainder to someone in Manila. I called USPS's Money Order Verification System (866.459.7822), gave them the order's serial #, and was informed that the order was a fake, probably a counterfeit. They recommended that I send the documents and any additional relevant communications to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for further investigation. I think the FBI would also be interested, since counterfeiting and mail fraud crossing state lines are federal felonies. I informed jgiles of my findings, and that it would be in his best interests to not leave his house, since the USPS, FBI, and certain well-armed acqaintances of mine where on his trail...haven't heard from him since. Curiously, on that very same day, I also received a Fedex containing the exact same letter and money order, but from a different source.

Hello geolapins,

Welcome to scamwarners and thank you for posting the email address of the scammer. As you learned the Money Order was fake. Great job looking into it. Prior to becoming a victim to this thief.

Unfortunately jgiles ( [email protected] ) is a fake name used by the scammer. The scammer is not in the US. He could be in Manila as you wrote or Nigeria. US authorities will not have jurisdiction in those countries. Where and who shipped is also fake. The return address of the sender is another victim.

Thanks
Bryon

He calls himself James Giles

Just got finished dealing with this group. As usual, one which sends you a large check, tells you to send all but $300.00 (your "pay") to another person via Western Union (supposedly to check out the "honesty and efficiency" of Western Union!), and then sends increasingly threatening emails to you if you don't "complete the task we have given you"... I told them I would have to wait until the check actually cleared my bank, (of course the check bounced), but I have gone through the process with them so the bank and the State Attorney General can try to trace them and book them for fraud.

I just got this one in my inbox I wanted to show you all Its from and Andrew Thomson
Just another name but same story.

Re: Employment Opening!?

To see messages related to this one, group messages by conversation.
Andrew Thompson ([email protected])Add to contacts 9:59 AM
To:
Picture of Andrew Thompson
Become our Feedback Specialist. You will earn $200.00 per venture.

You will be paid for shopping and dining out.

Your job will be to evaluate and comment on customer service, undetected, in a wide variety of shops, stores, restaurants and services in your area. Feedback specialists are needed throughout America. You'll be paid to shop and dine out, getting free meals, free merchandise, free services, free entertainment, free travel and more.

Great pay, fun work, flexible schedule and no training required. If you can shop -you are qualified!

Feedback Specialist reports provide business with unbiased reviews from a customer standpoint. This allows businesses to identify problems which might result in unhappy customers and loss of sales. Feedback Specialists have a great responsibility and are paid accordingly.

As a Feedback Specialist, you will earn $200 per assignment, have a flexible schedule and hours, and choose the assignments you want. You can even bring your kids with you!


We send you checks for your assignments. You cash each check and use our money to carry out your assignment. You do not use any of your money.

It might sound too good to be true BUT it is absolutely legitimate. Why not give this a try?

To complete your application, kindly provide the following details:


Full Name:
Full Mailing Address (City,State and Zip Code ):
Cell Phone #(s):
Email:
Present Occupation (If ANY) :


We look forward to working with you.


Regards,


Andrew Thompson
Hiring Manager
Richmond Shop LLC.
1320 Granada Ave
San Diego, CA. 92102

to serenity2377

I rec'd the same email for a Jim Thompson. I was suppose to have a FedEx envelope show up today, then when I rec'd the envelope I'm to contact him for instructions... I'll keep everyone posted. Thx

If the envelope comes, do not sign for it. Print out the email with full headers and tell the FedEx guy that you found out it's a scam. Do not tell the scammer that you found out it's a scam. Just stop talking to him.

No envelope