PLEASE HELP! I NEED TO KNOW

WELL I HAVE SEACH SEVERAL POST AND THERE IS NOT ANY INFO HELPFUL TO MY TOPIC. WELL I RECEIVED A LETTER IN THE MAIL ATTACHED WITH A CONTRACT AND A CHECK. THE CONTRACT BASICALLY STATES THAT I HAVE COMPLETED AN ONLINE APPLICATION FOR A WORK AT HOME OPPORTUNITY, AND THEY HAVE SELECTED MYSELF AS A INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR TO IN-TOUCH MARKET RESEARCH TO BE A CUSTOMER SERVICE EVALUATOR IN MY AREA. IT GOES ON TO SAY I HAVE TO CALL THEIR CONTROL CENTER AFTER I SEND THE CONTRACT BACK IN, IN ORDER TO ACTIVATE THE CHECK. THE CONTRACT ON ASK FOR MY NAME SIGNATURE AND DATE. IT DOESN'T ASK FOR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION AND IT DOESN'T STATE I HAVE TO OPEN A BANK ACCOUNT OR SEND ANY MONEY BACK THEY SAY THE MONEY IS FOR THE SOLEY USE OF THE JOB WHICH IS SHOPPING. IT IS SIGNED BY "HOWARD MCCORY" HEAD HUMAN RESOURCES NORTH AMERICA REGION. PERSONALLY FROM READING ALL THE OTHER POST THIS LETTER SEEMS VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER SCAM BUT IM STILL CURIOUS TO FIND OUT IF IT IS ONE OR NOT BEFORE I PROCEED ON.

SORRY ABOUT THE CAP LETTERS IM NOT SCREAMING JUST SEE BETTER LIKE THIS.

It's a scam.

When it comes to fake checks, there are a few types of scams.

The most common are the "cash the check and send money" type.
Some are "mystery shoppers" where you are asked to evaluate a money transfer service.
Some ask you to purchase things online from specific vendors, like software. The catch is, the "vendor" is simply a fake company set up by the scammer--so you are really just sending them money, not buying anything at all.
But, we also see (and there are examples posted in the forums here), shopping and reshipping scams. In these scams, the criminal has you purchase and send items instead of cash. The criminal is merely having you spend the stolen money for him.

In the end, the result is exactly the same. If you cash that check and withdraw money, whether it is to buy something or send cash, you will later end up owing the bank a lot of money when the check is revealed to be fake--and you could find yourself facing criminal charges.