PineCone Research [email protected]

Scammers are targeting customers of Pine Cone Research. Posted below is a notice on the real Pine Cone Research website.

Please note the scammers spelling of the email address " [email protected] " .com should be used instead of .org . The scammer is also missing the "e" in cone.

Important Security Notice:

We have been made aware that third parties may be attempting to use the names and logos of Pinecone Research for different "scams." One example of such a scam is a "mystery shopping" assignment. Essentially, the victim is provided a fake check and advised to cash it, and then use some of the proceeds to test a service (for example, testing a Western Union wire transfer). The victim is advised that he or she may retain the balance from the cashed check as payment, however, the check later bounces. Other examples include recruiting for "business evaluation surveys" or "hiring" employees.

Please be aware that Pinecone Research has no involvement in these fraudulent transactions. Participating in our surveys is always free of charge, and we never ask our panelists to cash a check for a large amount and then use the proceeds to “test” a service. Furthermore, all communications with us will always be with the email address "[email protected]” -- be wary of any email that asks you to respond to a different address, or asks you to respond by clicking on a link within the email. (Please be aware that email sending addresses can be faked, and so it's possible for a fake email to appear to have come from this address.)

If you are targeted by any of these scams, please report any information regarding these activities to local law enforcement agencies, as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) "econsumer.gov" reporting system (https://econsumer.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/) in the United States or the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre (http://www.phonebusters.com/) in Canada.

-TMN: [Q5VzUEw+kpLpSQVg9VLtPxvSMqjVUHNC]
X-Originating-Email: []
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="_88838d4d-7e27-495e-b148-80c2e4d630ec_"
From: no name <>
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: PROJECT: SURVEY #10924
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2014 22:31:31 -0600
Importance: High
In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
MIME-Version: 1.0

--_88838d4d-7e27-495e-b148-80c2e4d630ec_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


=20



From: [email protected]
Subject: PROJECT: SURVEY #10924
Date: Tue=2C 14 Jan 2014 15:44:01 -0600





Dear Valued Participant=2C

Following the successful assessment of your information which took place co=
uple of minutes ago=2C you have been selected as a secret shopper in your r=
egion (USA) to participate in this evaluation survey on Western Union outle=
t services. We strongly believe that you've got what it takes to carry out =
various surveys in your region and we believe we will not be disappointed.

ASSIGNMENT #01

You are to conduct a secret survey on the nearest Western Union outlet/stor=
e/shop running Money Transfer services in your location by forwarding a fix=
ed amount of "$1560.00" to a "Mystery Consumer" in another region who is co=
nducting the same survey at the recipient's end.


A check for "$1860.00" will be issued to you for receipt in 3 working days.
You are to Cash The Check
Your Compensation is "$150.00" on this assignment.
You are to deduct an additional "$150.00" to cover for the survey fees/char=
ges at the Western Union outlet/store/shop.
The recipient's information will be provided to you upon receipt of the che=
ck for the survey.

Please visit http://www.WesternUnion.com to locate the closest Western Union outle=
t/store/shop to you.

How to rate the chosen Western Union outlet/shop/store's services.

You are the rate the Western Union outlet/store/shop services by simply obs=
erving and recording these parameters below.


Outlet/Store's Address:=20

Time of the day:=20

Accessibility:=20

Appearance of attendant:=20

Appropriateness:=20

Courteousness:=20

Time taken to complete your transfer request:=20

Number of staffs present in outlet/store/shop at the moment:=20
Kindly Click Here or Reply this e-mail and Confirm Your Details Below:


FULL NAME:=20

MAILING ADDRESS / PO BOX:=20
Upon completion of the survey=2C you are required to send an email with you=
r ratings of the outlet under the parameters stated above. Thank You for yo=
ur time.


Warmest Regards


PineCone Research
250 East 5th St. 9th Floor=2C
Cincinnati=2C OH 45202
Attn: Karen Scott





Thanks for your interest and CONFIDENTIAL participation in PineCone Researc=
h. . .where we value you=2C your time=2C your privacy and opinions



LEGAL NOTICE: The information contained in this transmission is intended on=
ly for the individual(s) or entity(ies) to whom it is addressed. It may con=
tain information protected from use and/or disclosure by law=2C including i=
nformation that is protected as confidential=2C attorney-client privileged=
=2C attorney work product and/or trade secrets. If the reader of this messa=
ge is not the intended recipient=2C or an employee or agent responsible for=
delivering this message to the addressee=2C the reader is hereby notified =
that any use=2C distribution or copying of this communication is strictly p=
rohibited. If you believe you have received this facsimile or message in er=
ror=2C please immediately notify us at our expense by return mail or e-mail=
and permanently delete or destroy all copies of the message.=20

From: [email protected]
Subject: PROJECT: SURVEY #10924
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2014 15:44:01 -0600

http://pineconeresearch.com/Images/header.jpg

Dear Valued Participant,

Following the successful assessment of your information which took place couple of minutes ago, you have been selected as a secret shopper in your region (USA) to participate in this evaluation survey on Western Union outlet services. We strongly believe that you've got what it takes to carry out various surveys in your region and we believe we will not be disappointed.

ASSIGNMENT #01

You are to conduct a secret survey on the nearest Western Union outlet/store/shop running Money Transfer services in your location by forwarding a fixed amount of "$1560.00" to a "Mystery Consumer" in another region who is conducting the same survey at the recipient's end.

A check for "$1860.00" will be issued to you for receipt in 3 working days.
You are to Cash The Check
Your Compensation is "$150.00" on this assignment.
You are to deduct an additional "$150.00" to cover for the survey fees/charges at the Western Union outlet/store/shop.

The recipient's information will be provided to you upon receipt of the check for the survey.

Please visit http://www.WesternUnion.com to locate the closest Western Union outlet/store/shop to you.

How to rate the chosen Western Union outlet/shop/store's services.

You are the rate the Western Union outlet/store/shop services by simply observing and recording these parameters below.

Outlet/Store's Address:
Time of the day:
Accessibility:
Appearance of attendant:
Appropriateness:
Courteousness:
Time taken to complete your transfer request:
Number of staffs present in outlet/store/shop at the moment:

Kindly Click Here or Reply this e-mail and Confirm Your Details Below:

FULL NAME:
MAILING ADDRESS / PO BOX:

Upon completion of the survey, you are required to send an email with your ratings of the outlet under the parameters stated above. Thank You for your time.
http://www.tel lwut.com/blog/ wp-content/uploads/ 2013/1 1/surveypolic e-seal-140x150.png
Warmest Regards

PineCone Research
250 East 5th St. 9th Floor,
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Attn: Karen Scott

This scammer is faking emails from the real Pinecone Research. If you look at the header or look at the replay address you will see " [email protected] " note the "e" missing and it is ".org"

From: [email protected]
Subject: PROJECT: SURVEY #10924
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 15:40:04 +0000


http://pineconeresearch.com/Images/header.jpg

Dear Valued Survey Participant,

The check meant to cover the expense for the survey project should be delivering soon. You are required to cash the check and proceed with your first assignment.

Immediate Assignment

Carry out a Survey on the nearest Western Union outlet in your region by forwarding a fixed amount of $1560.00 to a 'Mystery Consumer' in another region conducting the same project at the recipient's end.

Recipient's Western Union Information:

Names: JOSEFINA DELACERDA
City: SPRING LAKE
State: NORTH CAROLINA (NC)
Zip Code: 28390

Amount: "$1560.00"
MTCN/Tracking Nos: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Your income is $150.00 for the survey
You are to deduct another $150.00 to cover the transfer charges to be sent by Money-in-Minutes Service at the Western Union outlet.

How to rate the Western Union outlet's service

You are to rate the Western Union outlet's service by simply observing and recording the parameters below:

Outlet/Store/Shop's Address:
Time of the day:
Appearance of attendant:
Appropriateness:
Time taken to complete transfer:
Courteousness:
Competency:
Number of staffs present in the outlet:
Future improvement you would want to see:

Western Union details after completing the survey:

Sender Names:
Sender Address:
10-digit MTCN/Tracking#:
Amount Sent:

Upon completion of the assignment, you are to immediately send back an E-mail with your ratings of the outlet and the 10-digit MTCN/Tracking Number which would be needed by the mystery consumer' to complete his/her survey.

Thank You,

The scammer is now asking for the Western Union payment be sent to a new money mule. This mule may be a victim that think she has an online job or tied into a romance scam. In either case it is a crime to assist criminals in laundering stolen money.

Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2014
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: PROJECT: SURVEY #10924

http://pineconeresearch.com/Images/header.jpg

Dear Participant,

Please disregard the initial email you received because we had to make some corrections.


Immediate Assignment

Carry out a Survey on the nearest Western Union outlet in your region by forwarding a fixed amount of $1560.00 to a 'Mystery Consumer' in another region conducting the same project at the recipient's end.

Recipient's Western Union Information:


Names: ANNE HOPKINS
City: KNIGHTDALE
State: NORTH CAROLINA (NC)
Zip Code: 27545

Dual Fake Domains . Watch for Fraud from the *.net also . Registrant Address is Fake . Address is for Burger King in Cheyenne Wyoming .

http://cheyenne.yalwa.com/ID_105902229/ ... -Blvd.html




Address lookup

canonical name pineconresearch.org.
aliases
addresses 2607:f1c0:1000:7000:a8c5:9fbe:aaa6:805
162.222.205.3


Domain Whois record

Queried whois.publicinterestregistry.net with "pineconresearch.org"...
Domain Name: PINECONRESEARCH.ORG
Domain ID: D170249497-LROR
Creation Date: 2013-11-24T16:45:26Z
Registry Expiry Date: 2014-11-24T16:45:26Z
Sponsoring Registrar: 1 & 1 Internet AG
Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 83
WHOIS Server:
Referral URL:
Domain Status: serverTransferProhibited
Registrant ID: SPAG-46082911
Registrant Name: Dylan Choi
Registrant Organization: Pinecone
Registrant Street: 1829 Dell Range Blvd
Registrant City: Cheyenne
Registrant State/Province: WY
Registrant Postal Code: 82009
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.2135987670
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: [email protected]
Admin ID: SPAG-46082910
Admin Name: Dylan Choi
Admin Organization: Pinecone
Admin Street: 1829 Dell Range Blvd
Admin City: Cheyenne
Admin State/Province: WY
Admin Postal Code: 82009
Admin Country: US
Admin Phone: +1.2135987670
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax:
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email: [email protected]
Tech ID: SPAG-32126886
Tech Name: Hostmaster ONEANDONE
Tech Organization: 1&1 Internet Inc.
Tech Street: 701 Lee Rd.
Tech City: Chesterbrook
Tech State/Province: PA
Tech Postal Code: 19087
Tech Country: US
Tech Phone: +1.8774612631
Tech Phone Ext:
Tech Fax: +1.6105601501
Tech Fax Ext:
Tech Email: [email protected]
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.COM
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.US
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.ORG
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.DE
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
Name Server:
DNSSEC: Unsigned


Network Whois record

Queried whois.arin.net with "n 162.222.205.3"...
NetRange: 162.222.200.0 - 162.222.207.255
CIDR: 162.222.200.0/21
OriginAS: AS8560
NetName: 1AND1-HOSTING
NetHandle: NET-162-222-200-0-1
Parent: NET-162-0-0-0-0
NetType: Direct Allocation
Comment: For abuse issues, please use only [email protected]
RegDate: 2013-10-08
Updated: 2013-10-08
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/net/NET-162-222-200-0-1


OrgName: 1&1 Internet Inc.
OrgId: 11INT
Address: 701 Lee Rd
Address: Suite 300
City: Chesterbrook
StateProv: PA
PostalCode: 19087
Country: US
RegDate: 2006-09-05
Updated: 2013-04-23
Comment: http://www.1and1.com
Comment: For abuse issues, please use only [email protected]
Ref: http://whois.arin.net/rest/org/11INT

OrgAbuseHandle: 1AD-ARIN
OrgAbuseName: 1and1 Abuse Department
OrgAbusePhone: +1-877-206-4253
OrgAbuseEmail: [email protected]
OrgAbuseRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/1AD-ARIN

OrgTechHandle: 1NO-ARIN
OrgTechName: 1and1 ARIN Role
OrgTechPhone: +1-610-560-1617
OrgTechEmail: [email protected]
OrgTechRef: http://whois.arin.net/rest/poc/1NO-ARIN





Address lookup

canonical name pineconresearch.net.
aliases
addresses 2607:f1c0:1000:7000:a8c5:9fbe:aaa6:805
162.222.205.3


Domain Whois record

Queried whois.internic.net with "dom pineconresearch.net"...
Domain Name: PINECONRESEARCH.NET
Registrar: 1 & 1 INTERNET AG
Whois Server: whois.schlund.info
Referral URL: http://1and1.com
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.COM
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.DE
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.ORG
Name Server: NS-US.1AND1-DNS.US
Status: ok
Updated Date: 24-nov-2013
Creation Date: 24-nov-2013
Expiration Date: 24-nov-2014

>>> Last update of whois database: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 22:25:48 UTC <<<


Queried whois.schlund.info with "pineconresearch.net"...
Domain Name: pineconresearch.net
Registry Domain ID:
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.1und1.info
Registrar URL: http://1and1.com
Updated Date: 2013-11-24 00:00:00
Creation Date: 2013-11-24 00:00:00
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2014-11-24 00:00:00
Registrar: 1&1 Internet AG
Registrar IANA ID: 83
Registrar Abuse Contact Email: [email protected]
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone:
Reseller:
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: Dylan Choi
Registrant Organization: Pinecone
Registrant Street: 1829 Dell Range Blvd
Registrant City: Cheyenne
Registrant State/Province: WY
Registrant Postal Code: 82009
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.2135987670
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email: [email protected]
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: Dylan Choi
Admin Organization: Pinecone
Admin Street: 1829 Dell Range Blvd
Admin City: Cheyenne
Admin State/Province: WY
Admin Postal Code: 82009
Admin Country: US
Admin Phone: +1.2135987670
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax:
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email: [email protected]
Registry Tech ID:
Tech Name: Hostmaster ONEANDONE
Tech Organization: 1&1 Internet Inc.
Tech Street: 701 Lee Rd.
Tech City: Chesterbrook
Tech State/Province: PA
Tech Postal Code: 19087
Tech Country: US
Tech Phone: +1.8774612631
Tech Phone Ext:
Tech Fax: +1.6105601501
Tech Fax Ext:
Tech Email: [email protected]
Name Server: ns-us.1and1-dns.com
Name Server: ns-us.1and1-dns.us
Name Server: ns-us.1and1-dns.de
Name Server: ns-us.1and1-dns.org
DNSSEC: Unsigned
URL of the ICANN WHOIS Data Problem Reporting System: http://wdprs.internic.net/
>>> Last update of WHOIS database: 2014-01-21 23:20:36 <<<

This place has changed it's name to First Chocolate Research Foundation. Please be aware.

Welcome to Scamwarners MONSTMA,

Did they have a website? Can you post a couple of their scam emails?