What do I do now?

[lovemylife]

I signed up for MysteryShopping last week. Paid no money for it. I then received an e-mail stating I needed to respond so they knew I got the e-mail. Did so. Now, FF to today, I receive the following e-mail:
Hello Survey Agent,

This is to inform you that you will be receiving your first assignment from the company today
You will be receiving two money order checks of $980 on each check for the survey

The payment was sent out to you via ups courier service.....HERE IS THE TRACKING NUMBER OF THE MAIL : 1Z5554812210008329 you can track it from www.ups.com

Here is what you will do
Firstly, Receive the package coming with ups and then you can proceed to get it cashed at your bank,the money order total amount is $1,900 (one thousand nine hundred us dollars) Then you are to deduct $400 as your commission then another $100 for the survey.total $500

Secondly, You are to deduct another $90 for the Western Union or Money Gram Survey ( the $100 is for the Western Union or Money Gram fee and also for the bank tax payment)

Thirdly, you will have $1400 left which you will be sending $1,400(one thousand four hundred us dollars) to the secret shopper in another location via western union money transfer

the understated is our uk Agent details that you will use in sending the money back to uk through western union money transfer,note that the faster you are the better chances of getting more jobs assigned to you.so send the $1,400 to these details.

Receiver's first name : George
Receiver's last name : Axxxxxxxxxxxx
destination of receiving the money : london - uk
in case you need a street address: 12 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT:

During this assignment which requires you to have the money orders cashed at your bank before proceeding to wire the remaining funds at any local western union money transfer location in your area, You are expected to secretly perform the following shopping operation:

1. How fast and Efficient is the Western Union Money Transfer Service?
2. How long did it take to have the funds wired?
3. How Close is the Western Union Money Transfer Location to your area?
4. Is the Senders Request Form too short or Long?
5. Is the neighboring environment safe for handling Western Union Money Transfer Service.
6. What is the name of the Local Western Union Money Transfer Agent where the funds was wired from?
7. General Comment ....

You are expected to have this done today and email us back your results with the following information after you have the funds wired:.

Sender's full name:
city/sate money was sent out from:
amount sent:
mtcn details"
Please reply if this is very clear to you

Regards
Managements


I received this with the 2 Western Union Checks. Obviously a scam, but what do I do with this?

Thanks

 

[FourBees]

Sounds sketchy to me! Would be great if it were legit but you know the old saying "if it's too good to be true it probably isn't!"

 

[ameraumi]

Turn it over to the police.

 

[lovemylife]

Turn it over to the police.

That is what I thought. Thanks

 

[Janepod]

Yes, police. So these people have your full name and address now? Hope they don't have any more info (SSN, bank, etc.) than that! Definitely keep an eye on your credit card statements.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Notify the police maybe and see what they suggest? I dont know...definately dont cash them. They will come back as fraudulent and then you will be out the money. I'm not entirely sure what to tell you. My parents do mystery shopping and its never been anything like this that you described. Good luck!

 

[lovemylife]

Yes, police. So these people have your full name and address now? Hope they don't have any more info (SSN, bank, etc.) than that! Definitely keep an eye on your credit card statements.

No other info was given, just name and address and e-mail address.

 

[Patience]

Contact your local police and the Attorney General's office in your state and report the scam.

 

[Bethannk511]

I work for a bank. This is a scam. A very popular one at that. DO NOT cash the checks. Take the to your bank and talk to their manager or security officer first. Tell them you just wanted to make them aware of this. You know it's a scam but you know that security officer's share this information among different banks. You want the checks back because you intend on taking them to the police department. Then, you go to your local police department and give them everything you have. Then you go to the better business bureau and report whatever website it was that you signed up with.

If you have any more questions, PM me. I'm a bank manager and unfortunitely I see this all the time. It was smart of you to ask before doing anything!!

 

[lovemylife]

I work for a bank. This is a scam. A very popular one at that. DO NOT cash the checks. Take the to your bank and talk to their manager or security officer first. Tell them you just wanted to make them aware of this. You know it's a scam but you know that security officer's share this information among different banks. You want the checks back because you intend on taking them to the police department. Then, you go to your local police department and give them everything you have. Then you go to the better business bureau and report whatever website it was that you signed up with.

If you have any more questions, PM me. I'm a bank manager and unfortunitely I see this all the time. It was smart of you to ask before doing anything!!

So you suggest, going to the banks I go to and have them make copies of this and then go to the police. Should I take my computer to the police so they can see the e-mail?

 

[mrseace711]

Fraudulant. We receive calls every day from customers here at the bank I work at that have received checks from all over the world from scammers. Too good to be true then it probably is

 

[EllenFrasier]

Anytime someone is paying you more than you are earning, it is a scam.

 

[TaraPA]

I've done Mystery Shopping for years for several different companies & this is DEFINITELY a scam. Report it immediately.

 

[moonangel]

I've been mystery shopping for over 7 years and yes, as others have posted this is a well-known scam. For actual legitimate mystery shopping opportunities I'd check out volition.com or MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association), they both have comprehensive lists of legitimate shopping companies.

 

[Traveliz]

I agree - I have mystery shopped over ten years and this is not a mystery shopping assignment. You need to go to a legit source to sign up - go directly to the individual companies. You can find them listed on volition.com. There are other legitimate sources of lists and message boards that can help you out.

Liz

 

[Cheshire Figment]

FRAUD!!

In about two or three weeks you will find the original money order was not valid and your bank account will take a $1,900 hit. And you will have sent $1,400 out of the country legally and it cannot be recovered.