I think I found a SCAM!!!
 

We just got a letter in the mail (with a check in the letter).

The letter (2 pages to be exact) is from SERVICE RESEARCH INC.

The body of the letter (addressed to Alan), indicates that:

"We are a MYSTERY CUSTOMER employment firm that specializes in the assisting of corporations on how to gather first hand information about their business."

They further say that they represent 1500 firms. And they use a method known as mystery shopping to achieve this goal.

The check was for $4,992.00

The top of the check says CASHIER'S CHECK.

The top left of the check says BANK OF OAKFIELD. (no address) but a phone number on the bottom of the check.

The check is made out to Alan.

I took one look at this whole thing and I said:

"With the economy the way it is, WHO ON EARTH SENDS YOU (A COMPLETE STRANGER), a check for $4,992.00??"

What do they want Alan to do??

In the middle of the letter it says

SALARY AND TRAINING PAY............$350.00
Wal-Mart Purchase....................$50.00
Western Union transfer..........$1,558.00
Service charge by Wester Union ......$99.00
Moneygram transfer..................$2,835.0
Service Charge by Moneygram.....$60.00

TOTAL IS ..........................$4,992.00 (the exact amount of the check).

Alan called the phone number on the check. The person said "the check is good, it will clear".

WILL YOU PLEASE CONFIRM WHAT I KNOW IS TO BE THE TRUTH.

That they expect people to deposit the check, then go to their own checking accounts and spend the money by using western union??

It says "upon receipt of this check, immediately phone one of our assignment coordinators".

It also says: "The first probational training task IS A PAID training assignment blah blah blah, I gather than when you phone the indicated telphone number, there is a scam artist on the other end, telling you exactly the steps you should take.

Please, if any of you have heard of this, kindly tell me, because Alan is chomping at the bit here.

Thanks much.

P.S. I tried to look up the company on the internet to see if this is a real deal or a scam. Couldn't find a thing.

Thanks to anyone who agrees with me.

Melody

He called the phone number on the CHECK??

Mel, there would be a routing number on the check. Call your bank and give them that number. They can tel you exactly where it came from. Give the letter to your bank so they can report it.

Yes, it's a scam.

This is what happens. The check gets cashed or deposited in your bank. Which your own money has to cover. You then spend money in the stores indicated. Wire them back money. Which was supposed to be covered in the check the check they sent you.

Then you find out the check bounced. You have wired them money that you can't get back. You account goes in the hole for the amount of the check plus fees.

Total scam that people fall for daily.

Use this site to check the number:
http://800notes.com/

sounds like money laundering to me -

Yeah, sounds like the infamous, deposit this check in your account scam to me....

Definitely report it to your bank, they'll know what to do

Mel, my career was in marketing research and many of the terms you used are part of that vocabulary. However, we hired mystery shoppers as regular employees and gave them a shopping list with a credit card issued by the client. Our employees' personal bank accounts NEVER even entered into the equation.

Please photo copy everything, both sides, including the envelope, with at least three copies. Send the originals to your state's attorney general immediately.

Send a set of copies to the BBB by snail mail.

Send a set to the attorney general of the state from which it was postmarked.

Keep the third set in your files in case you find you'd like to send more copies to the federal prosecutor or any other agency.

It's unAmerican to front money. It's just a scam, but please tell Alan to expect a check from me for $1 million, half of which he can keep if he'll just wire me the other half. ;)

you might also try taking the letter to the post office. if it is a scam thay might be able to do something about mail fraud

you could do a reverse search on that bank or phone number.
http://www.searchbug.com/companyfinder/

call that bank or email them about the check and account -
http://www.bankofoakfield.com/

but - if you give it to any gov agency make a copy of it and take down contact info of who you gave it to..
just in case they do something dumb with it -it will cover your fanny:)


http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/fraudsch.htm
http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/

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To you (and everybody else who replied).

I KNOW THIS IS A SCAM. I have read where they send people checks, the people deposit the checks, then the people wire money (from their own personal accounts), then the checks bounce, AND THE PERSON IS OUT THEIR OWN MONEY, PLUS THE BOUNCED CHECK.

I had heard of this. Alan is on SO MANY MAILING LISTS, well, it's driving me crazy.

Tomorow I am going to our bank and show them. I will make copies as suggested.

I just wonder WHAT THE NEXT SCAM TO BEFALL MY HOUSE will be???

Good Lord.

And to Blessings2You . Yes, Alan called the phone number that was on the check, and the person on the other end knew the exact amount of the check and told Alan "the check will clear".

yeah, and I'll sell someone the Brooklyn Bridge!!

thanks to you all

Melody

Well, Mel, Alan just did a little blunder by calling that number, he confirmed your phone number and address for selling as part of a third-party "verified" consumer list (unless he called from a payphone).

The best thing to get off mailing lists is to contact virtually all of your creditors, catalogs, magazines, medical providers, pharmacies, grocers with whom you have any kind of rewards card, utilities, ISP, cable/satellite provider, and any website vendors and put a total restriction on ALL sharing of your info.

One of the latest tricks is to allow the company and "its subsidiaries" to send you "offers of interest". Once the "subsidiary" has your address/phone, then you have to start from scratch after the deed is done. You have to be quite distinct in your language and include a "total and complete whole household opt-out of all marketing correspondence, postal, electronic, and phone".

Many of my friends have even seen offers sent to their pets and children. It's a machine running on premium.:mad:

Well, just try telling Alan not to participate in surveys, online this and online that. He LIVES for this. Quite addicting isn't it??

I did NOT know that just by phoning them, we were verifying our phone number. We called the phone number on the check, not the phone number in the letter. But I gather this does not matter. SIGH!!!

I'll bet the next offer will be on it's way to our front door some time soon.

Oh, guess what happened at the bank?

I took all correspondence and the check, walked over to one of the department heads (not the teller), and explained. She said "oh, here's another scam".

I said "oh, you've seen these before?" and she said: "Are you kidding? we get this all day long. It's either a lottery winner, or some other scam, so which one is this?" and I said "Mystery Shopper" and she said: "Oh, now we have a new one, don't we?"

Then some guy walks over, looks and takes hold of the check, holds it up, looks it over and says: "Oh, it's not even on the right paper".

He then went on to explain about how the scam works, etc.

I said "you don't have to do that, I know what they expected me to do".

I then asked the manager "does anyone ever fall for this?" and she nodded sadly and said "you have no idea how many people come in and deposit various kinds of these checks, and then they use their own money and then the check bounces"

She went on to explain that she once asked a woman "Why on earth would a person (a complete stranger) send you a check for $5000"? and the woman answered "but I thought I would make some money, I believed the whole thing"

I said "oh my goodness".

They made copies of everything and then they said: "We have a special department that handles this, may we take these copies and have them investigate?" I said "absolutely".

So now it's in the hands of the special department at the bank.

The other manager said 'There are thousands of these types of scams cropping up every single day".

I had no idea.

I now no longer trust ANYTHING.

Good Lord.

Melody