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rec'd letter in mail from MFI with a check in it

July 21, 2010 09:15PM
the letter said i said i'd be interested in mystery shopping in some previous survey i did for an affliate of M.F.I. Mystery Shopping Inc. i easily could have because i do a couple of survey sites.

but the letter said to call this guy and verify i rec'd the letter to get additional instructions. enclosed was a check for almost a thousand dollars which is to be used to do the mystery shopping.

the letter had a canadian stamp and a 416 area code which google says is in canada. the check is from navy federal credit union.

i don't know if this is valid or not. has this happened to anyone else? will i be calling some number and paying a ton of money or they are getting my bank account info or the check is a scam?

thanks for any help and information
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More About Post Office/Shipping
July 21, 2010 09:39PM
It's an obvious scam. You'll be asked to cash the check, keep a portion of it, and wire the rest to the scammer. After you've done this, you'll find that the check was phony and bounced, and you'll be out the $ you wired, plus bounced check fees. Report it to the post office; it's their job to prosecute mail fraud, even across the border.
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July 21, 2010 09:43PM
It is a scam, don't fall for it. Legitimate companies do not send out checks hoping you will enter into a contract and do the work. In fact legitimate companies take 2-12 weeks to pay and reimburse you for work you've done on their behalf. Legitimate companies generally pay anywhere from $3-20 for a job and generally you are reimbursed for about $10 or less spent (unless you are fronting money for a reimbursement or some types of services, which may be more). I can guarantee you that if you deposit the check it will bounce and if you have spent the money already on shops or anything else, your bank will close your account until you put any money back in and pay the fees.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2010 12:10AM by Flash.
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July 21, 2010 09:45PM
thank you ladies. it was weird, but i've never done mystery shopping so didn't know how it worked.

i appreciate your quick response.

should i report this to anyone or just trash it?

thanks again for your help.
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July 21, 2010 10:00PM
That is really up to you. Folks have been turning in the check, paperwork and envelopes to the Post Office for years and nothing has changed. There are various other governmental agencies that supposedly receive such stuff. Obviously they are doing little as the scams just keep going on and on and on.
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July 22, 2010 03:54AM
Don't report it to the post office. These checks usually come via UPS or Federal Express, sometimes by mail. Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at [ftc.gov]

The problem is these are getting reported to the local police, FBI, post office..all over the place It is better for everyone to report it to the FTC so that there is one agency receiving the complaints. The FTC is compiling the complaints and are working on the problem. The more who report that they received the letter/check or has become a victim the more ammo the FTC has to go after these people. Keep the check, letter and envelope in a baggie. Try not to handle it. Just keep it in the event the FTC asks for it.

On a side note...a new scam now are ficticious credit card offers being sent out. You fill out the application, send it in and now the ID theives has your social security number and name.
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July 22, 2010 01:20PM
thank you.

it's crazy people can just do this kind of stuff and not get into any kind of trouble.
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July 22, 2010 01:36PM
dcrector Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On a side note...a new scam now are ficticious
> credit card offers being sent out. You fill out
> the application, send it in and now the ID theives
> has your social security number and name.

We were doing a little quick calculation the other day. With the number of foreclosures in our area, the number of bankruptcies, the number of repossessed vehicles, plus the regular number of folks who had poor credit even in good times, we figured that it is likely that 40-50% of the folks in our area would have difficulty getting a loan, credit card or even many of the jobs when there is hiring again. So yes, a 'guaranteed acceptance' credit card offer these days would have a great deal of appeal to a great many folks. Thanks for the heads up.
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July 22, 2010 03:45PM
Excellent advice from everyone! I work for Market Force Information and we have been combatting this scam for several years now. These people are giving the industry a bad reputation plus they are using the names of legitimate mystery shopping companies to bolster their "credibility".

I, for one, am thankful for forums such as this that help guide people in the right direction before they are duped by these unscrupulous predators.

On a side note the FBI in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police did manage to arrest and successfully prosecute one person in Canada last year for perpetrating this crime. Unfortunately, there seems to be quite a ring of people or perhaps new people who caught on quickly to how the scam works.

Kudos to everyone on this board and to addiebelle for being wise enough to ask questions!

Best Regards,
Karen Spencer
Shopper Recruiter
Market Force Information
www.marketforce.com
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July 22, 2010 06:46PM
thanks for posting karen. that is why i was confused with this letter - it had a reputable company's name attached to it, but it was weird to me for a check to be enclosed with the letter.

i agree. this board is awesome. thanks for everyone's help and suggestions.
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July 23, 2010 06:08PM
Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dcrector Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > On a side note...a new scam now are ficticious
> > credit card offers being sent out. You fill
> out
> > the application, send it in and now the ID
> theives
> > has your social security number and name.
>
> We were doing a little quick calculation the other
> day. With the number of foreclosures in our area,
> the number of bankruptcies, the number of
> repossessed vehicles, plus the regular number of
> folks who had poor credit even in good times, we
> figured that it is likely that 40-50% of the folks
> in our area would have difficulty getting a loan,
> credit card or even many of the jobs when there is
> hiring again. So yes, a 'guaranteed acceptance'
> credit card offer these days would have a great
> deal of appeal to a great many folks. Thanks for
> the heads up.


Just to be clear on my last post, these are not applications for a guaranteed acceptance card..these applications go directly to a scammer to get your ID. They have nothing to do with an actual card. My best advise is if you want a guaranteed acceptance card or to apply for a regular card ignore those offers that are received in the mail.
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July 23, 2010 06:51PM
That has certainly been my standard on the cards! I figure that just about anybody who 'finds me' is likely to be an ugly surprise--whether it is the unknown insurance person who calls out of the blue to offer me Federal Flood Hazard insurance, the pest control folks who 'just got a contract' for service in my area and can discount the visits because they are 'already in the neighborhood', the siding salesmen who want to do an in-home demo (especially since my house is stucco), etc.
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August 10, 2010 07:47PM
I recently recieved a "prepaid Visa Card" through the mail. I had not applied for it, it came from a Bank in the midwest....you deposit money into it from your account, and it acts like a debit card. They take out a fee for the services involved. I checked with a friend that has a business similiar, he checked it out, and said it is legit, This is good to track certain things like for your business, it is called Net Spend, but, I'm not using it.

Live consciously....
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October 21, 2011 08:40PM
I agree with Flash about little get's done. And even if they put one scammer out of business there is how many more to take the one's place?
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October 22, 2011 06:05AM
addiebelle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> thanks for posting karen. that is why i was
> confused with this letter - it had a reputable
> company's name attached to it, but it was weird to
> me for a check to be enclosed with the letter.
>
> i agree. this board is awesome. thanks for
> everyone's help and suggestions.

If I receive an offer that sounds suspicious I send an email to the "real" company (definitely not using any links in the email I received) and ask them. If I don't already have a contact email address for them, I look them up on the internet and contact the legitimate website.
Most legitimate companies will reply promptly and let you know that you have a scam in your hand.
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