Mystery Shopper Scam

I received a letter today with a check in the amount of 1,989.85 to be a mystery shopper as you know I did nothing with the check because I did nothing to earn it. I did report it as mail fraud with the Postal Inspector. I am posting this because I don't want another to fall for this scam . I did my research even though I could use the money . THIS IS A SCAM The name of the company W. Grocers Company but the letter was post marked Correos CTA Madrid

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/27/2014 11:07PM by Christa.S.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

More About Scams

You're absolutely right, and good for you! It's very sad that some people fall for it.

I just got a check from the same company - Wholesale Grocers, Inc. located in Brattleboro, VT. The check is made out to me in the amount of 1,996.95. They want me to go to their website and put in a password and user id# which they provided in the letter they sent me. Supposedly they will then "activate" the check ( who ever heard of having to activate a check ) so that I can then deposit it in my bank account. What a croc of crap. According to the letter i get to keep $350 in my account and then they want me to withdraw the rest so that i can complete my shopping assignments within 24 hours. I'm sure one of the assignments will be to wire them money ( which i will then be on the hook for to the bank when the check doesn't clear). There is no way i am doing anything with this check but ripping it up and throwing it in the garbage.

JRob999 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> There is no way i am doing
> anything with this check but ripping it up and
> throwing it in the garbage.

Wouldn't it be better to donate it to the Postal Inspector?

Nah, i'm not much on inspectors. I don't mind the fact that they are trying to scam people ( hey maybe they need the money more than the people getting scammed ). I'm just saying that I'm not falling for it and no one else in their right mind should either. People who get scammed by these kind of bogus crooks probably deserve to be parted from their money.

People who get scammed are naive and/or desperate themselves. I highly doubt the scammers are more in need and somehow deserve thousands of dollars from someone else who actually worked for the money. And I do mind the fact they are trying to scam people. They are nothing more than criminals of the lowest order.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

Ishmael Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JRob999 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > There is no way i am doing
> > anything with this check but ripping it up and
> > throwing it in the garbage.
>
> Wouldn't it be better to donate it to the Postal
> Inspector?

Do you realize how hard that is? Way back when, I left a fraud report (printed it, stuffed it in an envelope, the whole nine...) in the lobby mail slot at the local PO and it kept coming back to me for no postage. Yes, an envelope addressed to the postmaster that resides in that post office was returned to me for no postage. I eventually made it up to the PO during biz hours and asked why it was getting returned to me and the clerk had this dumbfounded look on her face before it clicked that she really ought to pass it on to the postmaster.

My mother received a check for $1,993.55 from WHOLESALE PRO-GROCERS, INC. and asked me to check it out for her to see if it was for real. This is what I found:
1. A web search for WHOLESALE PRO-GROCERS, INC. Brattleboro, VT did not come up with anything except for this website.
2. The check was mailed from Madrid, Spain.
3. The routing number on the check was written on TD Bank, N.A. Philadelphia, PA and a list of routing numbers by state neither matched Vermont nor Pennsylvania.
4. A website to search routing numbers did not come up with any bank associated with the checks routing number.
5. Richard B. Cohen who's name is signed on the check is a Billionaire associated with C & S Wholesale Grocers, not WHOLESALE PRO-GROCERS, INC.
I did not go so far as to check the website progrocersinc.com since I felt I had enough information to suggest to my mother that it was NOT for real in my opinion.
If anyone else gets a check from WHOLESALE PRO-GROCERS, INC. I hope this information comes in handy for forming your own opinion on the matter.
Good luck.

I hope you advised your mom that this was a scam.

(heart)

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

I hope you contacted TD Bank so they could check the account number and take preventative action if need be.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

"I hope you contacted TD Bank so they could check the account number and take preventative action if need be."

I am a customer of TD bank and they do not operate outside of the US. I just checked for Spain (curious) but they mostly operate on the East Coast.

"The check was mailed from Madrid, Spain.

3. The routing number on the check was written on TD Bank, N.A. Philadelphia, PA and a list of routing numbers by state neither matched Vermont nor Pennsylvania.

For the folks that were mailed the checks, just ask yourself: Do you know anyone that would send someone they did not know, a check for $$$$ and expect them to cash it, and mail out the difference ($2.000 (ex)?

Thank You

Life is a Giggle - Embrace every moment

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am a customer of TD bank and they do not operate
> outside of the US.

Well except for the whole being part of a Canadian bank thing. TD Bank = Toronto-Dominion Bank. They use the initials for their US operations. Not material to the conversation at all, just a tidbit of tangential information.

There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind

I am a customer of TD bank and a mystery shopper of TD bank. In Canada.

I know, you're just making us feel included. LOL

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------"
>
> I am a customer of TD bank and they do not operate
> outside of the US. I just checked for Spain
> (curious) but they mostly operate on the East
> Coast.

bgriffin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SunnyDays2 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I am a customer of TD bank and they do not
> operate
> > outside of the US.
>
> Well except for the whole being part of a Canadian
> bank thing. TD Bank = Toronto-Dominion Bank.
> They use the initials for their US operations.
> Not material to the conversation at all, just a
> tidbit of tangential information.

Oops! You are right! Canada and U.S.

Those scam artists are all over mystery shopping companies. The first time I received a "check" was a very official looking money order. Just held it up to the light - no water mark. If it is too good to be true in mystery shopping world it is probably a scam.

JRob999 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nah, i'm not much on inspectors. I don't mind the
> fact that they are trying to scam people ( hey
> maybe they need the money more than the people
> getting scammed ). I'm just saying that I'm not
> falling for it and no one else in their right mind
> should either. People who get scammed by these
> kind of bogus crooks probably deserve to be parted
> from their money.

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant logic.

No, they really don't deserve it. Because a lot of these scams are directed at the elderly, and people who have no reason to know about these scams, and sometimes early dementia and other issues impairs their ability to realize something doesn't make sense. My mother nearly got scammed by one of those scams where they call up elderly people pretending to be their grandchild who had an accident in Mexico and need money to get out of a Mexican jail.

She would have wired the money but she couldn't drive at night to get to a Western Union office. When she called the grandchild's roommate (the "grandchild" had begged her not to because she was embarrassed to admit what happened), she learned the grandchild in question was in the next room painting the kitchen.

Don't ever say a victim deserves to be victimized. In any context. These scams target vulnerable people and cost them thousands of dollars they can ill afford to lose.

Time to build a bigger bridge.

There was a situation on the news where a lady (wife of a doctor) was promised she won a large amount of money, ($1 million dollars)

She believed the scammer and sent a small fee, which turned into a another fee needed, then taxes, then this, then-that-fee. She was so deep in, she had sent them a total of $450,000.

She kept chasing the money she sent them. She was terrified if she stopped sending, she would not see her $1 million dollars and get her jackpot/sweepstakes/lottery, whatever it was...

I have read many of these kind of stories...just sad...

No one "deserves" to be the victim of any crime.

However, some people are just too gullible for their own good.

Sometimes they're preyed upon with altruistic reasons, and are just kind people at heart. Often, though, scammers prey upon people's hope to achieve some monetary gain for themselves, too. Sometimes just outright greed, like the Dr's wife up there; other times it's the 'work at home' stuff.

It's always a good idea, if you're ever tempted, to not only stop and *really* think things through, but to run it by a trusted family/friend, or someplace like this forum; before EVER giving anyone any money or personal information.

Practitioner of the Nerdly Arts.

I can't believe how many times someone starts a thread talking about receiving a check from a "mystery shop company" he/she doesn't remember registering with.

I've gotten a few of these checks. The company names didn't ring any bells...so I had to wonder why a company would mail a check of a few thousand dollars to me as its first contact with me...

Please folks, if if sounds too good to be true, IT IS! It's sad how underhanded people can profit from scamming others. But people sometimes so desperately want to believe that a large check fell into their laps...

katfromct7 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can't believe how many times someone starts a
> thread talking about receiving a check from a
> "mystery shop company" he/she doesn't remember
> registering with.
>
> I've gotten a few of these checks. The company
> names didn't ring any bells...so I had to wonder
> why a company would mail a check of a few thousand
> dollars to me as its first contact with me...
>
> Please folks, if if sounds too good to be true, IT
> IS! It's sad how underhanded people can profit
> from scamming others. But people sometimes so
> desperately want to believe that a large check
> fell into their laps...

On the other hand, if you get a check for $17.50 from a company you've never heard of, it's probably just a sneaky name change.

I have to laugh at some of the scammers. The subject line alone has improper English, poor spelling, words we don't use and more. Scammers hurt many people. They either are working out of jail, or from another country.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Mystery Shopper Scam

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine