Smells like a scam to me...
@vera5d (4005)
United States
March 8, 2008 9:54pm CST
Sometimes I wish I never opened my mail. Today I got a mysterious letter from Canada. At least I assume it was from Canada...It had a stamp on it that said Canada for 96 cents...no return address. The poorly written letter (bad grammer & spelling) told me I have been selected by "Paid Surveys Resource" to become a mystery shopper. The return address for them was in PA and then told me I would need to contact people in California? They enclosed a check for $3,699 from Merrill Bank of Bangor Maine...It looks like a real check - even has security watermarks on the back. But I'm a graphic designer, so I could probably print the exact same thing here at my house. This bank does have a website, but it really doesn't seem like a banking website. Even my bank, which is as local & backwards as a bank can get has a better website.
Supposedly I am to cash this check and then send it to them via Western Union and fill out a survey about my experience.
Now...I'm pretty sure the scam works like this - they assume you will wire them the money before the check comes back as being returned/bounced/fraud/etc. and then they get off free...but I know my bank would never let me take that out without that check clearing - they do this on any check over $1000.
I plan on throwing the letter and the check away.
What would you do? Is it a scam? Anyone else getting this kind of mail?
5 people like this
21 responses
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
9 Mar 08
Wow!! I have never heard of this one yet. But I know a friend of mine from IL was telling me he was sent something recently like this that was not a real letter, and check as well. What I would do, if I was you, is find a way to keep on investigating this, and if it turns out to be a SCAM, turn this letter and check over to your Local authorities and make them aware of this so somehow this Company doing this to people can be stopped. There are a lot of people out there now with the economy so Bad, would try and Cash these, and if you can help stop someone else from being Scammed you are better of yourself. Let us know what happens.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
10 Mar 08
i think i'll let the authorities be the one to investigate, lol! Sadly I am not sure where the police station is around here? I should find it! (We just moved to the area not too long ago)
@mastergkage (182)
• Philippines
9 Mar 08
if it is to good to be true? then its a scam try to investigate first before you join into something like that?
1 person likes this
@StrawberryKisses (2833)
• Canada
10 Mar 08
ok this type of thing happened to me just a little differently and you are NOT supposed to throw the check or envelope out your are supposed to take it to the police because if it is stolen or fraudulant they need to alert the company the check came from.
@StrawberryKisses (2833)
• Canada
10 Mar 08
almost forgot the reason I am saying it may be stolen and fraudulent is because the checks I received were from real companies and the names had been removed with a special chemical then my name was put in its place.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
10 Mar 08
wow...i guess i better take it into the police...i just hate such a hassle...
@smartbrain69 (2790)
• Canada
9 Mar 08
Thanks for sharing information with us, earlier i have read that people do scam online and this is first time i have heard that they even print fake cheques and send. Thanks a lot ...
@happymommy3 (2012)
• United States
9 Mar 08
I am glad to hear other people have also gotten these crazy checks, lol. Not that that's a good thing but I was wondering how many other people were recieving these letters. Right before christmas time my husband recieved one in the mail also from Canada. The check also looked very real, was for 4 thousand and something, can't remember how much exactly. His letter though stated that he had won some kind of drawing for a group of people who had used their credit/debit cards the year before. That year my husband never had any credit or debit cards, so that right away was a "scam alert". We just ended up throwing it away. Than a couple of weeks later I recieved the same kind of survey letter that you recieved in my name with around the same amount on your check. That check looked so fake, I ended up throwing that one away also. What a way to get to people though, right around christmas time when people might be broke and looks like an easy way to get some easy cash. I just wish now that I would have kept both of them and like some responded saying, taking it to the bank to see if they could do anything about it or to the police to report it and maybe see if they could investigate it. So yes, if it sounds too good to be true than most likely it's a scam.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
9 Mar 08
it creeps you out when you get mail like this...you have to wonder why people would do such a thing! I don't even know who I would turn it in to...but may be worthwhile to pursue...
@onewickedsoul (540)
• Philippines
9 Mar 08
Yes this is a scam. Unfortunately, some people would call themselves lucky if they're the ones who got this on the mail. Consider yourself a smart fella for letting us know, and for doubting that deal in the first place. I think it's best to have authorities check on that. There could be clues or fingerprints left on the envelope or check that could lead them to the perpetrators.
@onewickedsoul (540)
• Philippines
10 Mar 08
They can still rule out your daughter's fingerprints. It's sad to know that your local authorities are the typical donut eating ones. Maybe you can try alerting the local news so that more people will be aware of a scam like this.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
10 Mar 08
well, my daughter has slobbered over most of the envelope, but that's not too bad of an idea...I doubt anyone here would be that proactive though. Our police are sadly the stereotypical "let's eat donuts" type :)
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
24 Mar 08
You are right to just throw it all away. It is definetly a scam. I have received several of these myself and I have even called the police and given it to them, but nothing is every done about it because they can't find the persons doing it. So they have told me to just throw them in the garbage next time I get one and not to call them, because they can't do anything about it. I also get a lot of scam emails of people wanting help with transferring millions of dollars to the states from countries like Africa and they would pay me generously for helping them. It is all garbage.
@idaantipolo (472)
• Philippines
9 Mar 08
I would throw the mail. If I have not signed up for anything of that kind, and a mail just like that is sent to me I would definitely think that, that is a scam. I have received emails from Nigeria, U.K. etc., saying that I won in a lottery, but I know there is a catch and If I did not join any lottery, why would I believe that?
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
10 Mar 08
I just know no company would give complete strangers that kind of money, it just doesn't happen that way!
@blames1970 (1)
•
10 Mar 08
Hello, new here!...I work at a check cashing store, and we get at least 3 of these checks in a month...I have even personally 'signed up'/answered one of those suspect emails, so that I could take myself thru the process and see how it works(for my benefit at work AND to educate the customers)...if anyone is to cash a check and wire monies, it is most definitely a scam, and our local authorities request that we turn these items in to them(some locales do have fraud investigators that will handle these and some deem it not worth the effort)...we also do wire transfers at work and if monies are being sent to certain locales(the ones that are 'hot' for scam activity)we are to ask MANY pointed questions and if we even SUSPECT a scam, we HAVE to refuse the transaction...and depending on the amount of money being sent and the destination, Western Union may even call the store to confirm and get more details on the transaction...just a little FYI...;o)...good day!...
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
10 Mar 08
You are right - I did western unions back in the day at my very first job! There were always a long list of places we couldn't send to or had to research...man it was always such a pain when you had to deny someone and they started screaming at you and you couldn't really tell them why...I am glad I don't have to worry about that anymore! I find it strange the scammers don't think they would get caught by western union - you need so much info to do them!
@dfinster (3528)
• United States
9 Mar 08
This is definately a scam. I heard about this not too long ago on a television sho. What they do is they have the people cash the check at their bank and the person wires the money to them right away. By the time the bank realizes it's a bogus check, the scammers are long gone with the cash and the person(you) who cashed the check has to pay for the bad check. Throw it away.
@musicman6 (2406)
• United States
10 Mar 08
Yes, I got one the other day, where a little old lady was dying, and she wanted me to have her $400,000, because she didn't want the state to get it! She wanted me to send her my bank account number so she could put it in my account!
I told her no, because I didn't want her to get my $.40 cents out of my bank account!!!! lolololol
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
10 Mar 08
This smells every bit like a scam, it is not believable anymore. Any letter or email that is received saying you have won something big or you have been awarded a sizable sum of money, but which require you to have to send some money first in order to receive the money, is definitely a scam. You of course will lose that money if you send it, without getting the reward eventually. If you receive any email that says you should fill up some particulars, or contact someone via email or phone in order to get to the prize, don't do it. Once you make contact, it tells the scammer that you are a potential victim to take the bait. Just ignore such emails and delete it. We may not get the exact same type of letter you get, but most other similar type of scams work about the same way, and people are already so familiar with the tactic used. Scammers should learn new tricks or device new stories. We are tired of reading the same kinds of stories...it is getting boring and not interesting anymore.
@paid2write (5201)
•
9 Mar 08
It seems the scammers are always finding new ways to take money from people and their efforts are getting more sophisticated. I would never send money or supply my bank details to anyone or any company I did not know.
