I responded to an ad on Facebook for "call center monitoring" offering $40 per call to assess insurance calls. Part of the screening process required you to make and assess an actual call to an insurance company. Upon completion of that call, you were to receive instructions on how to be an actual employee and start receiving payment. Thinking it was a scam, but hopeful that it wasn't, I did the test call and reported back the findings like they asked.
Then - nothing. No follow up email. No instructions on how to continue to work. The website even says that they'll pay you for the test call. I've sent emails for follow up and no one responds.
So, last night, I had the epiphany that I bet this is a real company some place that does real call center monitoring for clients, but instead of actually paying people to do the work, they place these ads and make victims like myself do these "test" calls that are real calls and then use our assessments for their own profit, never hiring anyone and never paying anyone. I googled the company and the domain name is relatively new so they probably keep changing domain names to keep luring in people. I also found other complaints about programs and offers with similar names that did "hire" people but then sent them fake checks for payment for the work they did, so again - they got all of the work done for free. Be very careful.
I'm glad I had the gut feeling that this wasn't legit and that I'm not relying on them for employment. I am going to keep doing digging and I will report the ad on Facebook, too, but I have a feeling they'll just keep baiting people and creating fake websites to look like they are a legit company. I am thinking about calling the insurance company later and tipping them off, too, to the fact that there are people tying up their phone lines with these "test" calls.
I actually became suspicious after I signed up and thought about it as it did not make sense that they would offer $400 for a single evaluation and would be sending a cashiers check for me to cash at my bank to use to test the money gram service. I don’t know how they got my phone number. I researched on line for scams and this fits the scam profile.
I won’t be cashing that check when it comes and report details here later. Beware of the following text with a link from [email protected] "The Premier Intelligence Shopping Company https://goo.gl/HjTZ5V " It opens to a Legit looking page reading too good to be true offer for Secret Shopping in your area. Don’t sign up!
I received a secret shopper offer via mail with a check made out to me in the amount of $1,986.70. They wanted me to deposit the check in my account and then purchase something at Wal-Mart, keep $250 for myself and wire $1668.00 back to Thomas Alakan in Indiana. Then they want me to email them information about my shopping experience.
I did not follow the instructions as I recognized this immediately as a scam.
I received a package in mail by priority mail had to even sign for this I opened it up and there was this letter stating to cash the check and my assignment will be emailed to me. I'm supposed to pose as a potential customer at the establishment and evaluate the effectiveness and the quality of the customer service rendered.
I received an invitation from a Secret Shopper copany via internet in November of this year before leving for several weeks on my vaction. I noted that I would be gone yet the company was very pushy and they sent me an envelope with the description of the assignment and a check in the amount of $ 2975. I was asked to purchase 3 i-phones $750 each and send them asap. I was asked to communicate via texting on the phone 909 529 0170. I said I would do it, but not before thier check was cleared in my bank of America. I deposited the check on 12/14/15 when I started getting harrassing texts from "Derrick Hay, PhD" from that number threatening to take me to the court if I did not complete the assignment by the end of the last week... I called the bank on 12/16/15 and the teller told me that the check was bad and came from a closed account. I was fined by my bank for that bad check. "Derrick" continued harrassing and treatening via texting, but I did not respond to him in order not to force him to shut down his phone number, as I reported this fraud to IC3 by the time. I will hope you will help to stop that person or the group scamming people. Thanks in advance.
LinkedIn Scam. Received an email through a LinkedIn connection that I had made in the past. I received this email through LinkedIn directly from the contact telling me about a part-time job that he did in the evening part-time. I would have been suspicious if the email came from someone I had never dealt with but his email actually came from an associate who is in high level managerment with his picture, once again using LinkedIn. I believed everything about the email.
I sent the recommended company the information requested. Thank goodness they didn't ask for my SS#. A few days later I received an email stating I had been hired and that I would be receiving my first assignment and funds to complete this assignment. The envelope arrived by Priority Mail. I read my assistment along with the enclosed funds in the form of cashiers check in the amount of $2950. I was told to deposit the check keep $400 for myself and do an evaluation of Money Gram. The rest of the money (cash only) was to be sent to Ortiz Nazario Orlando at , Bayamon, Puerto Rico 00956. This was a huge red flag! My gut said something was wrong but I didn't listen to it. I deposited the check at my bank but was definitely going to wait for the check to clear. After I deposited the check, I just felt ill and started doing in depth research on the company(s). Low and behold, I found a report on this website from someone else. Everything in the report matched what I had. I immediately called my bank and had all funds placed on hold and wanted the deposit returned.
My contact person with Secret Shopper, Inc. was Michael Durcan, phone number . He will text you to make sure you got the check, I did not respond. The next day he texted me twice wanting to know why I wasn't responding. Once I had everything under control for myself, which included closing my checking account, etc. I decided to respond. I let Mr. Michael Durcan know that the bank was holding his cashiers check, and that the FBI was checking my computer, phone, letter/evelope, etc. That was the last text I have received.
All I can say is listen to your gut, don't be fooled. This ring of crooks is very good. I actually contacted my LinkedIn connection and he was absolutly shocked that his LinkedIn profile was being used to swindle people.
Good luck and watch your back. Please let all of your acquaintances know of this scam, especially if they use LinkedIn.
Secret Shopper, Inc. Reviews
I responded to an ad on Facebook for "call center monitoring" offering $40 per call to assess insurance calls. Part of the screening process required you to make and assess an actual call to an insurance company. Upon completion of that call, you were to receive instructions on how to be an actual employee and start receiving payment. Thinking it was a scam, but hopeful that it wasn't, I did the test call and reported back the findings like they asked.
Then - nothing. No follow up email. No instructions on how to continue to work. The website even says that they'll pay you for the test call. I've sent emails for follow up and no one responds.
So, last night, I had the epiphany that I bet this is a real company some place that does real call center monitoring for clients, but instead of actually paying people to do the work, they place these ads and make victims like myself do these "test" calls that are real calls and then use our assessments for their own profit, never hiring anyone and never paying anyone. I googled the company and the domain name is relatively new so they probably keep changing domain names to keep luring in people. I also found other complaints about programs and offers with similar names that did "hire" people but then sent them fake checks for payment for the work they did, so again - they got all of the work done for free. Be very careful.
I'm glad I had the gut feeling that this wasn't legit and that I'm not relying on them for employment. I am going to keep doing digging and I will report the ad on Facebook, too, but I have a feeling they'll just keep baiting people and creating fake websites to look like they are a legit company. I am thinking about calling the insurance company later and tipping them off, too, to the fact that there are people tying up their phone lines with these "test" calls.
I actually became suspicious after I signed up and thought about it as it did not make sense that they would offer $400 for a single evaluation and would be sending a cashiers check for me to cash at my bank to use to test the money gram service. I don’t know how they got my phone number. I researched on line for scams and this fits the scam profile.
I won’t be cashing that check when it comes and report details here later. Beware of the following text with a link from [email protected] "The Premier Intelligence Shopping Company https://goo.gl/HjTZ5V " It opens to a Legit looking page reading too good to be true offer for Secret Shopping in your area. Don’t sign up!
Report Attachments:
I received a secret shopper offer via mail with a check made out to me in the amount of $1,986.70. They wanted me to deposit the check in my account and then purchase something at Wal-Mart, keep $250 for myself and wire $1668.00 back to Thomas Alakan in Indiana. Then they want me to email them information about my shopping experience.
I did not follow the instructions as I recognized this immediately as a scam.
I received a package in mail by priority mail had to even sign for this I opened it up and there was this letter stating to cash the check and my assignment will be emailed to me. I'm supposed to pose as a potential customer at the establishment and evaluate the effectiveness and the quality of the customer service rendered.
I received an invitation from a Secret Shopper copany via internet in November of this year before leving for several weeks on my vaction. I noted that I would be gone yet the company was very pushy and they sent me an envelope with the description of the assignment and a check in the amount of $ 2975. I was asked to purchase 3 i-phones $750 each and send them asap. I was asked to communicate via texting on the phone 909 529 0170. I said I would do it, but not before thier check was cleared in my bank of America. I deposited the check on 12/14/15 when I started getting harrassing texts from "Derrick Hay, PhD" from that number threatening to take me to the court if I did not complete the assignment by the end of the last week... I called the bank on 12/16/15 and the teller told me that the check was bad and came from a closed account. I was fined by my bank for that bad check. "Derrick" continued harrassing and treatening via texting, but I did not respond to him in order not to force him to shut down his phone number, as I reported this fraud to IC3 by the time. I will hope you will help to stop that person or the group scamming people. Thanks in advance.
LinkedIn Scam. Received an email through a LinkedIn connection that I had made in the past. I received this email through LinkedIn directly from the contact telling me about a part-time job that he did in the evening part-time. I would have been suspicious if the email came from someone I had never dealt with but his email actually came from an associate who is in high level managerment with his picture, once again using LinkedIn. I believed everything about the email.
I sent the recommended company the information requested. Thank goodness they didn't ask for my SS#. A few days later I received an email stating I had been hired and that I would be receiving my first assignment and funds to complete this assignment. The envelope arrived by Priority Mail. I read my assistment along with the enclosed funds in the form of cashiers check in the amount of $2950. I was told to deposit the check keep $400 for myself and do an evaluation of Money Gram. The rest of the money (cash only) was to be sent to Ortiz Nazario Orlando at , Bayamon, Puerto Rico 00956. This was a huge red flag! My gut said something was wrong but I didn't listen to it. I deposited the check at my bank but was definitely going to wait for the check to clear. After I deposited the check, I just felt ill and started doing in depth research on the company(s). Low and behold, I found a report on this website from someone else. Everything in the report matched what I had. I immediately called my bank and had all funds placed on hold and wanted the deposit returned.
My contact person with Secret Shopper, Inc. was Michael Durcan, phone number . He will text you to make sure you got the check, I did not respond. The next day he texted me twice wanting to know why I wasn't responding. Once I had everything under control for myself, which included closing my checking account, etc. I decided to respond. I let Mr. Michael Durcan know that the bank was holding his cashiers check, and that the FBI was checking my computer, phone, letter/evelope, etc. That was the last text I have received.
All I can say is listen to your gut, don't be fooled. This ring of crooks is very good. I actually contacted my LinkedIn connection and he was absolutly shocked that his LinkedIn profile was being used to swindle people.
Good luck and watch your back. Please let all of your acquaintances know of this scam, especially if they use LinkedIn.