April 29, 2010
New scam: Surveyspro Customer Service Evaluator
This one took me a few minutes to identify. There is little information about it on the net let, but the pieces didn’t quite jive right.
First odd thing was an envelope mailed to me. The return address said:
P.O. BOX 300 STATION M
TORONTO ON M6S 4X2
No company information or anything. Upon opening it is a check for $2,408.18 drawn upon the Greensboro Postal Credit Union in North Carolina.
Check has been heavily photoshopped so that people won’t try to use it.
Included is a letter “explaining” how it all works. Essentially they want a mystery shopper to shop various locations. This sounds fairly legit, although I do not recall signing up for any mystery shopper things. The key tip off to me was the part where it says to send a Western Union payment to a fake relative.
The second key tip off is the “pay” for doing this – $200! This is far more then most mystery shopping jobs usually pay.
Also included is a little survey form about the mystery shopper trip.
The phone number for the “Assigned Training Coordinator” 650-993-1549 shows up as a San Francisco number. Who is for the website listed: esurveyspro.com shows a Romanian address.
Registrant:
Outside Software Inc.
Bd Iuliu Maniu, Nr 7
Corp U, Etaj 5, Birou H
Bucharest, 061072 Romania
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: ESURVEYSPRO.COM
Created on: 15-Apr-06
Expires on: 15-Apr-19
Last Updated on: 28-Jan-10
Administrative Contact: Badea, Florentin florentin@outsidesoftware.ro
Outside Software Inc.
Bd Iuliu Maniu, Nr 7
Corp U, Etaj 5, Birou H
Bucharest, 061072
Romania
+40.213192553 Fax –
Technical Contact:
Badea, Florentin florentin@outsidesoftware.ro
Outside Software Inc.
Bd Iuliu Maniu, Nr 7
Corp U, Etaj 5, Birou H
Bucharest, 061072
Romania +40.213192553 Fax –
Domain servers in listed order: NS1.ESURVEYSPRO.COM NS2.ESURVEYSPRO.COM
Registrant:
Outside Software Inc.
Bd Iuliu Maniu, Nr 7
Corp U, Etaj 5, Birou H
Bucharest, 061072
Romania
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: ESURVEYSPRO.COM
Created on: 15-Apr-06
Expires on: 15-Apr-19
Last Updated on: 28-Jan-10
Administrative Contact:
Badea, Florentin florentin@outsidesoftware.ro
Outside Software Inc.
Bd Iuliu Maniu, Nr 7
Corp U, Etaj 5, Birou H
Bucharest, 061072
Romania
+40.213192553 Fax –
Technical Contact:
Badea, Florentin florentin@outsidesoftware.ro
Outside Software Inc.
Bd Iuliu Maniu, Nr 7
Corp U, Etaj 5, Birou H
Bucharest, 061072
Romania
+40.213192553 Fax –
Domain servers in listed order:
NS1.ESURVEYSPRO.COM
NS2.ESURVEYSPRO.COM
As a final piece of the puzzle Greensboro Postal Credit Union says (in big red letters):
SCAM ALERT!!
IF YOU RECEIVE A GREENSBORO POSTAL CREDIT UNION CASHIER’S CHECK- – DO NOT CASH THIS CHECK. It Is Counterfeit. If you received this check by US Mail, contact the USPS Postal Inspection Service immediately.
Hi,
eSurveysPro.com has no affiliations with the above letter that you have received. Our site does not provide any paid surveys services. We have a site where users can create their own surveys for marketing research. We don't pay anyone to respond to surveys as other sites may do.
Please update your blog post to include this information.
Thanks,
Florentin Badea http://www.esurveyspro.com
My letter was exactly the same, but the check was drawn on Corpus Christy Postal Employees Credit Union. The check is real, but no doubt a forgery…Has the same signature as the one shown
My letter was from Fayetteville Postal Credit Union…same wording as stated above. If something sounds to good to be true it usually is. One trip to Vegas will teach you that!
I got the same exact mailing, except the check was drawn on Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union. Same Signature, Purchased by Peter Brickwall. By the way Florentin, you may want to investigate further… notice that these letters show esurveyspro.com as their website, and an email address to richard@esurveyspro.com – these guys could be hurting your company's reputation.
The signature on the cashier's check that I received is exactly the same, but it is drawn on ALLIANCE FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION. There is no return address on the envelope, but it is postmarked from Canada.
Presumably, I am to call the phone number indicated in the letter to find out where to wire the money. Then of course, I would cash the check, wire them the nine hundred bucks, pay Western Union their ninety . . . all before my bank was to notify me that the twelve hundred dollar cashier's check is a forgery or stolen.
Neat scam. Thanks for posting this!
Lezlee Gunsolley, Hermiston, Oregon
I got this same thing in the mail from Fayetteville Postal Credit Union. I was suspicious, but as soon as Western Union came in to the picture I knew it was a scam. I called the phone number from a blocked line and a guy answered on a cell phone who said he worked for esurveyspro. He said his name is David Jakobs (probably fake) and that he works for them. I told him that I think this is a scam and to remove me from whatever list he got my information from.
I recieved a letter and a check as well. My check was from Amarillo Postal Empl Credit Union. The letter was sent to me with no return address and a postal stamp from "CANADA POST". The check was for the amount $1,290.18. Knowing this was a scam, I cashed the check any ways because I was over drawn in my WELLS FARGO ACCOUNT, so this check is giving me a grace period until I have enough money to pay my -$34 dollars in my checking. I WOULD ADVISE ANY AND EVERY ONE WHO RECIEVES THESE CHECKS…DO NOT GET MIXED UP WITH THESE PEOPLE.. THROW THE LETTER AND CHECK AWAY. If you do cash it, DO NOT SPEND ANY OF IT. wait three weeks.. let it sit in your account. I think it takes the banks about 6 weeks for verify if the check(s) are real or not. BUT IF YOUR OVER DRAWN, DEPOSIT IT AND THEN LET IT SIT THERE, DO NOT USE THE MONEY AT ALL… AT ALL……
Recieved the same thing check was drawn on Citizens Bank and Trust in Lakeland Florida.
I called the number on the top of the page and questioned if the check was legitimate or not and was rudely hung up on.
This is a scam from the word go destroy the check.
Do not destroy the check. Turn it, and all the included paperwork over to your local Post Master. This is mail fraud and they actively investigating it.
Today was the oddest thing I get this letter from Surveyspro, stating that I can be an shopper and then send them 950.00 back through Western union. SO I called the number listed in the background it sound as if they were in a large warehouse, I continued to ask the name of the company but no for sure info. I gave the guy the so called NO.12 NGZ 3 FE to get the information they need. When I asked how he got my information he told me he got it through a on line survey. I did not do any surveys online I told him to take my name out of there system and I do not want to participate.
Got one of these letters today. Check was for 1290.18 drawn from bridgeport post office fcu. When I called the phone number at the top of the letter 1-760-650-9864 a guy answered like it was a personal number. When I started asking for things like business location so I could personally visit the business he hung up on me.
Thank you Rick for letting me know to turn all info over to the local Post Master. I am young and dumb and used this check and my bank took the money out of my savings and I WAS PISSED!! I have been calling them day and night for weeks now, leaving threating messages to get my money back but no word. The Boss/Manager is Luke(but like others are probably a fake name) and he keeps on telling me that he will look into it but nothing. So I will let this go, taking this as a life learning experience and NEVER FALL FOR THIS AGAIN!
Got mine 2 days ago! Central flordia postal credit union. It's amazing that some people fall for these things. I am contracting the postal service.
Thanks for the info, I googled (surveyspro scam) and luckily you had identified it as a scam. It saves me from doing the legwork except to head over to the postmaster to hand over the envelope and its contents to the postmaster for further investigation. Hopefully, any checks that may be cashed are not from some gullible victim who sends them their hard earned savings. Legitimate money wont come thru the mail like this, you gotta work harder than that for it.
I got one of these today.. except my check is drawn on Oak Farms Employees Credit Union for $1290.18. I knew it was a scam the minute I opened it. I will report this to the authorities as well. Thank you for putting up this web site. I hope nobody is actually drawn in and takes the bait from this scam. Disgusting.
Oh wow I just got this check I was almost dumb enough to cash it I called the number and everything the guy said that his name is richard and to put the check in my checking account and call him when I have done so and he would let me know what to do next. The check says oak farms employees credit union it is for 1290.18 but the letter is the same as you say about the western union and stuff and the email is too richard@esureyspro.com. I knew it was to good to be true I am so happy I found this web sight thank you so much. I will be taking this letter to the post office tomorrow sounds like there sending it to everyone.
Just got one today from Oshkosh Postal Employees Credit Union…SO I called the Credit Union and they verified the check as FAKE. That's the easiest way to prove the fraud. Sending to postal inspector.
My husband received the same letter with a check for $2408.18 from Oshkosh Postal Empolyee Credit Union. Thanks for posting this as a scam!
Yes, got the same Amarillo credit union check per above. Called the number given on the letter. Spoke to "Cathy" who was relatively convincing with her explanation of how this secret shopper-scam works, albeit under the guise of being a "training coordinator". First thing that alerted me was when she picked up the phone, she did not identify herself as a "Surveyspro" rep, it sounded like I called a home number. Asked her if the company was a BBB member; she said "no, not in the US, but in Canada". Said she got my name thru some other online survey I had filled out. She actually invited me to go to their website to check them out per the associations they belong to…..when I googled them, the scam comments here came up. What an idiot!
And another one – this one was with a check from Eagle One Federal Credit Union in PHiladelphia.
I'll turn it over to our postmaster.
Cheers – keep up the good work – these scammers need taking down.
David C.
I got the same one,from St Lawrence Credit Union out of NY. Talking to a rep with them now and turning over the cashier's check as evidence…we'll see if anything happens..
i recieved a check from haynes international federal credit union for $2408.18. i called 1-760-650-9864 and spoke with richard. i asked him how he got my address and how reputable his business was. i told him i would get back to him after looking into it. he didnt hang up on me and was fairly polite. but needless to say i am not calling him back and i will take the letter to the post office for them to investigate. thank you for your site here.
I just got a letter today from Hayns International Federal Credit Union, same s ann above. I got on line to do some research and found this site. Didn' think it seemed legit that i would receive a check for this much money in good faith that actually wanted to participate in surveys I never signed up for. Glad I didn't follow through!
St Lawrence Federal Credit Union 1,290.18 same thing call Richard blah blah blah . Who is the best person to turn this in to. Or just throw it away. If I do they may never be caught and someone my get taken for a lot of money. They need to be taken down!
Take the letter, the check and the envelope all to your post office and turn over to the post master. They'll take it from there.
You'll get a generic flyer a few weeks later saying that they're investigating it, but can't give you any specific information.
I received the exact same letter today with a check for $1,290.18. The bank it was "drawn on" is RPI Employees Federal Credit Union in Troy NY. I will be contacting the Postal Service tomorrow. Is there anyway to link this site to the SurveysPro search because I only found it by searching by the phone number given.
SurveysPro is one of the keywords used to find this site. Unfortunately there is not much I can do to raise this higher up in Google's search without a lot of time and effort. Although in my testing "surveyspro scam" came up first. If you can suggest any other keywords, I would gladly add them – anything to get the word out about this and keep people from getting robbed.
I recieved the same letter . Check was drawn up on St. Lawrence Fed. Credit union.
My first tip off was whe they wanted me to wire money from Western Union. I googeled it this spam site came up first thing. Thank you for confirming what i already believed. Ed.
I too, received the same letter and check for $2,408.18. Check drawn from RPI Employees Federal Credit Union,Troy New York, purchased by Peter Brickwall. Google mapped the business address, and found that it was nonexistent. Then googled the company and found ALL these emails. Very sad state of affairs!!
Yeah same happened to my brother …. crazy
I got something like this too. I got a cashier's check for $1,287.88 and instructions to wire $945 of it to a supposed relative. There was no company information on the outside of the envelope. It was mailed from Canada. The letterhead says "Archway Marketing and Surveys", and the website http://www.archway.com, so I had to do some digging to find the scam info. I found it by Googling the telephone number, 760-650-9864. The "training coordinator" is listed as Peter Wilson. The check was drawn from the Indianapolis Post Office Credit Union and the signature looks exactly the same as the one pictured above. I will turn it over to my post master.
I got my letter and survey for along with a check for $1950, However, the check is from a legitimate company who I am sure does not know this is happening to their checking account. I first checked the BBB and found the company that was wrote on the check. I found some discrepancy on the address on the check to the address located on BBB. OHHHHH this people, doing this to good people. Anyway I contacted the company who's name was on the check to let them know they were also being scammed.
I too got a check with a letter asking me to deposit it and send $1995.00 to Western Union. My first thought was that they are trying to get my checking account number and info. So I called the number and she said training was provided, whatever that means. Mine came from Canada too, but the letterhead was Nationwide Research Group out of Vermont. I asked her for a website (because I couldnt find anything on the BBB about them). She said they don't have a website (red flag) and they are in good standing with the BBB. Trust me, this company is no where to be found on the BBB.
My question is: Should I turn this in to higher authorities other than the post office? And if so, who?
I got one today for 2495.00 for nationwide research group inc asking me to send 1995.00 through Western Union, 200 for the cost to send and 300 for my paid training. They are calling it "Secret Shopper Training" for the "Customer Service Evaluator", which tells me they got my information from Careerbuilder, because I was recently laid off and posted my resume.
What type of people search through the want ads for victims?
I too recieve this same letter with a check for $1,996.00. My frist assignment was to deposite the check into my checking account and wait for the check to clear and then call Andrew Johnson at 1-289-892-3834 to get futher instruction. After 5 days I tried to get the money to wire to this person in chicago Ill. After the bank told me it takes about 7 to 10 days for the check to clear. I called Mr. Johnson and told him what the bank told me and he ask me what kind of bank did I have? I told him that I would call him back after the check clears and he got rude with me. So I told him that I could'nt make the bank give me any money so then he clam down and said ok. I thank God that I found this website. These people need to be stoped. I will be turning these checks over to the post master for investigation. Let's stop these people. I think my bank may be on to these people.
Today I got a check from EG capital financial groups, it was for $78,544.10. The check was drawn on BMO Bank of montreal, in canada. I took it to the police and they are looking into it for me, I would advise everyone else to do the same thing. Like they say if it seems to good to be true it usually is, so do not screw yourself and make someone else rich., either shred it imediately or go to the police and let them look into it for you. Good luck and happy holidays to everyone.
We just received a check for $3998 for this same scam. This time the company was Class Action Refunds LLC with an address in New York, and the check was drawn on Capital One, N.A. but it still had a postmark from Ontario Canada. According to the phone numbers, the people to call are in Canada with area codes of 514 and 519 but the fax number to fax the completed form to is in Michigan. I have heard of this scam quite a bit and the perpetrators of this scam are truly scum for preying on the desperate!
Here in Miami FL received a check from global research institute for 3980.00 check is from USAA federal savings bank in san antonio Texas, with written instructions about a customer service evaluator position which I don’t recall applying fori paid training is $200 per hr I almost failed for the trick. SPAM
I'm in Louisville, KY and received today (3/18/12) three checks, each in the amount of $991.44 from People Solutions in Vancouver, BC. Of course, there's no such listening, and the phone number listed was for a mobile phone. How convenient! The checks are from Fifth Third Bank in Nashville, TN. I'm sure Fifth Third Bank knows nothing of these checks. So, do I tear up all of this junk, call the bank, take it to the police, or to the BBB? Why bother! I'll shred it and be done with it. Please be careful of what's in your mail.
I got a check for $4100,00 from Arizona Federal Credit Union for Customer Services Evaluator
I just got my check for $3980.00 with a letter telling me this is training assignment and that I can keep 400 for the assignment when completed. Tried to look up the company Logic Marketing Inc. and can find nothing on the net at all. Will take this letter to the post office tomorrow and let them know.