Consumer Alerts

Have you been a victim of a fake check scam?

Feb 12, 2010 by Confero Inc.

You may already be aware of the fake check scams that have been attached to the mystery shopping industry for the past couple of years. You have probably seen the numerous warnings we have posted over the past several months, like this recent consumer alert. We are working hard to alert as many consumers as possible about these scams and working with the necessary government agencies to get these scammers shut down.

We want to make sure our shoppers and other members of the community are aware of what they should do if they have become a victim of these scams or receive a fake check in the mail. First of all, if you receive a random check in the mail from an unknown source, never deposit it or cash it. Always, always, always investigate!

If you have been victimized by these scams or if you have been an attempted target (you receive a check but did not do anything with it), be sure to fill out the FTC complaint form on the Federal Trade Commission’s website. The more complaints they receive, the more attention this issue will receive. The more attention this issue receives, the more likely these scammers will be caught and prosecuted.
Hopefully, with your help we can get as many of the scammers as possible shut down!

Resources for fake check scams:

Better Business Bureau’s videos on Fake Check Scams
Federal Trade Commission’s videos on Money Transfer Scams
www.fakechecks.org
Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA)

read more >>

[0] Comments

Confero warns consumers about fake check scams

Jan 29, 2010 by Confero Inc.

We would like to remind consumers about the fake check scams that have attached the the mystery shopping industry for the past couple of years.

In this post, we are combining all the information and revelations from the past few months. Many consumers have received checks in the mail along with a letter on official-looking Confero letterhead. These checks are fake. The scam artists take the names of reputable companies in an attempt to fool unsuspecting consumers into cashing these fake checks. Always remember:

  • Confero does not send checks to shoppers as payment to shoppers.
  • Confero does not issue certified checks for shoppers to use during mystery shops.
  • Confero does not shop Western Union or Moneygram.
  • As the Fakecheck.org website states, “There is no legitimate reason why anyone would give you a check or money order and ask you to wire money in return.”

In recent months, the scam artists have also started to pose as Confero schedulers. The following names have been used by scammers: Melissa Cole, Timothy Reeds, Robert Preston, Michael Thomforde, James Clayton, Paula Moore, Carlos Burnett, Chris Jordan, Alexander Hopkins, Mark Dwane, Kevin Jones, Melissa Hillman and Jimmy Bruce. It is inevitable that the scammers will continue to change names, so please remember, any check sent to you by anyone claiming to represent Confero is a scam. None of these persons work for Confero, Inc. These are made-up names used in official looking email messages or regular postal mail.

read more >>

[0] Comments

Consumer Alert: Updated 01/08/10

Jan 08, 2010 by Confero Inc.

Confero was recently made aware of a new scam in the mystery shopping industry. Over the last few days, scammers posing as employees of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association have been contacting unsuspecting consumers with fake offers to become mystery shoppers.

Here is an email sent out by James Bradson who lists his job title as Head of Recruitment for the MSPA. This job does not exist.

Hello There!,

You have been selected for an assignment as a Mystery Shopper. You will earn $300 being a mystery shopper. Your employment packet will include funds for the shopping, a training assignment which will be sent to you after you receive payment for the assignment. A Pay check would be sent to you for the assignment in the form of a Check or Money Order. The pay check would be in a certain amount which you would be required to cash a your bank, deduct your salary, and have the rest used for the evaluation at the store that would be given to you to evaluate. Get back with the following details if interested.

Full Name:
Phone Number:
Nationality:
Alternative Email Address:

Email the above details to: mspassociation@aol.com

As a mystery shopper you work and shop together for pleasure and the pay is $300 weekly on Part time basis, You only work 2-3hours twice in a week. Do get back to the recruiting department of Mystery Shopper Provider Association (MSPA).

THANK YOU
James Bradson
HEAD OF RECRUITMENT

read more >>

Confero and Better Business Bureau (BBB) Release Mystery Shopping Scam Video

Nov 24, 2009 by Confero Inc.

As a reputable company with 24 years in business, we are always concerned about scams involving mystery shopping. The scam typically plays out like this: the consumer receives a certified check from the bogus mystery shopping company, along with an "assignment" to deposit the check and then send funds via Western Union or Moneygram to a person designated on the assignment. The idea is that Western Union or Moneygram are being "mystery shopped" and the mystery shopper can keep a portion of the check amount. Usually, the certified check amounts are $900-5,000 with shoppers enticed into performing the shop by being allowed to keep anywhere from $300 to $900. Eventually, what happens is that the consumer is notified by his or her bank that the certified check was not good. The full amount of the check is then charged back to the consumer's checking account, leaving the consumer owing the money back to the bank.

Unfortunately, in many scams, the names of real, legitimate mystery shopping companies are used to entice unwitting consumers. Confero was one such legitimate company whose name was forged to be used by a scammer. Confero's President, Elaine Buxton, sat down with the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina’s Communication and Public Relations Specialist, Courtney Smith on November 18, 2009 to discuss ongoing scams in the mystery shopping industry.

In this video, Elaine discusses the most common mystery shopping scam and what consumers should know about it:

read more >>

[0] Comments

Consumer Alert: Updated 12/14/09

Nov 06, 2009 by Confero Inc.

Update: 12/14/09

Please add the names Jimmy Bruce to the list of fake Confero employees.

As discussed in earlier posts, we have received requests from would-be mystery shoppers asking that we validate the employment of Robert Preston, Michael Thomforde, James Clayton, Paula Moore, Carlos Burnett, Chris Jordan, Alexander Hopkins, Mark Dwane, Kevin Jones, Melissa Hillman and now Jimmy Bruce. None of these persons work for Confero. These are made-up names used in official-looking email messages from people trying to scam unsuspecting consumers. Sometimes, the scam emails have been spoofed to look like the message is from Confero and to hide the true origin of the email. Other times, the sender simply pastes the Confero name or website into his or her email message. Either way, these scammers are attempting to fool consumers into thinking they are dealing with Confero
Here is an example email message from a scam. Please notice the poor spelling, grammar and sentence structure in this email. If an email does not look professional, please be suspicious!

Here is the latest spoofed email sent out to consumers:

Dear Applicant,
Top of the day to you. We have decided to offer you an employment as a Mystery Shopper. ( Customer Service Position ). This is a random contact and your response is needed to show your interest. If you have gotten this email sent to you earlier, please we apologise for the spam. If interested, Do respond.

About us :
We needs someone who can conduct surveys and evaluate other companies, shops,grocery stores. We get hired to go to other peoples companies and act like customers in order to know how the staffs are handling their services in relation to their customers. once we have a contract to do so, you would be directed to the company or outlet, and you would be given the funds you need to do the job(either purchase things or require services), after which you would write a comment on the staffs activities and give a detailed record of your experience

Our Company is a premier mystery shopping company, serving clients across America and Canada and Some Countries in Europe with over 500,000 shoppers available and ready to help businesses better serve their customers. Continual investment in the latest Internet and communication technologies coupled with over 10 years of know-how means working with Secret Shopper® is a satisfying and rewarding experience. Secret shopping as seen on CBS News, NBC News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times. Stores and organizations such as The Gap, Dell, Old Navy, Sears, Walmart, Pizza Hut, and Banks One amongst many others pay for Secret Shoppers to shop in their establishments and report their experiences. On top of being paid for shopping you are also allowed to keep purchases for free.

Mystery Shopper® NEVER charge fees to the shopper. Training, tips for improvement, and shopping opportunities are provided free to registered shoppers. Mystery shoppers are either paid a pre-arranged fee for a particular shop, a reimbursement for a purchase

Examples of details you would forward to us are 1) How long it took you to get services. 2) Smartness of the attendant 3)Customer service professionalism 4)Sometimes you might be required to upset the attendant, to see how they react to clients whey they get tensed. And we turn the information over to the company executives and they would carry out their own duties in improving there services.

read more >>

[0] Comments

Page 1 of 3 pages  1 2 3 >