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  1. #1
    The Patient Aerialslayer's Avatar
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    Post Is this a job scam?

    Hi guys just a bit curious to this job offer. Well first of all the first email I got from this guy was basically asking me to reply to the email and giving him my personal information. All that was asked was my phone number, address, postal code (Canada), and email address. he never asked for my SIN number or anything like that. So I sent him that email with the info. The job is basically for a secret shopper. Anyway this is the second email he sent me and I already replied and rejected his offer but I justed wanted to see if it was a scam.

    The original ad for the job had no company name or anything. Just this job posting and his name. Here is the email:

    Dear Survey Agent,
    You have been Accepted as one of our Mystery shopper/Survey Agent. You will be evaluating Wal-Mart Stores and Western Union Services in your neighborhood, Kindly check out for one Wal-Mart store and one Western union Agent outlet you will like to evaluate, make sure the store and the outlet you will chose are close to your area as much as possible,
    You will have to send the name and address of the two location to us,Please note that you are to act Cool, Calm and Confident through out the period which you will be carrying out your survey at the store, in order not to arouse any suspicion. you will be shopping at Wal-Mart stores and also make a transaction at the Western union, You will write a report about the customer services , you will send your report back to us via Email, you will have to use the following pointers to prepare your report :

    1) How long it took you to get services.
    2)Ambiance/Outlook of the Shop/Outlet
    3) Smartness of the attendant
    4)Customer service professionalism
    5)Reaction of personnel under pressure
    6)Information that you think would be helpful
    7)Your comments and impressions.

    A package will be sent out to you, inside the package you will find your Compensation payment and other fund you will use to carry out your surveying process , You must not use your personal money to complete any of the surveying process and there will be no reimbursement of any kind since we are providing you with all the fund your will need to carry out the survey. An Evaluation Instruction will be given to your through email, this will tell you what to do at the Wal-mart and the Western union location and how to expend the fund at each location. Please reply this Email and give us the name and address of the Wal-mart and Western union location you will be evaluating .
    Thank you.
    warm regards and God bless,
    The Hiring Manager,
    Mr.Bill Crawford

    Please let me know ! Thanks!

  2. #2
    There is a very high (95%) chance it is a scam. You get a package with a fake cashiers check or money order which they will then want you to forward some to them by way of Western Union. They get your money and you get screwed by a fake money order / cashiers check. This type of scam happens in variations on craigslist ALL the time as well.

    Also, these people can get VERY creative and elaborate with these schemes just to get money out of you. Be extremely cautious of ANYTHING online involving Western Union.
    Last edited by veighnerg; 2012-05-11 at 11:00 PM.

  3. #3
    I would be cautious of secret shopper jobs I've heard of some of them being scams. Your best bet is to check the BBB or any kind of news site and check it out.

  4. #4
    Deleted
    I signed up for one of those secret shopper jobs once. Once I did the maths, it turned out I was getting things for free like food or some products, but was not enough to live on. One example was I was asked to go into a pharmacy they specified, act like i knew fuck all and try to get a sales assistant to sell me something. I was then to buy a pack of Ibruprofen. They would pay me the price of the drugs plus about £5. Considering I had to visit the store, wait there until I was approached, then then go home and take a photograph of the receipt and send it along with the review it was just not worth it. I spent more time doing this then I could earn doing minimum wage.

  5. #5
    Bloodsail Admiral Melanieshaman's Avatar
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    scam, no business name? Typically a secret shopper is hired by a firm hire by the store (or stores) to do so. I worked in retail for a LONG time. The guy called himself "The Highering Manager"??? with no company name attached, it's BS.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Aerialslayer View Post
    3) Smartness of the attendant

    The Hiring Manager
    Other than poor wording, and words being capitalized when they shouldn't, those two lines stuck out as exceptionally stupid. Nobody writes their title as "The x Manager," and smartness is just dumb.
    Last edited by Shmeh; 2012-05-11 at 11:18 PM.

  7. #7
    The Patient Aerialslayer's Avatar
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    No it was on the job section on a website called kijiji. Had tons of views so I sent him an email.

  8. #8
    Dreadlord Zippoflames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aerialslayer View Post

    God bless
    Didnt read any of it apart from that at the end and knew it was a scam lol
    Nigerian scammers ALWAYS put god bless on everything

  9. #9
    The Lightbringer eriseis's Avatar
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    Mystery shopper job ads are a usual method for scams
    Quote Originally Posted by Espe View Post
    God, Guns, Gays and Gynecology - the Republican 4G Network.

  10. #10
    If you have to ask the answer is no.
    If you have to ask on the interbutts then the answer is double no.
    If you have someone like me answering your question then the answer is yes.

    But secretly it is also no.

  11. #11
    Bloodsail Admiral Talokami's Avatar
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    Scam. The sentence structure is a little odd and they are using commas in place of periods.
    That fabric softener teddy bear...oooh I'm 'a hunt that little bitch down.

  12. #12
    Mechagnome Yzyz's Avatar
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    Scam. Working at a credit union, we get stupid people all the time that fall for this. They come in all excited about getting a new job as a mystery shopper. We ask them what they have to do. They say "I have to cash this money order they give me. Go to walmart and get another money order for x dollars and I get to keep the rest! All I have to do is send them the money order that walmart made and evaluate their performance! Its so easy!" Well guess what? the money order is fake so when you cash it, it will bounce and the money will be taken out of your account. You then purchase a real money order with your real money and send it to them, screwing you out of x amount of dollars. Same story goes with Western Union. Fake money order, cash it, wire the money back or get another money order.

    100% fake. Don't do it. Be safe.

    Amazing sig compliments of Alyajna!

  13. #13

  14. #14
    Deleted
    I think probably a scam. Mr. Bill Crawfords or what was his name could be a real guy posting that real job offer looking for people to do this. There are just a couple of red flags that pop up that may or may not be warranted.

    Western Union + online. Often the way money are laundered and transfer method which with money is scammed out of people.
    No company name.

    I must say that if it is a scam, their English is getting better (Smartness and I've noticed the God Bless wording trend from mails from Africa too lol draws back a bit).

    If this was in an email it would seem like a clear-case scam. A job board though is a new way to go about it.

  15. #15
    The Lightbringer eriseis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by haizy View Post
    Totaly lejit,
    This is one of the best illustrations for this sort of situation I've ever seen.
    Quote Originally Posted by Espe View Post
    God, Guns, Gays and Gynecology - the Republican 4G Network.

  16. #16
    Scam. The second I read that you were going to have to make a transaction at the Western Union I knew it was a scam. Notice in your little gift box they mention compensation for it. You would never get that box.

    Total BS, good job detecting it!

  17. #17
    The Patient Aerialslayer's Avatar
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    Okay thanks a lot everyone. I knew it was fishy as well just wanted to double check .

  18. #18
    The Patient Neonic's Avatar
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    NEVER do any packaging/repackaging job. If they want the package, they would have it send to their own address.

  19. #19

  20. #20
    My rule of thumb is "if at any time you think it is a scam assume it is and act accordingly."
    READ and be less Ignorant.

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