New Variation on Cheque Mule?

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Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:52 am

My wife received a letter in the mail from a "secret shopper" company in Canada. They even sent a cheque for $2800. At first glance, the cheque looked good, but, upon close examination, it had the earmarks of a fake.
I looked at the documents included with it. The alarm bell went off when I saw the Money Gram task. Not to mention that the company's phone is a mobile in Ontario. I have seen other fake cheques (art companies, textiles, etc), but not one for this modality. Second opinions are always welcome. I wonder if dealing with scams has jaded me. I still think it is a fake. Anyway, here is the letter:

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:03 am

Mate... that's a cunning scam. Return of the snail mail scam assault. I can imagine that a lot of people out there would be fooled by that, especially since they're receiving a cheque in the mail. Thanks for posting it! It's a shame there's no email address attached... I wonder how many of these were sent out Confused

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 1:10 am

Scam scam scam. Companies don't just hire someone out of the blue without an interview or resume or the person contacting them. Your gut feeling was good and right. Smile

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:24 am

These guys are slick, no doubt.
A bona fide 'mystery shopper' program usually involves a phone interview, then a personal interview, and payment to the store is usually on your credit card or check and you get reimbursed.
No reputable firm sends you an expense check out of the blue- let alone publicize the names of the stores that will be evaluated - you were on the money, Logar, it's a check mule scam with a twist - includes a toll number for the phone interview- they get you coming and going.......

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:34 am

^^Good catch on the number. It is a Canadian number. They are claiming to be from Canada too. I am contemplating skyping it to see if I can get an email from them. This is a really slick set-up.

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:40 am

Nice variation on the Canadian snail mail lotto scam that was going around a few months ago (I'm betting this is the same bunch of scumbags, actually). In that one, potential victims received a "winning lotto" notification via snail mail, complete with bogus cheque for (you guessed it) $2800-$2900 US. The letter informed them that the cheque was to cover the "fees" for the lotto, so that they would have no out-of-pocket expenses for their "win". Victims were to cash the cheque and send the money off (WU or MG) in order to collect their $50,000- $100,000 "winnings". The phone numbers given for "claims agents" were always answered by people who would happily direct the vics in exactly how to send the "fees".

This one is, of course, much more sophisticated, and many people will probably fall for it. Evil or Very Mad

[Edit]- Dollars to donuts they are in Canada, Ook. A ton of fake cheque scams are run from certain areas of Canada.

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:47 am

^^Yeah was thinking that Faith about Canada. I am still thinking of calling them to see if I can get some information to bait. Maybe convince them to switch to email, or just harass them a bit. Will wait until this weekend though so I can call at 3am or so. Smile

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:50 am

^^^
Go for it, Ook. If this is as widespread as the lotto one was, they have sent out thousands upon thousands of these fake cheques. Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:52 am

@ Ook - sounds like a great plan. If you do secure an email make sure you ask if some of your "friends" can also apply, via email Wink

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:55 am

^^^Of course but we will have to see what happens first.

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:36 am

Forgot to say:
Well done for spotting this, Logar! Your scamdar is operating at 110% Wink

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:35 am

The Postal Service might be interested in the details.

Of course that might mess up a bait...

Elite Baiter Joined: 11 Jul 2007 Posts: 1979

Mess up a bait?? OMG, this isn't internet fraud with illusive international criminals. This is a local fraud within boundaries that authorities have jurisdiction over. Why has no one suggested alerting police and media? There are clueless victims right now who are in possession of the same letter and fraudulent check that will be running to the bank first thing. Please, notify your police and postal authorities. This one has a paper trail to investigate and hopefully stop before someone innocent is financially ruined.

** ACCOUNT CLOSED ** Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Posts: 262

slick... problem being that all tho the mobile is canadian, it can be on roaming and also a clone. so they could be on the US or somewhere else.

where is the Moneygram going? that is the question. And yes i think it should be reported to the postal service and authorities.

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 10:45 am

^^^ While certainly possible, I'd say that is unlikely. Canada, particularly Toronto, is a well known hive for scammers. I am sure many on this board are familiar with the gangs themselves. I'd say run it past the postal authority, see if you can get them interested, and then hope for the best.

Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:46 pm

Make a copy of it, in case you decide to find a way to safely play with them later.

Then... TAKE THE ORIGINAL TO THE POSTAL POLICE.

True, they might not do anything... But postal mail, unlike email, is far more traceable. Your letter might be the piece of evidence that is used to break the ring just in time to save a victim who actually fell for it.

Remember. Everyone out there isn't as alert to this as we are...

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:41 am

Red pretty much nailed it. Reporting the scam to the authorities is, of course, a good idea; but Canadian cheque scammers cover themselves just like any other lads/vlads do: mobile phone numbers, free email accounts, mules to send the snail mails, etc. They are certainly not going to send anything traceable out to thousands of unscreened potential vics (some of whom might just be LEO).

Logar: take it to the postal inspectors; if they are interested, great! They might be able to spot and confiscate some of this crap before it's delivered. Other than that, the best way to warn potential victims is to either blog the entire letter, or post it on a scam victims' site that has escaped our Russian friends' attention.

Master Baiter Joined: 04 May 2007 Posts: 139

A woman in Dallas was taken for a ride on a very similar scam. The company simply wanted her to assess the quality of service at the MoneyGram office of a local Wal-Mart. She lost thousands on this scam. To find the news story, go to www.nbc5i.com click on News, County News, then look under Denton County.

[mod edit to fix the broken link - Zen]

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