Today I received an offer to mystery shop for the holiday season. I was thrilled as I do consulting for work. I was thinking of all the bills I could pay off and and still have money for Christmas and the New Year.
The letter comes from RETAIL TRACKING MARKET RESEARCH Mystery Shopping / Consulting, located in Niagara Falls, NY. There is no street address only P.O. Box 2808 However the postmark on the envelope comes from postescanada.ca with a Canandian stamp.
The letter states that this could become a permanet part - time job making 480.00 a week after working for RTMR for 3 months. With an increase to 510.00 a week after 6 months. The first evaluation is for McDonald's, Burger King, Shell Gas Station, Timberland Store, Radio Shack, Bloomingdales, The Gap and Banna Republic. The second evaluation is for Western Union or Money Gram.
First they ask you to pose as a customer at one of the stores and spend $120.00. Then you will be trained in finacial transactions by sending a Western Union or Money Gram to our training agents in those locations. Estella Parvilus in Hollywood CA, Maria Repasky in Los Angeles, CA and Kim Lee in Encino, CA. Or any City or State specified by their Accounts Manager.
They ask you to fax your shopping receipts and call with the Western Union or Money Gram reference number.
To accept the offer they ask you to fill out a sheet of paper with all your contact info and fax it to them and then deposit the check included.
The offer was very suspicious since it included a Cashier's check for 3,899.00. The check appears very real and is issued by C Plant Federal Credit Union in Paducah KY. (which I pulled up on the web.) The check is signed but no name is typed undeneath. The letter is from a Linda Fogg Directer of Operations/Employment.
The letter states the check is broken down as follows:
Probationary training pay 380.00
Required fund to be transfered 3,230.00
Service charges 169.00
Funds need for shopping 120.00
Total 3,899.00
The letter states that these funds are only to be used for the evaluations not for personal use. That only the salary is to be used for personal use. The offer expires on Dec. 20 which was the day I received it. But the letter is dated Dec. 3.
After reading this letter, I found on usacomplaints.com similar reports under different names. Look at the reports for Reward Program Of America, Jamaica, NY and you will see the amount of the check is the same as some. The bank and remitter are the same. The Canadian post mark is the same.
This offer is too good to be true and very disheartening for us Independant Contractors. These contracts are our livelihood. These people should be stopped.
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