I got crooked into the same western union scam as above. My bank returned the $1990.00 check as fraud & I got charged a $50.00 Fee. What can be done about this? I am attempting to report it to Craigslist as a scam but fear nothing else can be done. I hate scammers!

Hello Survey Agent ,
Payment included in this envelope is made out to you in respect of the Mystery Shopper Offer You applied for.You are advised to read the instructions below carefully to understand the procedures. The payment in the envelope covers your first assignment
which you're to deduct $200 as your pay for completing your assignment and your report should be sent to Westbrookefirm@gmail.com
Your First Assignment:Evaluate a Western Union store near you by sending funds to a receiving secret shopper.There have been reports about lapses in the services of their Management and some of their staffs.
The complaints are based on reports which their customers forwarded anonymously and Phone calls which were also made to the head office.
These reports Include:
I)  Unqualified Staff
II)  Slow services
III) Loss of Money
IV)  Rude Attendants
V)   Excess charge
VI)  Late opening hours and closing before time
The FEDex envelope contains a total payment of $1990.You are to cash the Check at your Bank { If your bank doesn't give you the cash immediately,deposit it and complete the assignment tomorrow }.Deduct $200 for the Secret Shopper Assignment salary,you will have $1790.
Make use of $150 for the Western Union  (USE THE 10 MINUTE SERVICE ).
You are required to send a total of $1620 to our receiving Survey agent via Western Union Money Transfer.
The name of the agent you will be sending the transactions to :
NAME : Justin Simmons
ADDRESS : 2196 W Landis Ave
 CITY   : Clayton
STATE   : NJ
 ZIP CODE 08360
During this assignment which requires you to have the Check cashed at your bank and if your bank can't cash immediately, please deposit the funds and wait for it to clear.
Once you have the cash, go ahead to complete the assignment by sending the remaining funds at any local Western Union Money Transfer location in your area.
You are expected to SECRETLY perform the following survey operation:
GUIDELINES
-Smartness of the attendant
-Customer service professionalism
-Reaction of personnel under pressure
-Information that you think would be helpful
-Your comments and impressions.
You are expected to have this done ASAP and email me back your results with the following information after you have wired the funds.
1. Exact Senders Name on the Western Union receipt :
2. MTCN (1O Digits) :
3. Exact Amount Wired :
I will be waiting to read from you ASAP with the requested report and transfer details. Your pay would increase after every completed assignment.
Should you have any other questions or need more Instructions as to your first assignment send me an email back right away.
NOTE : IF YOU CAN COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENT WITHIN 24HOURS , YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO A BONUS OF $100 WHICH WILL BE INCLUDED WITH YOUR PAY FOR YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT.
I await your prompt response
Sherman Westbrooke
Task Coordinator
Phone : 213-784-0284
Text : 213-784-0284
Email : Westbrookefirm@GMAIL.COM
Time: 24 Hours daily by e-mail

I received an email confirmation this morning from hub_duke2000013@hotmail.com informing me that I would be receiving a check for $1972 by USPS today (12/04/12) with instructions to go to the bank, deposit it and withdraw funds for a shopping assignment to Wal-Mart and then forward the remaining money to Lyudmila Volodarsky in Sherman Oaks, CA the amount of $1700.  I just got a bad feeling when reading the instructions completely and plan not to do this.  I also tried calling this phone # several times with "leave a message" and no person to talk with.  I am sure that this is a scam like everyone else and feel really foolish for even attempting to do this.  I just wanted to make some extra money.  I guess the best thing is what my father told me many years ago "you have to work for what you get".

I want to know if this nnumber is ligit. 1 408-256-8669. Where is area code 408 located? Is the business name Lichang Secret Shopper? Could you also let me know if this email is correct? jobsssss009@aol.com

Well my message was like the last person from a chwin008@orthodontist.net they were on craigslist and saw the bed I was selling. They agreed to purchase it and sent me a check for $2350, I asked them why they sent so much and they said it was a mistake on the secretaries part and to cash the check and send the remainder of the money to:

Patricia Domme
900 SW tyler street
Topeka
KS
66605

They said to write back with the western union details, the exact amount sent to the shipper(patricia domme), and the time to pick up the bed.

The check was from a company called:
Somali Connections LLC
400 Litchfield ave sw ste 1
Willmar, MN 56201

So I received the same email, but from a different person. A Melissa Anderson. I decided to forward it to my boyfriend. He works for the Metro Police here in TN. Hoping they put a stop to these scammers!

ATTN ; Esteemed Mystery Shopper,

Sorry for the delay in getting your first assignment to you. You would be receiving the funds for your 1st survey assignment today via usps. Please make sure you wait at home to receive the package. usps may ring your bell or just leave the package at your front door/Porch, so please look out for it. You are required to follow the instructions carefully and get back to me asap with the survey results.

The usps package contains a total payment of $2500 . You are to cash the check at your bank, deduct $300 as your bonus for working with us, you will have $2200 left. Make use of $150 for your transportation & Western Union Charges. You are required to send a total of $2050 to another Undercover Surveyor in another location (where a customer reported her funds missing) via Western Union Money Transfer so he can carry out another survey. You are to send the money as money in minutes and the receiver should be paid in US Dollars.

Here is the name of the Secret Shopper in another location which you would be sending the funds to:

Names..patricia Domme
address ...900 SW Tyler Street
city...Topeka
state...kansas
zipcode...66605

===YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT===
During this assignment which requires you to have the check cashed at your bank before proceeding to wire the remaining funds at any local Western Union Money Transfer location in your area, You are expected to secretly perform the following survey operation:

1. How fast and Efficient is the Western Union Money Transfer Service?
2. How long does it take you to have the funds wired?
3. How Close is the Western Union Money Transfer Location to your area?
4. Is the Senders Request Form too short or Long?

You are expected to have this done today and email me back your results with the following information after you have wired the funds.

1. Name and Address of Sender
2. Money Transfer Control Number(10 digits)
3. Amount Wired

I will be waiting to read from you ASAP with the requested transfer details. Your pay would increase after every completed assignment.

thanks to this site SCAM!!!

Hello and good morning,
sorry for getting back to you a little bit behind schedule, we re trying to make sure everything is on track from our end here. Anyway, no doubt about it, you will receive your first check this morning and you will embark on your first task with us. Below is the tracking details of the payment and instructions, please do read very well so as not to make mistakes.

Finally, the payment will be delivered to your address this morning Friday. Here is the tracking number for confirmation 8757 2482 0868 www.fedex.com/us.

Here is your assignment : Firstly, you are required to take this payment straight to your bank (not cashing store) and have it cashed within 24hrs and note that there's a bonus and additional salary increment if your assignment can be completed within this 24hrs timing. On the other hand, you can have it deposited if you know you can't get the money at once.  

Remember, efficient and reliable shoppers get's the best assignments and more frequent task. AGAIN YOU ARE TO TAKE THE PAYMENT TO YOUR FINANCIAL INSTITUTION (BANK) to have the payment cashed out at your bank. Please make sure that you have highlighted the Western Union Location in your area before leaving for your assignment.
After cashing the payment, you are to immediately proceed to any Western Union agent location closest to you and make your evaluation.

Here, we'll be using our company feed-back mechanism ; therefore you will be sending out funds through  Western Union to our receiving agent in London, United Kingdom (UK) . This will allow you to carry out your evaluation process at Western Union as you are to deduct your duty pay of USD $290.00  and have the rest of the money sent to the name and information of our agent in London, United Kingdom (UK) to the information below.

Your Secret Evaluation at Western Union:

1. You'll have to record the time at which you got to the western union location and how many minutes it took you to get your service?


2. What are the western union features?
3. How long it took you to get services?

4. Ambiance/Outlook of the Shop/Outlet?
5. Smartness of the attendant?
6. Customer service professionalism?
7. We want to know the kind of services rendered at the Western Union.
8. You will make a wire transfer of fund from a Western Union location in your area to our Mystery shopper in London, United Kingdom (UK), with the details below.

Note : You are to also deduct the transfer charge from the total balance and ensure money is available for pick up instantly, send by via money in minute transfer.
HERE IS THE INFORMATION,

Name :         DAVID SMITH
Address :      654 OLD KENT ROAD
City:             STOCKWELL
State:           LONDON
Postcode:    SE15 4TT
Country:       UNITED KINGDOM

Kindly provide me with the following details after funds have been transferred to the Agent's information Which is above :

THE 10 DIGIT MTCN FROM WESTERN UNION :  The Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) is the 10 digit number on the Western Union Receipt.

Sender's Name as its on the receipt :
Sender's address as its on the receipt :
Receiver's Name as its on the receipt :
10 digit # (From Western Union)


Again after cashing the payment at your bank, you are to look for a Western Union location around you and make the wire transfer to the information above. Your report should also be drafted and sent to us via email immediately the transfer is made. Which means after the transfer you will immediately go to your computer and send the transaction details.

Note : The receiver would require the information above to help have the funds picked up. Your timely response will ensure swift delivery of another job. The more active you are, the more assignments you get and payment you receive weekly. You have your chance to prove you can handle assignments now.

Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression, make sure you completely understand the instructions for this particular assignment. Be impartial and focus on accuracy.
I will be waiting to hear from you soonest.
Thanks.

got a call from our friend paul james. sent me a check for 6g's. Glad I looked all of this up. Glad there is so much being done to get mr james busted. NOT

I have recieved the same emails. Just today 04/28/2010 I was told the check would be sent via UPS. After reading the email I immediately got online and looked at the BBB and could not find any information. I then put the phone number that was given to me into the search engine and got all the information needed. I'm really angry because it seems no one and nothing can be trusted anymore. I wish the guy bed luck and I pray that he is caught soon.

Ok, when I took the check to the bank the MGR took the check and told me he'd submit it to the faud dept.
They showed me that if you lick your finger and run it over the account numbers that the ink smears. They explained that all checks have metallic ink and shouldn't smear. Maybe the check was printed on a home printer.

I got the same email. He actually sent me a check UPS for $980.50 and I took it to my Bank Manager. I hope they catch this guy.
Paul James called me this morning from the same number 408-256-8669, and asked if I had gotten the check. He had an accent, I'm no linguist but maybe he was Asian-American? Not quite sure. He asked if I received the check, I said no. I asked him if he had the correct address, he rattled off my address but I couldn't quite understand him, and so I repeated the numbers to my address. As soon as I did so he said "can I call you back?" and hung up.  I called him twice today and he hasn't responded.

He sent me a chk too this Paul James and when I called back it went to an generic answering service. So then I get an call back from him and he doesnt say anything and he waits for me to say hello. I knew it was a scam from the beginning but when he sent me a chack it waa time to go to the authorities
Dear Mystery Shopper ,

How are you doing this morning? Hope you had a wonderful night rest. Sorry for the delay in your assignment, we were trying to resolve some issues but we are done with them now. You will be receiving payment for your  first mystery shopping assignment on the 6th of October 2009 .You will be getting a check for $1050.89 .  As soon as you receive the check, take it to your Financial Institution (Bank) and have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds so you can carry out your assignment. You will be a secret shopper at Wal-Mart stores and also make a transaction at a Western Union outlet . You will write a report about their customer services then you will send your report back to me via Email , you are 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.


Please do check your locality for Wal-Mart and Western Union Outlet you do wish to evaluate, you can check for close-by Wal-Mart store and Western Union Outlet in your locality at www.Walmart.com and www.westernunion.com respectively Email me with the name and address of the Wal-Mart and Western Union location you will be evaluating .

As soon as you confirm the delivery of the Check , take the check to your financial institution (Bank) to have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds , deduct your $200 for your payment as you would be paid on every information you submit.

Remember: Any item you purchase from the Wal-Mart store should be kept by you for your personal use since we are only interested in the accurate information from your survey. You are to make a purchase of any electronic item worth $100 (to be kept by you) plus your $200 duty fee to make it a total of $300 .

You would send the rest funds via Western Union to the following address. And our mystery shopper in Georgia would pick the funds up from the location where two customers have reported their money missing.


SEND TO:
Susan Greene
4485 carriage park drive
Roswell
GA 30075


You would provide me with the following information.
Senders full name and address (you are to be the sender)
Total amount sent.
10 digit Money transfer number .


The funds would be picked up and sent back to you immediately. You would be given a location to pick it up, upon picking the funds up you would use the money for the next assignment and you get paid again, and you provide some more information on the services.


Regards

Paul James
408-256-8669

Dear Mystery Shopper ,

How are you doing this morning? Hope you had a wonderful night rest. Sorry for the delay in your assignment, we were trying to resolve some issues but we are done with them now. You will be receiving payment for your  first mystery shopping assignment on the 6th of October 2009 .You will be getting a check for $1050.89 .  As soon as you receive the check, take it to your Financial Institution (Bank) and have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds so you can carry out your assignment. You will be a secret shopper at Wal-Mart stores and also make a transaction at a Western Union outlet . You will write a report about their customer services then you will send your report back to me via Email , you are 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.


Please do check your locality for Wal-Mart and Western Union Outlet you do wish to evaluate, you can check for close-by Wal-Mart store and Western Union Outlet in your locality at www.Walmart.com and www.westernunion.com respectively Email me with the name and address of the Wal-Mart and Western Union location you will be evaluating .

As soon as you confirm the delivery of the Check , take the check to your financial institution (Bank) to have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds , deduct your $200 for your payment as you would be paid on every information you submit.

Remember: Any item you purchase from the Wal-Mart store should be kept by you for your personal use since we are only interested in the accurate information from your survey. You are to make a purchase of any electronic item worth $100 (to be kept by you) plus your $200 duty fee to make it a total of $300 .

You would send the rest funds via Western Union to the following address. And our mystery shopper in Georgia would pick the funds up from the location where two customers have reported their money missing.


SEND TO:
Susan Greene
4485 carriage park drive
Roswell
GA 30075


You would provide me with the following information.
Senders full name and address (you are to be the sender)
Total amount sent.
10 digit Money transfer number .


The funds would be picked up and sent back to you immediately. You would be given a location to pick it up, upon picking the funds up you would use the money for the next assignment and you get paid again, and you provide some more information on the services.


Regards

Paul James
408-256-8669

I could not find any information at BBB either, I have received calls from this # but when I answer no one is there but I have been getting these emails, like this one. If there is a check at my home I'm going to turn it in to the authorities.



Dear Mystery Shopper ,

How are you doing this morning? Hope you had a wonderful night rest. Sorry for the delay in your assignment, we were trying to resolve some issues but we are done with them now. You will be receiving payment for your  first mystery shopping assignment on the 6th of October 2009 .You will be getting a check for $1050.89 .  As soon as you receive the check, take it to your Financial Institution (Bank) and have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds so you can carry out your assignment. You will be a secret shopper at Wal-Mart stores and also make a transaction at a Western Union outlet . You will write a report about their customer services then you will send your report back to me via Email , you are 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.


Please do check your locality for Wal-Mart and Western Union Outlet you do wish to evaluate, you can check for close-by Wal-Mart store and Western Union Outlet in your locality at www.Walmart.com and www.westernunion.com respectively Email me with the name and address of the Wal-Mart and Western Union location you will be evaluating .

As soon as you confirm the delivery of the Check , take the check to your financial institution (Bank) to have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds , deduct your $200 for your payment as you would be paid on every information you submit.

Remember: Any item you purchase from the Wal-Mart store should be kept by you for your personal use since we are only interested in the accurate information from your survey. You are to make a purchase of any electronic item worth $100 (to be kept by you) plus your $200 duty fee to make it a total of $300 .

You would send the rest funds via Western Union to the following address. And our mystery shopper in Georgia would pick the funds up from the location where two customers have reported their money missing.


SEND TO:
Susan Greene
4485 carriage park drive
Roswell
GA 30075


You would provide me with the following information.
Senders full name and address (you are to be the sender)
Total amount sent.
10 digit Money transfer number .


The funds would be picked up and sent back to you immediately. You would be given a location to pick it up, upon picking the funds up you would use the money for the next assignment and you get paid again, and you provide some more information on the services.


Regards

Paul James
408-256-8669

Hello, I just have a question. I have received an email from Paul James stating that this position is for an administrative assistant. My duties would be that he would send a check through ups, I am supposed to go to the bank and cash it then keep 8% and send the rest western union to a name and address that he provided. How did you find out more information on him? I went to the Better Business Bureau and could find nothing about his company.

I just got a check in the mail from a paul james.  He sent an email confirming that he sent the check.  I have been getting checks since yesterday one sent thru ups the other today from fedex. Dear Mystery Shopper ,

how are you doing this morning? Hope you had a wonderful night rest. Sorry for the delay in your assignment, we were trying to resolve some issues but we are done with them now. You will be receiving payment for your  first mystery shopping assignment on the 9th of September 2009 .You will be getting a check for $1990.  As soon as you receive the check, take it to your Financial Institution (Bank) and have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds so you can carry out your assignment. You will be a secret shopper at Walmart stores and also make a transaction at a Western Union outlet . You will write a report about their customer services then you will send your report back to me via Email , you are 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.


Please do check your locality for Walmart and Western Union Outlet you do wish to evaluate, you can check for close-by Walmart store and Western Union Outlet in your locality at www.Walmart.com and www.westernunion.com respectively Email me with the name and address of the Walmart and Western Union location you will be evaluating .

As soon as you confirm the delivery of the Check , take the check to your financial institution (Bank) to have it deposited and make an instant withdrawal of funds , deduct your $200 for your payment as you would be paid on every information you submit.

Remember: Any item you purchase from the Wal-Mart store should be kept by you for your personal use since we are only interested in the accurate information from your survey. You are to make a purchase of any electronic item worth $100 (to be kept by you) plus your $200 duty fee to make it a total of $300 .

You would send the rest funds via Western Union to the following address. And our mystery shopper in New York would pick the funds up from the location where two customers have reported their money missing.


SEND TO:
Susan Greene
4485 carriage park drive
Roswell
GA 30075


You would provide me with the following information.
Senders full name and address (you are to be the sender)
Total amount sent.
10 digit Money transfer number .


The funds would be picked up and sent back to you immediately. You would be given a location to pick it up, upon picking the funds up you would use the money for the next assignment and you get paid again, and you provide some more information on the services.


Regards

Paul James
408-256-8669

I would like to help assist in putting a stop to scams and also getting these fake checks being sent to me.

Thanks,

Erica Avant

A victim in our city got caught up in the secret shopper scam from Craigs List. She is out of $2640.00 from her account. The suspect identified himself as Paul James with the email address of ismshoppersguideonline@yahoo.com.hk. The email is out of Hong Kong and the phone number is out of San Jose CA.  See this article also: Rip-off Report: Paul James - Catagena Sales Payroll Officer SCAM