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Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 6:09:23 PM
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ta_mosquito
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Normally I'm pretty scam-savvy, but this one has me confused. I smell scam; does anyone else?
Out of the blue, I got a letter from Dimension Research Inc. (www.dimensiongroupin.net) along with a check for $2500. My personal info and resume "was gathered at random through the Canada job bank and JobCanada with their expressed permission." (I haven't put my resume on the Canada Job Bank - I didn't think you could - and I haven't heard of JobCanada. I HAVE put my resume on workopolis.com.)
The job? It's supposed to be a mystery shopper thing - cash the check. $200 goes to me. Take the rest to a MoneyGram office and send money to Yolanda [my full last name], "a fictitious relative of yours residing in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Please note: You do not need a full address to send a MoneyGram transaction.)"
Then I'm supposed to fill out a survey that is enclosed with the letter and fax or scan and email the survey, MoneyGram receipt, and time sheet to them.
So, what do you think? Sounds like a scam to me - one of those "cash this check and send me the balance" scams. I don't recall ever putting any personal information AT ALL on the Canada Job Bank. The more I think about this, the more I think it's a scam.
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Tricia
"There's a fine line between being open-minded and empty-headed." ~Michael Coren
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 6:14:34 PM
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GroupW
Posts: 2904
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From: Up in the hills of Colorado (very BIG hills...)
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Yes, anytime you get a check (which gets deposited with a hold on it) and are asked to remit funds that have immediate availability (like a money transfer) it's a scam.
If you wanted to be sure, try opening a new bank account (in some other bank than who you currently deal with) and deposit the money. See what happens after 2 weeks. I'll bet you the $200 bucks it bounces.
BT
(Edit: Dont' deposit it in your current bank / current account. You probably want to minimize how much information gets passed on to folks via the micr-encoding on the back & front of the canceled check.)
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"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so." -Bertrand Russell
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 6:25:41 PM
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Ps103
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S.C.A.M.
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 6:30:04 PM
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GroupW
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I'm at a loss - it's unanimous. That's not supposed to happen here.
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“For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, elegant and wrong.” -H.L. Mencken
"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so." -Bertrand Russell
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 6:33:47 PM
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ta_mosquito
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From: from MN, now in Ontario :D
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LOL!!
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Tricia
"There's a fine line between being open-minded and empty-headed." ~Michael Coren
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 6:34:16 PM
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kernsfamily
Posts: 1359
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From: Dallas (originally Detroit)
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I JUST read about this sort of thing just the other day.....same set up (secret shopper organization and all)...
after you deposit the check...they scam the money (and more) out of you or someone else......
tomorrow if I remember, I'll try to find a link that describes how it's done.
but, yes, definite scam.
OH..here's something....
http://phoenix.about.com/od/scam1/a/mysteryshop.htm
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Blessed to have all of them in a "totally awesome" public elementary school!
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 6:35:01 PM
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ta_mosquito
Posts: 11446
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I'm wondering if I turn this over to the RCMP (I'm assuming that's who I'd turn it over to) if it would be helpful to them.
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Tricia
"There's a fine line between being open-minded and empty-headed." ~Michael Coren
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 7:43:08 PM
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manda59
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito
Out of the blue, I got a letter from Dimension Research Inc. (www.dimensiongroupin.net) along with a check for $2500. My personal info and resume "was gathered at random through the Canada job bank and JobCanada with their expressed permission."
If you look at that website, it's very basic, with no links anywhere, and on the "Contact Us" page there is nothing, not an address, not a phone number.
What they're doing is effectively impersonating a genuine research company, with the same name - their website is http://www.dimensionresearch.com/ (HERE) - very comprehensive and detailed website with FULL contact details.
You may wish to bring the bogus company to their attention - the real Dimension Research's Legal Department might be VERY interested to know what they are doing, giving Dimension Research a bad name, apart from anything else.
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doinkdom, October 2008
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 8:52:49 PM
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WhiteRoseBlessings
Posts: 26134
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quote:
The job? It's supposed to be a mystery shopper thing - cash the check. $200 goes to me. Take the rest to a MoneyGram office and send money to Yolanda [my full last name], "a fictitious relative of yours residing in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Please note: You do not need a full address to send a MoneyGram transaction.)" In addition to it being a scam, they're also asking to people to lie.
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 9:57:33 PM
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blessedinnyc
Posts: 1951
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My plan was actually to use that $2500 check to help out MR. TAOFEEK MBEKI, a DIPLOMAT from NIGERIA who NEEDS TO GET HIS MONEY OUT OF THE COUNTRY USING MY BANK ACCOUNT.
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/9/2008 11:00:34 PM
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ta_mosquito
Posts: 11446
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From: from MN, now in Ontario :D
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quote:
You may wish to bring the bogus company to their attention - the real Dimension Research's Legal Department might be VERY interested to know what they are doing, giving Dimension Research a bad name, apart from anything else.
True! I never thought of doing that.
I didn't peruse the bogus web site, but I did get enough info to decide they were a scam.
quote:
My plan was actually to use that $2500 check to help out MR. TAOFEEK MBEKI, a DIPLOMAT from NIGERIA who NEEDS TO GET HIS MONEY OUT OF THE COUNTRY USING MY BANK ACCOUNT.
ROFLOL!!
_____________________________
Tricia
"There's a fine line between being open-minded and empty-headed." ~Michael Coren
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/10/2008 9:03:25 AM
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Row1
Posts: 247
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quote:
DIPLOMAT from NIGERIA
...that is too funny!!
I got one of those Nigerian scams.
I got the one where someone had figured out that, legally, I was somehow the legal inheritor of some great fortune. The csammer would help me get my money.
They told me to contact a 'barrister" (lawyer) in some city in Nigeria.
I googled "barrister" and whatever city - Lagos or whatever. So, I found names of lawyers in the same town. I picked one law firm that looked really big and legit.
I wrote back to the scammers and told them:
1. I already knew I was supposed to get this intheritance, and
2. I already had a lawyer! Mr. So-And-So, Esq. on whatever street - from this actual law firm!
I never heard from the scammers after that!
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/10/2008 9:06:54 AM
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Row1
Posts: 247
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Hi - I vote "scam " also.
I actually was a 'secret shopper' back in the 90s. For Taco Cabana. I answered an ad, and told them about my retail work experience.
They set me up to secretly review two or three Taco Cabanas per week. No big deal - I just had early breakfast on the way to work, or had dinner on the way home.
I submitted receipts and got reimbursed.
So, the MOST I could have gotten cheated was the cost of a fast-food meal.
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/10/2008 9:59:44 AM
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kernsfamily
Posts: 1359
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From: Dallas (originally Detroit)
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quote:
...that is too funny!!
I got one of those Nigerian scams.
I got the one where someone had figured out that, legally, I was somehow the legal inheritor of some great fortune. The csammer would help me get my money.
They told me to contact a 'barrister" (lawyer) in some city in Nigeria.
I remember some reporters on "Dateline NBC" or somewhere....actually went through with a few of the "Nigerian" scams....went overseas (to somewhere in Europe, I believe)....met with them "face to face" (playing along as if THEY were the "victim" in the scam).....you should've seen the looks on their faces when they said, at the end "Iam not really who I said I was....Iam 'so and so'....from NBC news".......VERY INTERESTING
_____________________________
Proud dad of 3 great girls....Erin, Emilie and Elise
Blessed to have all of them in a "totally awesome" public elementary school!
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/10/2008 11:15:29 AM
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BJinWA
Posts: 90
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i was lucky enough to get an email regarding such a situation-----it promised me $500,000,000,000.00 and then spelled out Five Hundred Million Dollars. I think their fingers must have stuttered.
Quickly i recognized the scam. LOL
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/11/2008 2:25:22 PM
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dawgfan42
Posts: 5546
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From: Cleveland now in Honolulu..
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That I think settles it... It is a SCAM. Whenever you get some unsolicited large sum of money promised by sending them a deposit or some fee.. Or if they have to do business by a cell phone. Or I have gotten e-mails (span scams) where there is an enourmus (sp) amount of money involved,and I just delete them...
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/11/2008 7:10:37 PM
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Pamsy
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I just saw on our local news aobut some people from canada targeting old folks claiming to be there grandsons and saying they needed money wired to get home, or wherever.
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/13/2008 11:40:54 AM
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BlueAdept
Posts: 98
Joined: 4/18/2005
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Any time you have someone sending you money and asking you to send any part of in on to someone else, think SCAM.
I recall even hearing about someone in the US being arrested at a bank, when ASKING if the check was good. He was the vicitm of the scam, and the bank made a huge mess out of it. This poor guy spent a large amount of cash to defend himself, and in the long run I don't think the bank ever appologized for their role in the mess.
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/13/2008 12:47:35 PM
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ta_mosquito
Posts: 11446
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From: from MN, now in Ontario :D
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Wow, Blue. How sad.
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Tricia
"There's a fine line between being open-minded and empty-headed." ~Michael Coren
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/14/2008 11:19:58 AM
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GroupW
Posts: 2904
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From: Up in the hills of Colorado (very BIG hills...)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: kernsfamily
quote:
...that is too funny!!
I got one of those Nigerian scams.
I got the one where someone had figured out that, legally, I was somehow the legal inheritor of some great fortune. The csammer would help me get my money.
They told me to contact a 'barrister" (lawyer) in some city in Nigeria.
I remember some reporters on "Dateline NBC" or somewhere....actually went through with a few of the "Nigerian" scams....went overseas (to somewhere in Europe, I believe)....met with them "face to face" (playing along as if THEY were the "victim" in the scam).....you should've seen the looks on their faces when they said, at the end "Iam not really who I said I was....Iam 'so and so'....from NBC news".......VERY INTERESTING
NPR carried a segment where two guys here in the US used the same scam techniques to convince the scammers to travel to some backwoods town in some awful part of Africa to collect on a fictitious wire transfer. It was both amusing and disturbing at the same time.
The interesting thing was that even the people that USE these techniques can be taken in by them and be deceived themselves. So anyone that's ever been taken in by one of these scams can at least rest easy with the assurance that even the people using these techniques - and more than anyone else should know better - still get taken.
_____________________________
“For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, elegant and wrong.” -H.L. Mencken
"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so." -Bertrand Russell
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/14/2008 11:23:21 AM
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laura...
Posts: 2858
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From: NE Ohio
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quote:
ORIGINAL: ta_mosquito
I'm wondering if I turn this over to the RCMP (I'm assuming that's who I'd turn it over to) if it would be helpful to them.
Here in the USA turn it over to the Postmaster General. It's a federal crime to use the USPS for such scams. Is there an equivelant in Canada?
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This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ Jer 6:16
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RE: Is This A Scam? - 10/14/2008 3:54:43 PM
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BlueAdept
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Here is a link to part of it. http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb/shownotes/2006/09/25/11491/
And here is a breif recap of what happened.
In December 2005, a San Francisco man named Matthew Shinnick was mistakenly arrested at a Bank of America branch when he attempted to negotiate a fraudulent check he received from a buyer responding to a Craigslist ad. After Bank of America declined to pay Mr. Shinnick's legal fees, reported to be $14,000, consumer advocate and radio personality Clark Howard publicized the case on the air.
I recall hearing about this, and I was pretty amazed by it. BOA (MBNA now) still has no way to verify the check you have is legit, so it could happen again.
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I'm leaning more and more towards "scam." 
