[email protected] secret shopper

[Mellam]

Today I received a check for $1750 issued on Citibank routing #031100209 acct #38762924. It was accompanied with a letter telling me to deposit check into my account, go spend $50 at Walmart, submit report on customer service, keep $150, wire the rest ($1550 minus wire fee) via money gram, and submit report about money gram customer service. The transfer is to be sent to receiver Jason Wichert, city Fenton, state Michigan, zip 48430. The reports are to be submitted to [email protected]. The letter is from Craig Barnes. Bank info: Citibank, na, New York, NY, fc#00177 fa#033, 060-03 ck. ser.#112351115. That's all in upper left corner. Below my name it says Citibank na One Penns Way Newcastle DE 19730. It arrived via USPS priority mail with delivery confirmation. The sender is Monique Jackson, Monique Inc, 2047 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19120-1839. I am assuming this is a scam bc who sends strangers checks for $1750? Plus there are 3 different names used and no phone number. Anybody else dealing with this? I'm not sure what to do.

[Painful Truth]

It's a fake check scam. Do not deposit the check into your account. The check is fake, you'll lose the money you sent, have to pay back the bank, plus you can be held liable for criminal charges.

I highly suggest burning the check ASAP, and drop all contact with whomever you may have talked about this secret shopper scam.

[Mellam]

Thank you. I figured it was some kind of scam. I guess they hoped I would wire the money before the check bounced. I doubt my bank would even give me the money before it cleared. Do you know who I would contact to report this? I am unemployed and have been applying for jobs which I assume is how they got my info. It's disgusting that they prey on people like me who are barely surviving as it is.

[Painful Truth]

Depending on the country you live in, after several days banks must give you access to the amount written on the check. I believe it is so at least in United States. So you deposit the fake check, after few days you withdraw the money, spend 50$ for Walmart and wire the rest (minus the fees) to the scamming bastard.
Days or even weeks later when check bounces, you're held liable for check's worth + bank fees for depositing fraudulent check.

In your first post I see you mention that you received the check from someone and have this person's details. There is a possibility that this person is printing checks in belief that he/she has a genuine job. I would advise that you send PM to admins or mods of this site. Two admins are Jillian and Dotti (their usernames are of red color), and mods have their usernames in green. After passing off the info, they may investigate and see if this person really exists and warn the person in what danger he/she got himself into.

[TerranceBoyce]

You are spot on in everything you say Painful Truth and from what I can discover the address is a vacant lot.

The double risk in this type of scam is that the victim will lose money and is liable to end up in prison for fraud unless they can convince their bank/the police that they are victims too.

[Glory]

OMG... I am new to this and I received a check simular to yours. I deposited the check into my bank amd luckly my bank put a hold on the check. I told a friend what I did and he said, "No, it's a scam"! I will now have to call my bank to see what the procedures are to get this money out of my account. I never do this kind of stuff and thought it was real. Any advice is much appreciated.

[began steele]

Don't worry Glory. Just go to the bank ASP and let them know and explain it. Wrath of Bank won't descend on you since you were not to know.

[erik61]

I posted an antique for sale on Craigs List in Mpls/St. Paul, and got a text the next day from a guy whose area code is Pittsburgh (724-374-3821). Said he had to have my item, said he would send cashiers check by USPS priority. I told him I wanted a personal or business check, but he sent a cashiers check from Atlanta instead. It is a Citibank check, with the exact same routing and account number as the check described in this post (031100209/38762924).

He also sent more than the agreed amount and said I should cash it and use the excess to pay the shipper he is sending to pick up the item. All the security features of the check work EXCEPT there is no "VOID" when I made a color copy of it. Sender name on the USPS package was Steven Howard, but it's not like you have to show ID to send a USPS package. So what are the chances that a person in Pittsburg who wants an item posted on a Minneapolis for sale site sends on oversized cashiers check drawn on a Delaware Citibank processing center from Atlanta to pay for it? SCAM!!!!!!!