There was that little voice trying to warn me!

Home and Vacation Rentals

As I mentioned in the opening section of this volume, my son came upon a great deal on a home rental listing in an area in which he desired to live. In researching the listing, it became clear that the "would-be-landlord" was trying to rent a home that was not his, and was occupied. The apartment or home might be real (in which case, the scammer doesn't have the authority to lease it) or fictitious. The scammer could be a real landlord or, more likely, an impostor. Scammers typically try to get money from unsuspecting apartment hunters, then disappear. For example, a tenant who's vacating his apartment might decide to show it, pretending to be the landlord. He might lead all prospects to believe they're getting that apartment, and collect fees and security deposits upfront. Once the prospects realize they've been scammed, the scammer has usually vanished with their money. Some "red flags" might be a price lower (sometimes significantly lower) than similar rentals, some scammers will email you back to tell you they cannot show you the property because they are not in the area, but they promise to send the keys. Some ads will say they just want to get the apartment rented quickly so they are offering a lower price and won’t be showing the apartment. Some scammers are offering to show the property, and some will even schedule an appointment, but they won’t show up for the appointment. Aside from a standard fee for a credit report, a legitimate landlord won't insist on money before showing the home or apartment rental. Ask questions, verify their claims.

Avoid falling into this trap by learning the warning signs, and following common sense! Again, DUE DILIGENCE!

http://cyberscout.com/education/blog/how-to-spot-rental-scams-and-avoid-identity-theft

Wire Service Secret Shopper

Having lived much of my life in the retail management world, I believe I would be an awesome Secret Shopper. So, I applied to an online posting. Secret Shopper Service is a legitimate job. Businesses of all sizes and services engage their services.

The first email read...........

John Bussell <retailsurveys@icloud.com>

Mar 22

”Good Afternoon,  My name is John Bussell. We received your application to become a Mystery Shopper in your local area. I will be your Mystery Shopping coordinator. I'll walk you through and train you on your first survey assignment. Your application has been accepted and you have been shortlisted to participate in our forthcoming survey evaluation. It is my hope, that your addition to the fold will bring another edge and an heightened perspective to our surveys in your local city.
   Please acknowledge receipt of this email as soon as you read it. If you live in an apartment, please confirm apartment/suite number so your packet is delivered to the right address."

****************

My next contact email read as follows.......

"Evening! Its a pleasure having you survey your local city. Mystery shopping plays a pivotal role in business growth and effective customer service supervision. Our surveys take into consideration things we see everyday when we walk into a local grocery store, retail store and even hardware stores.
A few things to pay attention to:

1. Was there a greeter at the entrance? Did he/she have a genuine welcome message for you upon entry?
2. How clean was the store, organized/less than put together?
3. Did you visit the conveniences, how clean was it in there? Was it wet? How about the smell?
4. How well do you think whoever is serving you knows he or her job? Scale of 1-10.
5. How easy was your entire shopping process?
6. Do you feel you need to see a manager?
7. Did you run into one of those men or women who just don't think they should be at work that day or worse still think they're better than the job they currently hold? 

   Mystery shopping entails stepping into a supervisor's mind while remaining anonymous. You are the eyes of a business owner patronizing his/her business anonymously. You see what your workers do when your back's turned. We have all had a bad customer throw us off a business and I cannot describe enough how important and invaluable a secret shopper's work is. Your first assignment has been mailed out to deliver towards the middle of coming week. We commence our first survey shop upon delivery. If by Wednesday, coming week your packet isn't delivered, please send me an email to that effect. So we can have it expedited to you.

   Our surveys packets are mailed out with funds to cover your survey, your wage for said surveys, your survey specific instructions and survey parameters to look out for and work with when visiting said businesses. You never pay a fee out of pocket to run our surveys or spend your own money on our assignment. Your survey reports are to be submitted via email and should be submitted as soon as you complete your survey. Reports are to be submitted 30 minutes to 1 hour after the retails visit, when details of the visit are fresh and vivid in the mind. I am sure you'll have a good time completing your surveys.
John Bussel,  Mystery Shopping Coordinator
Affiliate Outsourcing LLC

Since it all appears clear and above board, where's the hook? Did you happen to notice the check way up there on the "table of contents" page? That was inside the envelop, along with instructions to cash the check at my bank, taking the cash into WalMart. My task...to evaluate the MoneyGram service at the store, also to perform a store evaluation. My  $2,430 in cash was to be wired via MoneyGram to two different individuals, one for $1,050 and one for $1, 030.  Including fees for MoneyGram, and my "shopper" purchases in the store, it would leave me around $350 cash for a very short workday!

Then, when the cashier's check bounces (and it will!) you are stuck holding the bag for $2,430 and no recourse! Once wired, it's gone! And you've likely spent the remaining cash, as well. I filed an Internet crime report with the FBI at www.ic3.gov.  I did submit the check to my bank...but not for deposit, but for fraud investigation. Your bank will appreciate you bringing it to them (as was recommended by my conversation with the folks at the FBI field office.)

The first time I received one of these several year ago, my wife was thrilled at the sudden windfall. She emotionally "spent" the money. She was very upset when I proved the fraud in the situation. All I had to do was to phone the issuing bank to learn of the attempted fraud.....a little dash of Due Diligence!  (Now, I scan the check and email it to the issuing bank's fraud department.)

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0053-mystery-shopper-scams