Rightfully yours

I read in the newspaper the other day where a couple of local residents were “scammed” with check fraud.

The first person applied to be a “secret shopper” and was sent a check for $3700. The newspaper account stated the check was deposited into the person’s checking account, and I can only hope it was the victim that deposited it.

Disclosing personal bank information to unknown strangers is financial suicide, and I believe most banks require a form of identification when depositing money into an account to prevent unauthorized deposits that may later come back and bite the account owner.

However the check was deposited, the victim changed her mind about the offer and looked to return the check. She sent the full amount back to the sender via Western Union, and although her fund transfer via Western Union was legitimate, the check deposited into her account was bogus and bounced.

My daughter’s boyfriend recently was “selected to participate in a paid Customer Research Program. It was accompanied by a check drawn on the Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

The envelope is the first curious item. The envelope is from Canada, with a Canadian stamp. The postmark says “Fraud – Prevent it!” in English and French. With the Canadian postal code of M4L 3T0, it was evidently mailed from metropolitan Toronto. The printed address , although correct, looked like a child learning to write wrote it.

The envelope contained an official looking check for $3700, drawn by ProStaff, a national HR company (send in your resume) with a bona fide address of 50 South 10th St., Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN 55405. The company and address are real, but the zip code is actually 55403.

The check is drawn on the Wells Fargo Bank, N.A (the last period is missing on the bank name). The address on the check is Sixth and Marquette, Minneapolis, MN 55479. I looked up Wells Fargo locations, and although there is a branch near that intersection at 90 S. 7th St., Wells Fargo is inclined to list their offices with street addresses rather than intersections.

I did find there is a Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota N A at Sixth and Marquette, 55479, and it is an organization affiliated with Wells Fargo, but specializing in Trust, Private Banking, Private Client Services, and Investments. Checks drawn on that bank would read Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota N A and not Wells Fargo N.A (with a missing period)

With all the inconsistencies, this is shaping up to be very suspicious. If I were a business, I would not be sending out $3700 checks to people without a strict legal agreement.

Also inside the envelope, is a detailed letter that starts off “Dear Sir/Madam” – not very personal for a person selected to receive a $3700 check. It is followed by the bolded word Congratulation!!! – Only a single one it seems, not “congratulations” ending in ’s’ as we who speak the English language tend to produce it.

The letter heading is from Mystique Shopper Survey division with an address of 1617 Lonsdale Ave, North Van, CA (no zip code) Fax: 1806-398-2259. I looked up the Mystique Shopper LLC located at PO BOX 121001 Clermont, FL 34712, (813) 322-3228. I also did a review check on Mystique Shopper, and it seems to be a legitimate secret shopping company who has been an unwitting partner in a large “scam” (click hotlink to read news story) where the scammers are using Mystique’s name with a different address.

The email on the letterhead is: shoppersurvey@live.co.uk — an MSN Livemail based in the UK.

Of course, by this time, I am firmly convinced of the scam. The envelope is mailed from Canada, crudely hand addressed, the inconsistencies and tiny errors on the check, the different address from the legitimate company and the UK email address all point to postal fraud.

The setting of the hook comes when victims, who may be greedy for easy money or desperate to make money see the $3700 check. The terms say the secret shopper should spend $150 at Wal-Mart and $150 at Sears and keep the receipts. They should also have lunch at McDonald’s or Wendy’s and spend $50 as a lunch bonus with no receipt required.

The real kicker is that the victim must wire a Moneygram for $1500 and a Western Union transfer for $1400 to an address to be disclosed when the victim calls to start the process. To prevent the deposit of the check too early, the letter warns there is a “security code” on the check and instructions how to remove it will be given during the call.

Legitimacy is hinted at by using the heading of a legitimate company and a realistic-looking check drawn on a well-known bank.

Timing is everything here. The process starts with the phone call. Instructions are given how to deposit the check, and I’m sure that the spending should occur within a three-day window, after which the check will bounce. By this time, the $2900 for the Moneygram and Western Union will have been sent with real money from the victim’s account, and perhaps an extra day or two will be added if the victim does the Wal-Mart and Sears shopping first.

If the victim’s bank is dumb enough to accept the check without noticing some of the errors, we can also be sure they will disavow any responsibility when it bounces, except to pile enormous fees on the victim for the returned check.

If the victim kept the receipts for Wal-Mart and Sears, they can at least return those items for credit. It is my opinion that threatening the bank with filing a complaint with the State Banking Authority for knowingly accepting a fraudulent check will likely erase the fees.

So the victim is out $2900 plus lunch at McDonald’s or Wendy’s.

It’s a sad commentary that even when scammers are caught, they don’t feel guilty because they feel they are just taking an opportunity offered by greedy persons.

The very sending of a fraudulent offer through the US Postal Service carries extremely stiff criminal penalties, so the receipt of a scam should be reported. Many people are so embarrassed to have been taken, they keep it to themselves, and thus become an advocate of the scammer.

As for me, I don’t have $2900 in my account.

Another scam I read about concerns people who write checks, whether bills or donations and leave the envelope in their unsecured roadside mailbox for the postal person to pick up.

Unfortunately, the postal person is not the only one who looks in your unsecured mailbox. There is a growing trend of thieves who go through a neighborhood at night, checking all mailboxes with the flag raised and removing any mail waiting for the postal person.

There is a high probability there is a check inside, which can be altered through the use of chemicals which dissolve the ink, and cashed for a much higher amount. This is known as “check washing” using alcohol or acetone (paint thinner) to completely remove the ink.

Some simple steps to keep your checks safe are to use a Gel-based pen (difficult to wash off the ink), and to never leave a check in an unprotected mail pickup spot.