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Mystery Shopping question, Serious!?

I have known people to try mystery shopping and it sounded fun so I replied to email ad about it. They sent me my first assignment. I was sent 3 money orders for $860. I am supposed to cash them (evaluating my bank) then take out my $200 pay and transfer the balance via Western Union to two people in Manila, evaluating them as well.

This feels very suspect. I now, have $2580 in money orders in my name from some random people. I don't understand, if it were real, how they would not assume I would just cash it and run? Also, it was sent UPS from Fredrick's of Hollywood, in AZ. This all very weird.

If it is a scam, how does it work?

5 Answers

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  • Cookie
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    This is a huge scam and don't get caught up in it. If you look at the money orders very carefully you will see that they are not real. The people that do this are really good at making fake ones that look REAL!

    Take the money orders to the post office and they will tell you if they are real.

    You can take and put them into your bank account but please DO NOT take the cash out until your bank says the checks cleared, usually 3-7 days. You can check with the bank after 3 days and see if they clear.

    These people really make me mad because they take advantage of people who really need some extra cash, like older people an a fixed income (retirement) and they are having a hard time as it is and then they get this "offer" and they get all excited because they think they are going to make a little extra cash and they end up in trouble with the bank and have to pay the bank back and they really don't have a dime to spare!

    Please be very careful, if you want, put them in the bank but DO NOT take any money out until the bank verifies they are real. Otherwise you'll end up owing the bank $2,580.00 and someone in Hollywood is laughing all the way to the bank!

    Remember if it sounds too good to be true...IT IS!!

  • 1 decade ago

    Of course it's a scam.

    The money order is fake. When you sent off $660, your money is real. So you're out of $660 of your own money, and the bank will want that $200 you "kept" as well. AND you'll get investigated as a fraudster because it is YOU that cashed the fake money order. In fact, you may be hauled off to local slammer for a day or two.

    http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/...

    It's a standard scam. Don't fall for it. REAL mystery shopping don't advertise via spam e-mail.

  • 1 decade ago

    It's your standard mystery shopper scan. They are fake money orders, you wire them their money and then after the money orders bounce and your out all the money you just wired them. That's how they don't have to worry about you running off with the money.

  • Meg
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    Don't do it! They cancel the money orders and then you get overdrawn in your checking account! Sadly, many older people fall for this scam.

    Source(s): Western Union agent.
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  • 1 decade ago

    wicked scam! the scum. Do not comply!

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