"M.S.P.A Online Research Customer Assignment" Scams
The unsolicited email message below, which claims the recipients will be paid $470 for a customer service survey assignment in their area, is just one of the many fake mystery survey scams being sent by cybercriminals or online scammers to their potential victims, to trick them into sending their personal information. Therefore, recipients of unsolicited email messages like the one below, which ask for personal information, are asked to delete and not follow the instructions in them.
A "M.S.P.A - Online Research Customer Assignment" Scam
From: database7@uniandes.edu.co
Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2017 04:33 p. m.
Subject: Welcome to M.S.P.A - Online Research
Hi,
We have a customer service survey assignments in your area, and we will pay $470/assignments. After you sign up, you will receive description of job assignment and have access the training material from us.
Provide the following information below to get started and we will get back shortly with an your assignments
* FULL-NAMES:
* Full Address:
* CITY:
* STATE:
* ZIP:
* Tel/Mobile Phone:
* AGE/GENDER:
Thank you for participation.
Regards,
Official Recruitment
01-Project.jpg
Scammers steal personal information from potential victims using bogus emails like the one above. Once they are in possession of their potential victims' personal information, the scammers will contact them and attempt to scam them or sell their information to other scammers.
Victims of these scams usually blame their banks, utility companies, ISPs or even the government, claiming they sold their information to the highest bidder, when in fact they were the ones who unknowingly gave the scammers their information when they fell for their phishing scams.
This is why online users are asked to be careful of messages which ask for personal information, especially the ones that promise quick money with little or no work. Scammers use the promise of quick money and get rich schemes to help lure potential victims into their traps.
Many of the mystery shopping scams that we have come across usually send potential victims fraudulent checks (cheque) and ask them to deposit them. The scammers will then ask the potential victims to take their share of the money from the fraudulent checks and send the balance to them. But, the checks will bounce and the potential victims will be responsible for paying the cost for processing the checks and paying back the money they have sent to the scammers; they may even get arrested.
Persons who have received the same checks are asked not to deposit them and report them to the police, and those who have already done so are asked to contact their banks immediately and let them know that they may have been a victim of the online mystery shopper scam.
Related articles:
- Mystery or Secret Shopping Check Cashing Scam
- Beware of Survey Shopping Offer Scams
- Mystery Shopper Scam - "We have a Shopping Assignment in your Area"
- Beware of "Walmart Freelance Market Research Analyst Application Form" Phishing Scam
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.