The "MS Network Inc" unsolicited email message below, which claims the recipients can earn extra money by becoming an online mystery shopper or shop-evaluator, is just one of the many phishing email messages sent by cybercriminals or online scammers to trick their potential victims into sending them their personal information. Therefore, recipients of unsolicited email messages like the one below, which ask for personal information, are asked to delete them and not follow the instructions in them.
A Sample of the "MS Network Inc Mystery-Shop Survey Assignment" Scam
From: team1aoffcs@wavebroadband.com <team1aoffcs@wavebroadband.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2018 11:17:44 AM
Subject: Recruitment Agent 2018
Welcome to Application of Mystery-Shop Survey Assignment,
We have a customer service survey assignment in your area,
We need to recruit Individuals to perform as a Shop-Evaluator.
As Evaluator, You will be assigned to visit a shopping stores, GAP, etc.,-
You will then share with us an online questionnaire detailing your customer experience,-
Complete the assignment and you will get $4OO-US for each assignment.
If you interested to receive the assignment, You will get Instructions via email for -
details the assignment and more Information.
For sign up, please respond by providing your information as requested below.
1. NAME:
2. ADDRESS (NOT PO.BOX):
3. CITY and STATE:
4. ZIP CODE:
5. COUNTRY:
6. PHONE:
7. CURRENT JOB:
Thank you for participation and being here with us.
Regards,
The SE official team
Copyright 2018 MS Network Inc. All rights reserved.
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.
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