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Is this a scam?

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  • 02-08-2012 2:42pm
    #1
    throwaway2012
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭


    I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else - a company called Survey Century e-mailed me after I placed an ad for work on gumtree. They claimed they'd employ me as a "survey representative" to run surveys on several companies like money transfer companies. So they ask for my name, address, mobile number, and I send it, just to see what happens.
    So they e-mailed me back saying they have my first assignment and they're sending me a cheque for several thousand £s, of which they said I should lodge in my own account, can take a €380 fee from, and use the balance to transfer money through a money transfer company like Western Union/Moneygram. Then the cheque actually arrived today - with my name on it, with several thousand £s on it, and they're saying I should lodge it into my account. I don't understand! Has anyone else heard of this type of this before?
    I'm very curious!!
    Tagged:


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    #2
    TelePaul
    Registered Users Posts: 4,093 ✭✭✭TelePaul


    throwaway2012 wrote: »
    I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else - a company called Survey Century e-mailed me after I placed an ad for work on gumtree. They claimed they'd employ me as a "survey representative" to run surveys on several companies like money transfer companies. So they ask for my name, address, mobile number, and I send it, just to see what happens.
    So they e-mailed me back saying they have my first assignment and they're sending me a cheque for several thousand £s, of which they said I should lodge in my own account, can take a €380 fee from, and use the balance to transfer money through a money transfer company like Western Union/Moneygram. Then the cheque actually arrived today - with my name on it, with several thousand £s on it, and they're saying I should lodge it into my account. I don't understand! Has anyone else heard of this type of this before?
    I'm very curious!!

    Sounds very suspect! I'd report it to the Guards


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    #3
    shanered
    Registered Users Posts: 1,117 ✭✭✭shanered


    Could be a money laundering or some kind of scam, did you check if they are a registered company, dunno but sounds dodgy tlo me...


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    #4
    endofrainbow
    Registered Users Posts: 2,663 ✭✭✭endofrainbow


    It's a common scam. Cheque arrives, you take your commission and wire the balance back to them.....cheque bounces......


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    #5
    Hilly Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Sounds like money laundering but ye its a scam.


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    #6
    AnonoBoy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,559 ✭✭✭✭AnonoBoy


    Normally if it occurs to you to ask, "Is this a scam?" then it is.


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    #7
    Itsdacraic
    Registered Users Posts: 2,361 ✭✭✭Itsdacraic


    throwaway2012 wrote: »
    I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else - a company called Survey Century e-mailed me after I placed an ad for work on gumtree. They claimed they'd employ me as a "survey representative" to run surveys on several companies like money transfer companies. So they ask for my name, address, mobile number, and I send it, just to see what happens.
    So they e-mailed me back saying they have my first assignment and they're sending me a cheque for several thousand £s, of which they said I should lodge in my own account, can take a €380 fee from, and use the balance to transfer money through a money transfer company like Western Union/Moneygram. Then the cheque actually arrived today - with my name on it, with several thousand £s on it, and they're saying I should lodge it into my account. I don't understand! Has anyone else heard of this type of this before?
    I'm very curious!!

    Don't do it.
    I can't remember the exact gist of it, but I think you cash the cheque into your account, you send them the balance, but internal banking fraud checks can take days to complete so once the bank discover the cheque is fake they come back to you and demand (or debit) the full amount of the cheque from your account.


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    #8
    Miaireland
    Registered Users Posts: 4,064 ✭✭✭Miaireland


    This is a scam. A friend of mine got caught with something similar in the UK. I can't remember all the detail but I think she lodged the cheque. Sent the money via Western Union. The Bank came back to her and said the cheque false/reported stolen/ forged. The bank removed the value of the cheque from her account. She lost outon the amount she sent via western union.

    If it seems too good to be true it normally is.

    Why would any company send a cheque to a random stranger they found on the net.


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    #9
    ABajaninCork
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,411 ✭✭✭ABajaninCork


    *Sings to the tune of the Spam song* Scam, scam, scam, scam....

    Leg it OP!! :D


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    #10
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,222 ✭✭✭✭biko


    It's a version of a well know Nigerian scam.


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    #11
    throwaway2012
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭throwaway2012


    Thanks! To be honest I knew it was too good to be true but was really curious as to how they'd get the money off me!
    Might report it to the Gardaí yeah?


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    #12
    endofrainbow
    Registered Users Posts: 2,663 ✭✭✭endofrainbow


    just remember that they have your name, address and mobile number....just saying...


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    #13
    throwaway2012
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭throwaway2012


    endofrainbow wrote: »
    just remember that they have your name, address and mobile number....just saying...


    Can they do much with this??

    OH NO!:confused:
    (in Koolade man's voice)


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    #14
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,504 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    endofrainbow wrote: »
    It's a common scam. Cheque arrives, you take your commission and wire the balance back to them.....cheque bounces......

    This, its a very popular scam.

    http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/moneytransferrequests


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    #15
    Miaireland
    Registered Users Posts: 4,064 ✭✭✭Miaireland


    If there is a name of a bank on the chequeit might be worth reporting it to them. I am not sure what the Gardai will be able to do. Although it is a scam no crime has yet taken place.


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    #16
    runawaybishop
    Registered Users Posts: 9,504 ✭✭✭runawaybishop


    Miaireland wrote: »
    If there is a name of a bank on the chequeit might be worth reporting it to them. I am not sure what the Gardai will be able to do. Although it is a scam no crime has yet taken place.

    No, a crime has indeed occurred.


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    #17
    tricky D
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,700 ✭✭✭tricky D


    Classic overpayment via dodgy bank draft/cheque scam. You send back the overpayment and then get stung for the full amount once the fraudulent draft/cheque is discovered later by the bank.

    Run Forrest, run.
    runawaybishop wrote: »
    No, a crime has indeed occurred.

    Wouldn't be so sure of that as the cheque/draft is very likely a fraudulent instrument in the first place and they are trying to get you to do the utterance of said instrument. Both the fraud and utterance are criminal in their nature.


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    #18
    miller50841
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,525 ✭✭✭miller50841


    Don't even open emails like this they can get all your info from your computer. Make sure to put better security settings on your email account you have already given out a lot of info you should never give.
    Put all emails to junk and block them.
    These people will get your money and can never be tracked. Cops can't do much to be honest.


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    #19
    throwaway2012
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭throwaway2012


    Sent an e-mail to the NatWest branch it purports to have come from...will post reply.
    Thanks guys.


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    #20
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,299 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Bring the cheque into your local bank, and hand it in to their fraud department; they'll be interested in it.


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    #21
    dricko_lim
    Registered Users Posts: 307 ✭✭dricko_lim


    Defo a scam, why could they not test the service themselves instead of getting someone to do it for them if it was legit???? So many people dont think things like this through just see the €€€€€


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    #22
    tatli_lokma
    Registered Users Posts: 3,332 ✭✭✭tatli_lokma


    This is the same format as the many scams people get done with when selling a car - I'll send you X thousand euro more than the car price, you lodge it, deduct the price and send the balance to me via western union.

    I can never understand why someone would send the 'balance' onwards without being certain the cheque has cleared? As in wait a number of weeks and get confirmation from the bank that the funds are available? But then I suppose if you had the sense to do that you probably would know straight off the bat that it is a scam!


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    #23
    nava
    Registered Users Posts: 4,739 ✭✭✭nava


    Ask them to send you the several thousand £s via western union and you will send them the cheque with the remaining after you take the €380 fee.


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    #24
    Delancey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,451 ✭✭✭Delancey


    Someone on boards once decided to scam the scammers - he played them along for days with excuses like '' sorry , my cat was sick and I couldn't get to the bank '' and '' sorry , my shoe lace broke so I couldn't get to the bank '' - eventually the scammers gave up .


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    #25
    allibastor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,520 ✭✭✭allibastor


    cash the cheque yourself and wait and see if it clears before you send anything anywhere. someone once did that to me and i cashed it and all, took nearly 2 weeks to bounce. in the mean time they had contacted my phone a few times looking for the return. sounded annoyed that i was waiting, but what can they do.


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    #26
    tricky D
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,700 ✭✭✭tricky D


    allibastor wrote: »
    cash the cheque yourself and wait and see if it clears before you send anything anywhere. someone once did that to me and i cashed it and all, took nearly 2 weeks to bounce. in the mean time they had contacted my phone a few times looking for the return. sounded annoyed that i was waiting, but what can they do.

    Beware of bounced cheque charges!

    http://www.independent.ie/national-news/charging-fees-for-bounced-cheques-not-fair-893494.html
    They also charge those who try to lodge the cheque, with NIB imposing the highest charge of €5. AIB and Permanent TSB charge €4.44, Bank of Ireland €3.30, with Ulster Bank the only institution not imposing a fee.

    Also covered on this thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=77058931


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    #27
    allibastor
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,520 ✭✭✭allibastor


    tricky D wrote: »
    Beware of bounced cheque charges!

    http://www.independent.ie/national-news/charging-fees-for-bounced-cheques-not-fair-893494.html


    Also covered on this thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=77058931

    oh yeah, it bounced like a rubber ball of a fat person. still it was funny to see the outcome.! worth the 2.67


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    #28
    throwaway2012
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭throwaway2012


    Was thinking would it be awful to try get it cashed in one of those instant cheque cashing places. But that'd be really mean.


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    #29
    Delancey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,451 ✭✭✭Delancey


    throwaway2012 wrote: »
    Was thinking would it be awful to try get it cashed in one of those instant cheque cashing places. But that'd be really mean.

    Seriously don't entertain such thoughts - try that and you would be the one on a fraud charge - '' uttering a forged instrument '' is what they call it.


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    #30
    phoenix999
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 581 ✭✭✭phoenix999


    throwaway2012 wrote: »
    I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else - a company called Survey Century e-mailed me after I placed an ad for work on gumtree. They claimed they'd employ me as a "survey representative" to run surveys on several companies like money transfer companies. So they ask for my name, address, mobile number, and I send it, just to see what happens.
    So they e-mailed me back saying they have my first assignment and they're sending me a cheque for several thousand £s, of which they said I should lodge in my own account, can take a €380 fee from, and use the balance to transfer money through a money transfer company like Western Union/Moneygram. Then the cheque actually arrived today - with my name on it, with several thousand £s on it, and they're saying I should lodge it into my account. I don't understand! Has anyone else heard of this type of this before?
    I'm very curious!!

    Total scam. Cheque will be a fake. And you majorly out of pocket. The bank will probably laugh you out the door.


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    #31
    Colm TMAD
    Registered Users Posts: 5 ✭Colm TMAD


    Guys just wanted to flag to everyone of a scam website I cam across the other day swallowed a few quid of mine and I hope they do it to no one else!

    http://www.china-mita.com/

    Purporting to selling Tablets etc.

    Stay away! SCAM!


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