I was scammed by someone posing as SurveyLot.com
[Note: Surveylot.com is not the scammer here. Someone has simply made fake checks with the Surveylot.com information on them, so Surveylot.com is a victim, too.]
I’ve Tried That reader Joanna shared her story in the comments section of a Surveylot.com post.
SurveyLot.com is a complete scam. 2 weeks ago after my husband lost his job, I received a letter in the mail “Opinions for Cash” is what this person called it. Stupid me…my husband just lost his job, we have no income coming in and I thought “Thank you Lord” this came at just the right time. I thought it would help to atleast put food on the table for my 3 children. BOY was I WRONG! COMPLETE SCAM!!! Now, not only do I have to conjure up some money for food, rent, and bills. Now I have to pay back my bank for a fraudulent cashier’s check SurveyLot.com sent me to do this job of “Opinions for Cash”.
Please everyone be warned…this is a COMPLETE SCAM Do not be fooled like I was.
That emotional tug is the common theme emerging from our “I was scammed” stories. When faced with the need to feed 3 children, as in this case, or the unexpected loss of income, ordinarily smart people turn to the Internet and switch off a portion of their brains.
But hold on, what’s this? A fraudulent cashier’s check? I asked Joanna for more information and here’s what she wrote:
I was told to cash or deposit this cashier’s check into my bank account,then go to my nearest Walmart and send a moneygram to a ficticious person in the amount of $2500.00 Now this is also a ficticious check according to my bank and the bank this check was so called issued from. So I am now liable to pay my bank back this amount of the ficticious check of $2905.00.
Whoa! We knew Surveylot.com was shady, but the classic fake check scam?? To the tune of three grand?? That’s another ballgame entirely. So much so, in fact, that I wondered if Joanna doesn’t have her scammers mixed up. But she said no. She received a letter on Surveylot.com letterhead, which referred her back to the website. Curiouser and curiouser, as they say down in the bayou.
Speaking of fake checks, check out Snoskred’s story. He made $5 million this year! (All fake checks, though. Maybe he uses it to pay rent on a fake apartment or to buy fake food.)
What YOU can do
Scams like this one thrive on ignorance and emotional appeal. You can help put these guys out of business by spreading the word about this post and the dirty tricks of scammers that want to kick you when you’re down. Help us get the word out:
- Share this post by clicking on the “Share This” link below
- Learn more about this and other online scams by reading the Related Posts below
- Report fraudulent activity at Scam Victims United and to your local police
The checks keep rolling in, too.
The most important lesson people should learn is - do not trust your bank when they tell you a check has cleared. The check may bounce up to a YEAR later.
Thanks for linking to the article, every person educated is another person saved from being scammed..
Snoskred
http://www.snoskred.org/
Thanks for the tip, Snoskred. I never would have known that the bank could say a check was valid only to change their minds later–except for your site. Keep up the good work. You might get a kick out of our own little scam adventure. Check out the Nigerian scam series.
I received a check for $3300 from Surveylot.com this month. The accompanying letter told me about how I could become a ’secret shopper’ by first participating in a “MoneyGram Money Transfer” survey. Apparently, I was supposed deposit the check and to wire $2800 to a ‘to-be disclosed’ recipient. I needed to call 1-888-625-5220 to get started and receive the name of the recipient.
Too good to be true, free money? I guess so.
I’m glad I saw your web site and Snoskred’s posting. Contact me for more info, including scans of the letter and the check.
David, this is really shaping up to be a frightening trend. I would love more information and to see a copy of the check and letter. Please send them to me at joe[at]ivetriedthat[dot]com.
OK, I just sent you photos of the check, envelope, letter and ’survey form’.
I think this is just a slightly more sophisticated version of the Nigerian (?) email scam. I don’t think either the surveylot.com or Moneygram logos on the letter are legit.
David
Got them. I think you’re right. I’ll feature the check and other material in a follow-up post.
I went to the surveylot.com web site and used their ‘contact us’ web form to send the following, I’ll let you know how they respond:
Received a letter and a check for $3300 from your company this month. It wanted me to deposit the check, engage in a MoneyGram survey and send $2800 to another party.
Wow, you just send me a check for $3300 out of the blue? Thanks, I’m rushing off to the bank now to deposit it.
Or, is this a scam that surveylot.com is perpetuating on the unsuspecting public? Do you know your name is appearing on a letterhead involved in a potential scam?
David Tomlinson
Most excellent response to them, David. Almost in true Richard Williams fashion.
I’ve always wondered about these types of programs. Thanks for the heads up!
Hey i was wondering i went on surveylot and signed up and gave them my postal code. But i did nothing further. I have not signed up or clicked for any surveys. Have i went to far and is there anything i can do so that these problems do not happen to me.
Smek,
Remember, these fake checks are not really from Surveylot.com. That’s just the fake logo the scammers are using. The likelihood of you getting one of those checks is small, and has nothing to do with you having signed up at surveylot.com.
Yeah, but the funny thing is: I never got a reply From SurveyLot, from my accusation, if they were honest, you would have thought I’d have gotten an immediate reply/apology, repudiating the scam.
I guess they don’t care, or they really are a part of the scam. Or their business model is indistinguishable from a scam.
David
Yeah, that’s a good point. Maybe we should write and ask them, “When did you stop scamming people with fake checks?”
I just got one of these “checks” in the mail. It came in an envelope with no return address and dated a month old.
Check amount: $3850. The check is dated 11/29/07. It is drawn off Marine Federal Credit Union. It is sent by a Sean Williams. It says I get $340 for my work secret shopping…
I already called the police. They are coming to my house to take the letter and make a report. No one would send a stranger nearly 4k for work not done. Hopefully not too many will fall for this.
I received a check for 3.5k right after Katrina (I live in Biloxi Ms) and I really wanted it to be true. I lost so much because of the storm but this check just showed up and asked me to be a secret shopper and deposit/cash check and send 3.1k to a Canadian Walmart(or some store that shares their Money Grams) and leave the rest for my troubles. I went to the local store and spoke with the Manager on Duty and she laughed a little and said she had no idea. Well I guess my thought process was slightly damaged from all the MRE’s. I went to a friends house who had internet and electricity and did a google search. I called the FBI and they took the check and said “Thank You”………. Jocko
Glad you didn’t fall for it, Jocko. I have no doubt that the scammers targeted that area following Katrina, knowing that lots of people would be anxious for quick money.
I think that you need to state more prominently on your website that this is a scam but not by the people of Surverylot.com This is very misleading unless people read through all the comments. From the begining you make this sound like a scam perpetrated by this survey company.
i just received a check and letter from Survey lot. Check in the amount of 2592.00, letter says to go to Walmart w/a Moneygram Travelers location.
i just got the same thing my check is for 4940.25 and it says to deposit this check and then money gram 3 grand of it to a ruby whatever my last name is to evaluate the moneygram system and then to spend a 100 dollars at a given store in the mall
I just got the same cashiers check for a moneygram at Walmart and knowing that this is a scam I called the Surveylot.com numbers provided to me on the letter and had them send me another check for my “friend” who really wanted to do this with me. They overnighted another bogus check to my address the next day. But the best part was everyone I talked to had a Nigerian accent. Even the bank rep. from Kentucky. ..lol..