1. Forums
  2. Mystery Shopping Company Discussion

Conprol INc.

October 22, 2019 12:58PM
Hello Everyone, A friend of mine received a check for 2450.00 to buy 2000.00 worth of Gift Cards. She said the name of the company is Conprol Inc. I have never heard of them, they don't show up in a google search. Odd that they paid upfront. Anyone get this as well? Is there a chance it's legit?
Reply
Log In
x

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Already a member? Log In.

October 22, 2019 01:07PM
Scam, scam, scam.
Reply
October 22, 2019 01:11PM
Absolutely a SCAM. No one just pays the shopper in advance by telling them to keep the "change" from a bogus check! Tell your friend NOT to deposit the check and NOT to send any gift cards away! In about 2 weeks, her bank will discover that the check was bogus and your frined will owe ALL of that money to the bank. Worse, the bank could close her account AND place her on a list where other banks look to see who has been trying to cash bogus checks.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Reply
October 22, 2019 01:12PM
That's what I told her, She was going to deposit the check anyway,I said you will still get fees. Oh, and their email had a .org instead of a .com- Thought that was fishy.

Thanx everyone

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2019 01:13PM by avondarcye.
Reply
October 22, 2019 02:21PM
Oh, I hope your friend listens to you! It won't be just the fees she's out -- if she actually buys the gift cards, she will be out all that money, as well!
Reply
October 22, 2019 02:55PM
This is the modern-day Nigerian prince scam. How are people stupid enough to fall for these things in 2019?
Reply
October 22, 2019 03:22PM
and if she writes checks on that money, the checks will all bounce and she will have enormous bounced check fees as well
Reply
October 22, 2019 04:46PM
It never ceases to amaze me that people will fall for such obvious scams. The name the company uses doesn't matter. Questions a reasonable person would ask are:

Why would a company send a total stranger a check? Especially a large check?

Why would a company pay in advance? In legitimate mystery shopping, advance payment is very rare.

If the company didn't collect my SS# or EIN# - how can they legally pay me? There's a clue there .......

Why would they want me to purchase such large denomination gift cards?

Why would a company trust me to deposit a check, keep my fee, and spend money to do a shop?

Why would a company be willing to pay me $400 to buy gift cards. How many minutes does it take to buy a gift card? How much money per hour payment would that be? What special training do I have that the company is recruiting me to do this and paying me so much money?

Anything that sounds too good to be true probably IS too good to be true! The average normal mystery shopping assignment doesn't pay in advance, requires you to sign up on their website before the job is offered, and pays between $5 and $35. There are some higher-dollar assignments but they go to proven shoppers with whom a company has a long standing relationship not to strangers recruited by mail or email.
Reply
October 22, 2019 05:21PM
I agree with all of the above! Ask the bank how long it will take to clear the check. The bank knows it's a SCAM! As long as people believe this SCAM, cash the checks, cry later after they have been told repeatedly it's a SCAM. I'm beginning to wonder if they deserve to be SCAMMED, it makes me angry, read the newspaper, the SCAMs are daily under the police reports. Don't beat me up on the deserve part.
Reply
October 22, 2019 05:47PM
Additionally: what kind of market research information would the MSC be obtaining by having a shopper purchase gift cards in the amount of $2,000? If it were to see if the cashier knows how to handle the purchase transaction of gift cards properly, one $10-$25 gift card would get them the same information...there would be no need to purchase multiple cards in high denominations. If the shop objectives were to evaluate customer service, the purchase of a bottle of shampoo or some vitiamins would be a cost effective way to get the information they needed. And the shopper fee would probably be $10-$15.

Avondarcye, if you have been a forum member for over 6 years, haven't you seen multiple threads about this scam already? Your instincts about it being a scam were certainly spot on. I do hope you show this thread to your friend so that she can see what seasoned shoppers who have been doing this for a long time (other than yourself) think about it.
Reply
October 23, 2019 08:06PM
If your friend received the check by USPS, have her take everything to th US Postal Inspectors. They have the ability to shut down mail service for the scamme4rs.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008
Reply
October 25, 2019 07:09PM
No, that is definitely a SCAM... I have experienced that scam before and it took a few weeks to get my money back through my bank. Do not entertain that information, because it will only cause you an unnecessary headache.
Reply
October 25, 2019 07:50PM
As soon as I saw the word “check” I immediately knew it was a scam.
Reply
October 26, 2019 12:37AM
Avondarcye:

That is odd especially considering they do not seem to have a website. Nothing came up when I googled them even if I put the word "scam" in with the name of the company.

Legitimate mystery shopping companies will usually have a website that shows that not only are they recruiting shoppers, they are looking for clients.

"Evolve thyself and lose all hate...." Orphaned Land


Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2019 12:46AM by alannajm.
Reply
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login