Volunteer to be a Walmart "Shopper.

Get chosen.

Receive Check for $2800.

Directed to buy 6 $400 gift cards from 2 separate stores.

Note time of day and store location.

Keep the change from $2800 plus $100.

Double bonus if done in the next 2 days.

Mail cards to "Shopper" address.

Their Check won't clear for 2 days.

Gift cards? Really?

Scam?

Tell ya what sounds like a better deal, send me the $2,800 check, and when it clears, I'll keep it.

I always wonder who falls for this kind of stuff.

Yes, it's a scam. And no, it's not new.

You get the check and deposit it in your checking account. The deposit shows pending. Then you have to go immediately to buy the gift cards using your checking account.

(There will be significant amount of pressure/harassment for you to do it immediately. Now. Don't wait, or the deal is off. The deal is only good for the next 24 hours. Do it or you'll miss out on earning $500. You signed a contract. Trust us, we're a reputable company. Do it now, and we'll sign you up for another opportunity to earn $1000 next week. Do it now or we'll fire you, and you'll never be able to get another job again with a poor work history. Do it now or we'll sue you. Do it now or we'll put a lien on your house. Do it now or we'll have the police arrest you for theft. Etc.)

So you go along and buy the cards, then mail them off to the scammer. The check then bounces after ~2-7 days. The scammer now has the $2400 in gift cards, and you're stuck with -$2400 in your checking account.

quote:

Originally posted by esdunbar:
I always wonder who falls for this kind of stuff.

People who are either too trusting/naive, and/or too greedy or desperate for money.

Poorer old folks are common victims, due to being a combination of naive and in need of money.

I would love to play with them by sending them 2 blank non-activated gift cards. God Bless

You've been walking around on this rock a long time, George. You shouldn't have to ask about this.

The scary thing about these scams is people must fall for them, otherwise they'd stop doing them...

It's a game of odds.

There's a very low percentage of success, but there's also a very low amount of effort required, and very low risk of being caught.

So they can try to scam a large number of people at a time with little effort, and if even one of them falls for it, it was well worth the minimal time investment required.

Well, SHIT!!

I was counting on that $2800.

Thanks for the heads-up, George. I haven't gotten anything from that Nigerian Prince in a few years. Maybe he died??

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
Thanks for the heads-up, George. I haven't gotten anything from that Nigerian Prince in a few years. Maybe he died??

Outstanding lmao.

That scam is so old that my parents got one via snail mail at their house years ago when I was in JR High. I’ll be 49 in September and was never held back or failed a grade.

As said above there has to be a little success involved or it would’ve been dropped a long time ago.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
You've been walking around on this rock a long time, George. You shouldn't have to ask about this.

The quarantine is getting to me Para..

Get rich quick /easy. Yeah, it always works out to your advantage.

quote:

Originally posted by George43:

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
You've been walking around on this rock a long time, George. You shouldn't have to ask about this.

The quarantine is getting to me Para..

What quarantine?

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

So you go along and buy the cards, then mail them off to the scammer. The check then bounces after ~2-7 days. The scammer now has the $2400 in gift cards, and you're stuck with -$2400 in your checking account.

I don't understand why the scammer is not busted. If the victim is supposed to mail the gift cards to the scammer, then scammer's address must be known. Why wouldn't a police sting work to nail the miscreant?

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

So you go along and buy the cards, then mail them off to the scammer. The check then bounces after ~2-7 days. The scammer now has the $2400 in gift cards, and you're stuck with -$2400 in your checking account.

I don't understand why the scammer is not busted. If the victim is supposed to mail the gift cards to the scammer, then scammer's address must be known. Why wouldn't a police sting work to nail the miscreant?

The latest way of the scam has changed From mailing in the cards to....The scammer just asks you to take a pic with your phone Of the back of the card and send it to him..he will use it immediately online to purchase stuff and then sell that where he is...after a week he gets a new burner and starts over...

It’s hard to investigate as it always crosses state lines. And the fbi isn’t interested in a loss of 2800. The police where it happens don’t have the resources to track phones or computers and the cases go nowhere.


It’s sad, but it happens all the time...the Walmart where I worked was filled in on the scam and they would call the cops when someone came in and wanted more than one card or for over a few hundred bucks...this policy saved several older folks their life savings...

yeah they pretty much ask for a pic or the person to read them the numbers.

You'd think they'd train their cashiers to be alert to this and warn people.

Or western union to post the possible scams since people still do that.