Scam Alert update 2/15/10
Unfortunately scammers posing as officials from Bare International seem to be getting more aggressive in their attempts to involve unsuspecting people in their check and money order cashing scams. Numerous reports of emails from a “Robin Hansen, HR Director” have been made to us over the past couple of days. This appears to be the latest name the scammer(s) have chosen to use; s/he has no affiliation with Bare International. The email may appear to be a recruitment announcement for a customer service analyst or manager position, but it is simply the first step in an attempt to involve you in a check cashing scam where you could be out a lot of money if you take the bait. Other names we’ve seen include “Wilborn Calder”, “Janet Jakon” and “Nicole McDaniel” but we’re sure there are others.
If you receive an email that asks you to cash ANYTHING please remember: there is no legitimate reason for a company to send money to anyone they have never talked to before, nor is there any legitimate reason for a company to request that you cash a check or money order on its behalf. The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) has similar alerts up on their site which is www.mysteryshop.org and they recommend you visit www.fakechecks.org to get a thorough education about these scams and to learn how to protect yourself.
If you receive an email or mailing that appears to be from our company, please don’t hesitate to contact us to verify it before you respond. Please contact Bare’s GENUINE Human Resource Director, Gail Maas at gmaas@bareinternational.com for this purpose.
Thank you and please be careful!
BARE International has become aware of a serious scam that appears to be targeting the mystery shopping industry and also private individuals who may be interested in mystery shopping. We are working with authorities as best we can in this matter, but in the meantime we feel it is very important to make you aware of this scam so you do not fall victim to it.
Several people who reported this scam to us have sent us the letters, emails and checks they’ve received in the mail. A copy of one of the letters is provided for you here, and a copy of one of the emails is provided for you here, but keep in mind it is quite possible that different versions of this exist. The ones we’ve seen have listed our company name and address at the top but they also provide a toll free 888 number that is in no way associated with us. Some people have reported being able to leave messages when they called that number and then getting return calls from the scammers, however when we tried the number and the extension provided we only got a recording that said, “that number is invalid.” Recently, the name of our HR Director, Gail Maas, has been appearing in the solicitations. Also appearing occasionally is a Columbus, Ohio address that is not associated with BARE.
Also included with this letter is a very real-looking cashier’s check or money order; the ones we’ve seen have been cashier’s checks drawn on a “La Salle Bank N.A” in Chicago IL and in the amount of $2960. A copy of one of the checks is provided for you here, but keep in mind it is quite possible that different versions of this exist as well. The letter instructs you to perform a customer service evaluation of a Western Union or some other money wiring service by depositing the $2960 into your own bank account and then wiring all but $400 or so to a “training agent” overseas. Your bank eventually notifies you that the check is altered, fictitious, or otherwise no good and often will deduct the entire amount of the check from your own personal account plus any overdraft fees. The scammer makes off with his $2000+ free and clear…and leaves you stuck with a large debt to your bank and/or even a legal problem on your hands.
Again, we assure you that we are working with authorities to stop the criminal(s) who are using BARE International’s good name to propagate this fraud, but in the meantime we strongly advise caution with any mystery shop project “offers” you may receive in the mail or from email addresses you do not recognize. For the record, BARE International will NEVER contact anyone through the mail with an offer to do mystery shops nor will we provide “payment” before any work is performed. Any and all legitimate shop projects are communicated ONLY through our database system and even then an individual must first be registered with BARE before they will ever receive project announcements. If you have never registered with us before and you receive a shop offer, you can be sure the offer is not from BARE.
If you receive anything at all that you are not sure about – even if you think it’s probably OK but you just aren’t sure - please call us first before you act on it. Our HR Director, Gail Maas, is communicating with authorities in this matter and is happy to help you if you have questions about anything you receive that you’re not sure about. She may also ask you to send in the mailing you received to add to the evidence file for the investigators in charge of this case. Gail can be reached at gmaas@BAREinternational.com or you may call her at 1-800-296-6699, ext 3146.
Please be careful – we care about you!
Sincerely,
The BARE International Senior Management Team
