Employment Service Solution, Inc.

This company and its affiliates, run online surveys asking if participants would be interested in additional income on a part time basis. Participants receive a letter from the company advising they have been hired as a mystery shopper, and assigned to evaluate Wal-mart stores Money gram Service. Enclosed in the letter is a cashier’s check for $1,850, with instructions to deposit the check in the recipient's personal bank account, keep a percentage to compensate for wages, and immediately use the remaining funds to make purchases and send a Money Gram to a pre-disclosed bank account via wire transfer.

The company then asks the mystery shopper to evaluate their experience with the Wal-mart personnel when purchasing the money gram. After several days, the "mystery shopper" is notified by their financial institution that the cashier's check was counterfeit, and the shopper is held libel by their bank for the entire amount. Amounts may vary, but generally are between $1600 and $2500.

We urge caution. While some marketing research companies do hire individuals as mystery shoppers, this company is not one of them. Based on our investigation, this company is not actually offering a legitimate opportunity to work as mystery shopper; instead they are recruiting individuals to unknowingly act as "Money Mules." Money Mule scams may vary, but generally work like this. Fraudulent perpetrators contact prospective victims with "job vacancy" ads via spam emails, letters, newspaper job ads, Internet chat rooms or job search web sites. Jobs are usually advertised as a "financial manager, US representative", "money transfer agent," "financial manager" or "mystery shopper." They offer you the chance to earn some easy money for a few hours work each week, usually just requiring that you have access to the Internet, a bank account, and suggest that no special knowledge is required. They then convince the victim to come and work for their fake "company". Some fraudsters even ask mules to sign official-looking contracts of employment. Once recruited, money mules will receive funds into their accounts. These funds will have been stolen by the fraudulent company from another account that has been compromised. Mules are then asked to take these funds out of their account and to forward them to a designated contact (minus a commission payment) typically using a wire transfer service. Acting as a mule is an illegal activity. When caught, money mules often have their bank accounts suspended, containing *all* of their money.

Although the prospect of making some easy money may appear attractive, any "commission" payments will be recovered as they are the proceeds of fraud and you may become embroiled in a police investigation. Remember that you will be the easiest part of the chain to track down and supplying any information to the perpetrators may also put you at risk from identity fraud. If you see an opportunity to make some easy money and the offer seems too good to be true, then it probably is! Remember that even if you have nothing to do with the actual extraction of funds from another person's account, by allowing your account to be used to receive and transfer such funds, you will be acting illegally.

Be cautious about any unsolicited offers or opportunities offering you the chance to make some easy money. Be especially wary of offers from people or companies overseas as is harder for you to find out if they really are who they say they are. Take steps to verify any company which makes you a job offer and check their contact details (address, phone number, email address and web site) are correct and whether they are registered in the U S. Never give your bank details to anyone unless you know and trust them.