Surveys and Market Research by Telephone

An open letter from our CEO:

I am writing to alert people who may have received a solicitation to conduct a “Western Union Mystery Shopper” job.  Please be aware that Direct Opinions does not conduct mystery shops nor do we have an office outside of Ohio.  We have learned this is a scam being perpetrated by a group outside the United States and they have misappropriated our name to perpetuate consumer employment fraud and are posing as an office of Direct Opinions.  We wish to assure our clients and customers that our Cleveland-based Telephone Survey company is in no way connected with this solicitation.

Please be extremely careful when applying for “work from home” positions through on-line job postings.  This is where the perpetrators are getting applicants’ contact information to send false documents and counterfeit cashiers’ checks.  It is critical to thoroughly investigate an organization before you provide any personal information whatsoever.   A legitimate business would never require you to send or wire funds as part of a “work from home” position.  Make sure that key information such as office locations, phone numbers, and products/services match up before you provide any information to anyone.

We are working diligently with several government agencies to track down these scammers.  If you receive an e-mail or letter inviting you to apply for a “work from home” position using the name “Direct Opinions,” contact your local police department and they will be able to assist you.  Because this crime is being committed through US mail, you should also contact the US Postal Service Inspector to file a complaint.  Please use the following link to file a complaint with the US Postal Service Inspector:   https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx

Additional information about this specific type of consumer employment fraud is available at the website Snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/fraud/employment/shopper.asp

Below are examples of scam documents being sent out:

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Tags: mystery shopper scam, wester union mystery shopper scam
Posted in: Alerts