Concise Survey, LLC Money Order Scam

by Alex Steininger
(Indianapolis, IN)

If you receive an email from Sean Lawson of Concise Surveys, LLC to be a Mystery Shopper, it is a scam.

I received a Money Order this morning, 8/22/11, by way of Overnight UPS, not USPS, however it was a USPS Money order, which makes it mail fraud. It did not have the Benjamin Franklin watermark or the security tape. In fact the printed amount was $900.00, but the written amount was Nine hundred twenty dollars. That was a huge red flag for me.

The instructions told me to cash the Money Order "AT MY BANK ONLY", which was another huge red flag, when I could easily cash it at the post office and get the cash in hand if it was a legitimate Money Order.

If I cash it at my bank and it is no good, I am out the $900.00 However I would get to keep $250.00 of it for my services !! Isn't that nice of them. They wanted me to send the remaining $650.00 cash by way of Western Union to someone in the Phillipines. Below are the instructions they sent me:

AT WESTERN UNION

You will evaluate western union by utilizing their money in minutes wire transfer service. Western union will charge around below $10 to $30 to wire funds to Philippines, this charge will be deducted from the $650. Not your own pay.

YOU WILL WIRE THE FUNDS TO THE INFORMATION BELOW;

Name: MARY LAWSON
City: MALATE
State: MANILA
Country: PHILIPPINES
Zip: 1250

THAT IS ALL THE INFORMATION YOU ORDINARILY REQUIRE TO WIRE FUNDS. PLEASE SPECIFY PAYOUT IN US DOLLARS.


Once the evaluation of western union is complete and the money's sent. Please send me the following info, along with your reports and receipts of both evaluations...

A. Your full names and address exactly how you wrote it on the Western Union slip.

B. The receiver's name exactly how you penned it down on the Western Union slip.

C. The total amount sent (Amount receivable by the receiver).

D. MONEY TRANSFER CONTROL NUMBER MTCN. (This is the 10 digit number for receiving funds,it is not the receipt number)


Remember, you're a mystery shopper. You are EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN to disclose this information to anyone, related to the evaluated business (In store or out of the store).

Your report will be turned over to me at concisesupport1@me.com you can fill out your report on the survey sheet included with the survey packet or typed out in an email as answers to the questions in this email.


There were many other red flags to look for. The Overnight UPS package I received was sent from:

Aaron Abbott
937-219-3000
926 Richmont St.
Scranton, PA 18509

The area code 937 from the address above is from Dayton, OH...The overnight UPS package was suppossedly shipped from Scranton, PA by Aaron Abbott and the signer of the fake money order, Sean Lawson is from Seattle, WA. Wow if this is not a huge red flag, I don't know what it is.

I will not be falling for this scam and I get a little satisfaction knowing that they spent money overnighting me a fake money order.

I will be submitting this to Postal Inspectors and The Indiana Attorney General. Hopefully they can catch them and put them out of business. :)