Shopping scam uses fake Woodman's letter
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau says a new shopping scam is using the name of a Janesville-based grocery store chain.
The BBB says the scam starts with a letter that appears to be from Woodman's Markets. The letter tells the recipient that he or she been selected as a "customer service evaluator" and comes with a check for $3,445. The recipient is instructed to deposit the check into a bank account and then test the customer service at Western Union by wiring $2,850 to an agent in London.
Recipients are told the rest of the money is for fees and their training pay.
The BBB says that although the check looks legitimate, it is fake. If recipients deposit the checks into their bank accounts, they will be responsible for paying back the amount of money they withdrew from their accounts against the deposited check.
A Woodman's representative said that more than 40 consumers have contacted the company's corporate offices since December.
People who received the letter are asked to contact their local postal inspectors.
For more information, contact the Wisconsin BBB at wisconsin.bbb.org or 1-800-273-1002.
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Feb 6, 2010 at 12:23 p.m.
Suggest removal
This scam has been around for literally centuries. The original version was called the Spanish Prisoner. It has always been a little international in that sense.
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Most scams depend on the victim's greed or desperation, which clouds their judgement.
Feb 6, 2010 at 7:06 a.m.
Suggest removal
How can people be this dumb to fall for this stuff. Wake up people when you see your money going over seas, you should know something is up.
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