Update: 12/14/09

Please add the names Jimmy Bruce to the list of fake Confero employees.

As discussed in earlier posts, we have received requests from would-be mystery shoppers asking that we validate the employment of Robert Preston, Michael Thomforde, James Clayton, Paula Moore, Carlos Burnett, Chris Jordan, Alexander Hopkins, Mark Dwane, Kevin Jones, Melissa Hillman and now Jimmy Bruce. None of these persons work for Confero. These are made-up names used in official-looking email messages from people trying to scam unsuspecting consumers. Sometimes, the scam emails have been spoofed to look like the message is from Confero and to hide the true origin of the email. Other times, the sender simply pastes the Confero name or website into his or her email message. Either way, these scammers are attempting to fool consumers into thinking they are dealing with Confero.

Here is an example email message from a scam. Please notice the poor spelling, grammar and sentence structure in this email. If an email does not look professional, please be suspicious!

Here is the latest spoofed email sent out to consumers:

[i]Dear Applicant,[i]
[i]Top of the day to you. We have decided to offer you an employment as a Mystery Shopper. ( Customer Service Position ). This is a random contact and your response is needed to show your interest. If you have gotten this email sent to you earlier, please we apologise for the spam. If interested, Do respond.[i]

[i]About us :[i]
[i]We needs someone who can conduct surveys and evaluate other companies, shops,grocery stores. We get hired to go to other peoples companies and act like customers in order to know how the staffs are handling their services in relation to their customers. once we have a contract to do so, you would be directed to the company or outlet, and you would be given the funds you need to do the job(either purchase things or require services), after which you would write a comment on the staffs activities and give a detailed record of your experience[i]

[i]Our Company is a premier mystery shopping company, serving clients across America and Canada and Some Countries in Europe with over 500,000 shoppers available and ready to help businesses better serve their customers. Continual investment in the latest Internet and communication technologies coupled with over 10 years of know-how means working with Secret Shopper® is a satisfying and rewarding experience. Secret shopping as seen on CBS News, NBC News, Los Angeles Times, New York Times. Stores and organizations such as The Gap, Dell, Old Navy, Sears, Walmart, Pizza Hut, and Banks One amongst many others pay for Secret Shoppers to shop in their establishments and report their experiences. On top of being paid for shopping you are also allowed to keep purchases for free.[i]

[i]Mystery Shopper® NEVER charge fees to the shopper. Training, tips for improvement, and shopping opportunities are provided free to registered shoppers. Mystery shoppers are either paid a pre-arranged fee for a particular shop, a reimbursement for a purchase [i]

[i]Examples of details you would forward to us are[i] [i]1) How long it took you to get services.[i] [i]2) Smartness of the attendant[i] [i]3)Customer service professionalism[i] [i]4)Sometimes you might be required to upset the attendant, to see how they react to clients whey they get tensed. And we turn the information over to the company executives and they would carry out their own duties in improving there services.[i]

[i]Most companies employ our assistance when people give complains about their services, or when they feel there are needs for them to improve their customer service. your Identity would be kept confidential as the job states (secret shopper) you would be paid between $400 – $1200 for every duty you carry out, and bonus on your transportation allowance, and funds would be given to you if you have to dine as part of the duty.[i]

[i]Your job will be to evaluate and comment on customer service in a wide variety of shops,20stores, restaurant and services in your area. No commitment is made on this job, and you would have flexible hours as it suits you. If you are interested do send in these information: So we can look at your distance from the locations which you have to put your service into, and your address would also be need for your payments.[i]

[i]Great Pay** Fun Work** Flexible Schedules**
No experience required.If you can shop-you are qualified!
First name……………….
Middle name………………
Last name………………..
Physical Home Address Line 1…………… ( No P.O. Boxes Please)
City…………………….
State……………………
Zip/Postal code…………..
Home phone……………….
Cell phone……………….
Fax…………………….. (If Available)
Sex…………………….
Age ………………..
Current Employer : ………………..
Employment Status : Working or Not Working : ………………..
Salary History : ………………..
Reference’s ……………………….. (If Any)
Availability:
Days/Hours Available
Monday:
Tuesday :
Wednesday :
Thursday :
Friday :
Saturday :
Sunday :
No start off fees is required
Must be above 18 years old
Must be computer literate
Must be very honest and committed
Please note that this is a part time job and you can work freely online
Your response to this email is important , so that we can be sure you want to work for us and reconfirm your mailing address details we have in our database ASAP, it is compulsory you provide all these listed information’s, Your personal information shall be stored in our database and shall be kept confidential, However only your Name and Physical Address with only be sent to our customers who’ll be sending you payments.
Thanks For Your Total Understanding.
Sales/Hiring Manager
Attn: Mark Dwane
Delivering simple solutions and achievable business objectives[i]

[b]For additional information, please review our previous Consumer Alerts [b]