SurveyMonkey
Complaint 130521 Details

  • Date Occurred: 05/18/2014
  • Reported Damages: $1,534.00

The complaint is against an online dating profile

The complaint is a listing fraud posted on public forums or sites against an anonymous entity

The complaint is mobile text spam or smishing related against an anonymous entity

The company or person contact no longer exists

International boundaries

I am unemployed and signed up for Mystery Shopping Jobs on the internet. On 5/16/12, I received a letter from Survey Monkey with instructions of what I was to do and a check from 'Finance Center Federal Credit Union' for $1,487.00. My assignment consisted of a couple of different activities; the first was sending a money transfer for $900.00 via Western Union to London, United Kingdom, and to write up my experience. The second task was to spend $100 at any store of my choice on items I wanted, I was to keep these items, and document my experience. Of this $1,487.00, I was to keep $300.00 as payment for completion of these assignments. I cashed their check on 5/18/12 and completed the Western Union money transfer ($900 + $68.00 to send the transfer). After which I called Survey Monkey, as directed, and informed them (L. Ford) that this had been completed; providing the operator ID #, the name I created for the recipient and the exact exchange amount that would be available for pick up in London. They were very adamant about my being specific regarding the Western Union Information. I was then told to call them before I went to the store the next day to spend the $100 and to call them again when I returned from the store. On 5/19/12, I called them before leaving home but someone else (M. David?) answered the phone and didn't appear to know what I was talking about (although, he did have a thick accent which was hard to understand). I spent the $100 at Wal-Mart as directed and wrote up an evaluation of my experience. I did not return home until late on the evening of 5/19/12, tried to call Survey Monkey but did not get an answer. I called them the next morning and was informed to fax all the paperwork from the assignments to them; receipts, copy of Western Union Transfer form, written assessments of my experiences, etc. I proceeded to fax all of this information to them on Sunday 5/20/12.

On about Wed 5/23/12, I had attempted to use my debit card thinking that I had at least the $300 from the Mystery Shopping Assignment in my account. The company I tried to use my Debit card with told me that my card wasn't going through. On Thursday 5/24/12, I received a letter from the bank stating that the check for $1,487.00 did not clear and was sent back to the bank. The bank took the $300 + any other little bit of money I had in my checking account and put it towards the bouncing check. I was then approximately - $1,187.00 negative in my account.

On 5/24/12, I called the phone number I originally was told to call 1-858-222-4065 and was told that they (M. David?) would contact the finance department to see what the problem might have been. I was to call back on Tuesday 5/29/12, at which time they should have an answer for me and a resolution. I also asked them to cover my overdraft fees that were adding up due to my debit card usage with a negative balance in my account. They stated they would pay these bank fees also.

On 5/29/12, when I called the original phone number I received the message, 'this is a Majic.com # and not currently assigned to anyone'. I then called the second number listed on the letter 1-888-449-5577 and was connected with a live person (N. Broks). I was told that they would speak with the accounting department and for me to call back on 5/30/12 to see what they had discovered. They would not provide me with a direct number to the accounting department. This person denied the assignment was a 'SCAM' and was sure I would get paid. When asked about why the first number had been disconnected they did not really have an answer, just stated they didn't always need this second number. They also stated that Survey Monkey would cover the bank fees which resulted from their check bouncing.

On 05/30/12, I left messages for L. Ford, N. Broks, and M. David at Survey Monkey. No one called me back.

On 5/31/12, I spoke with M. David and explained the previous events surrounding the check bouncing. He initially claimed that I did not send the documentation to them soon enough for the check to be covered. When I explained the dates/days being on a weekend and that the check was deposited late on Friday and the paperwork faxed to them on that following Sunday he eventually appeared to realize that 'not receiving the p/w wasn't a reason for their check to bounce'. After I mentioned the additional bank charges, he told me they would also cover these fees which had occurred as a result of their bounced check. I also told him that their check bouncing had adversely affected my ability to job hunt for on-line jobs since my debit card is necessary for me to do this and he said they would compensate me with an extra $100 to help cover my hardship resulting from their fault. I was to call my bank and find out exactly how much was owed with extra fees, etc. and to call him back. I called my bank and was informed that I was negative 1,534.00. I then called M.David back and informed him of this amount. He guaranteed that they would send a check to the bank for 1,487.00 and a check to me for $147.00 to cover the overdraft fees and the $100 compensation. He said the checks would be cut next Tuesday (6/5/12) and then mailed to me. I was to call him when the checks arrived.

On 6/6/12, I called M. David and left a message: Have the checks been cut yet? Mailed out? Please call, life is on hold waiting for bank account to be cleared.

On 6/7/12, I called M. David and left the same message as the day before: Have the checks been mailed out yet? Please call.

On 6/8/12, I called and was directed to B. Wicklock. He said he was in their accounting dept. When I explained the situation and updated him regarding what M. David had promised, B. Wicklock denied that they would just give money away (meaning I would not receive the additional $100 compensation). When I insisted on some resolution to this situation ASAP he hung up on me. I called back and he speedily told me to call back on Monday 6/11/12, that he couldn't do anything for me at this time and once again hung up on me. I then called and left a message for T. Hope (supervisor?) requesting assistance with this issue. I proceeded to call M. David again and left him a message: status of another check being sent to my bank to cover their first bounced check? Need some resolution and to clear my bank account.

On 6/12/12, I called and was sent in a circular fashion through their message machine without being able to connect with anyone or even to leave a message. I called back a little while later and left a message for M. David: I haven't heard anything or seen any checks yet. Status? Called T. Hope, his assistant B. Wicklock, answered the phone and stated that T. Hope was on vacation and he didn't know when he would return. He said the check was to be mailed out tomorrow (6/13/12) and that I should receive the beginning of next week.

On 6/20/12, I called and spoke with L. Ford. I updated her regarding all that has happened and that now the bank is demanding that I make payments on the negative balance in my account, since it has taken over 20 days for this issue to be resolved. L. Ford proceeded to ask me if I had the funds to cover the money the bank is requesting? I told her 'no, I am unemployed' plus I should not have to 'cover' their bouncing check, they should step up to the plate and take care of their responsibility. L. Ford said she would forward my message to T. Hope and for me to call back on 6/21 to try to connect with him.

On 6/28/12, I called and attempted to speak with T. Hope but ended up leaving a message: explained situation again and that I desperately need for them to cover their bouncing check. I called M. David and left a message: still no resolution regarding their bouncing check. Tired of the empty promises they keep giving me about the check being mailed out to me, etc. I remain unemployed and should not have to cover their bouncing check. I then called back and M. David answered the phone. I was real frustrated with all the talk and no action on their part to cover their bouncing check. I asked to speak with the person in charge because obviously he couldn't make executive decisions to take care of this situation, no matter how much he presented himself as being able to make these decisions in my phone call with him on 5/31/12. He then said it takes 3 MONTHS for a situation like this to be resolved. I questioned then why everyone I spoke with there has told me that 'the check' would be cut the following Tuesday and mailed out to me for several weeks now if it takes 3 MONTHS to take care of a bouncing check? I told him that I would be reporting this as a SCAM at every opportunity I encountered until this check situation was taken care of. He told me to stop insulting him and hung up on me.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get SurveyMonkey to pay for their bouncing check and the resulting bank fees? I can, and will, keep calling them to try to get some resolution but as noted above this has not facilitated getting a positive result. I would appreciate any assistance regarding this matter. Thank you.

SurveyMonkey Information:
Survey Monkey
2580 Hamilton Ave. Suite #500
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Phone: 1-888-449-5577
Fax: 1-888-412-5556
email: [email protected] (someone has stated that this is not a real email address)





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Comments

  • SurveyMonkey_Legal
  • SurveyMonkey_Legal SBID #14acc63395
  • Posted 06/28/2014
  • I work for SurveyMonkey. We are sorry to tell you that you were targeted by a scam in which the perpetrators have impersonated SurveyMonkey by fraudulently using our name. The letter and check that you received did not come from us at SurveyMonkey, but is part of a scam known as a Counterfeit Check-Facilitated "Mystery Shopper" scam, which you can learn more about at the following links:

    https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/radDocs/consumer/MysteryShopperScam2.pdf

    http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2009/april/workathome_041709
    The perpetrators have used SurveyMonkey’s name to give themselves false credibility. None of the people to whom you spoke on the phone are SurveyMonkey employees, and SurveyMonkey does not operate any "mystery shopper" jobs. The phone number and fax number you have been provided are not ours. The address, while similar to our real address, has been purposely changed so that it is incorrect.

    We take this issue very seriously and our legal team is aware of the illegal use of the SurveyMonkey name and has been in contact with the police, who are now attempting to track down the perpetrators responsible. We urge you to do the same - these fraudsters will only be caught if their victims come forward. We are aware of dozens of people who have been targeted by this scam. Please contact your local law enforcement officers, the U.S. postal inspector, and your bank to warn them of the fraud. Please also notify the wire transfer company you used. We sincerely hope that you are able to recoup any funds you may have lost.
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Business Profile Summary

  • Mystery Shopper logo

Company Statistics

  • Complaint Against Mystery Shopper
  • Complaints Filed: 114
  • Reported Damages: $221,541.74
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