A Closer Look Inc

Victim Location 45202

Type of a scam Employment

A Closer Look Inc hacked into one of my co-worker’s LinkedIn accounts and messaged me about becoming a "mystery/secret shopper" through this company based on a referral this co-worker provided them. Once I clicked on the link I filled out a simple template to provide basic contact information and I received an email from a Gmail account and a gentleman named Samuel Cook. He provided me with an "offer letter" and once I replied to the email saying "I Confirm Acceptance" he advised that I would be received instructions on my first assignment as well as a check for the dollar amount to be purchased. Within 48 hours I received the check for $2360.30 advising that $350 of that was mine, 16.30 was for incidentals and $2000 was to be used to purchase Ebay gift cards at a list of specific store brands. The check was deposited and after I purchased the gift cards Samuel started texting me advising me to send pictures of the front and back of the cards with the code as soon as possible so he could "start generating the report". He told me that he would send me a template to fill out to advise on the customer service experience, where the cards were placed, what the stock level was etc. The email was very basic and did not appear professional in nature. At this point I realized that this was sincerely a scam and was advised by my co-worker that her LinkedIn profile had been hacked and that she was unable to log in to her account as well. I researched for the website on the ScamPulse.com website, whether there was a company website and the address listed on the offer letter provided to me. The state listed on the offer letter was different than the one listed on ScamPulse.com and the address on the offer letter was that of a person’s residential address. I could not find the company website and upon receiving an urgent text from Samuel I asked for direction to the company website. Three hours later he responded with a company website. I am convinced he crafted the website during that 3 hour time period. Please be aware of this scam.