Lin4Research

Victim Location 91730

Type of a scam Employment

I received a message on LinkedIn from a contact in my network with a link to a website claiming to be affiliated w/ a company called Lin4Research group and requesting contact information to apply for a position. The website claimed to have openings for a Mystery Shopper position and promised an ample salary and flexible work schedule. I filled out the contact information tab, expecting to be contacted by a representative with further information about an application process. Instead I received an email telling me I had received the job and would be getting a check for $1900 in the mail and details on my first assignment. I then received an email asking me to go to a local Walmart, CVS, or similar retailer to pick up gift Walmart/Ebay/Walmart Visa Gift Cards, scratch off the codes, and email pictures back to the company. Needless to say this was very suspicious so I researched the company and all contact information I had, but was unable to find anything credible whatsoever about the company. I revisited the Linkedin page of the person who had messaged me, only to find that they had shared a post indicating they were hacked and never sent messages out for Mystery Shopping opportunities, thus confirming that this was not a trustworthy party.