Possible mail scam?

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bogleviewer
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Possible mail scam?

Post by bogleviewer »

So I just got a letter in the mail addressed to one of my businesses. It says it is from Microsoft Corporation, PO BOX 12049, Atlanta, GA 30355.

It lists an account number that means nothing to me and "RE: Credit Balances/Accounts Receivable" "THIS IS NOT A BILL."

In the body of the letter it says:

"On 2/1/2011, Microsoft Corporation issued to the addressee check/transaction number XXX-XXX in the amount of $67.XX. As of now, our records indicate that this check has not been cashed."

It then says to check whether or not to issue a repalcement check or that the balance is not owed by Microsoft.

It then asks for a name, signature, email address for me to fill out manually to send back in.

There is no phone number listed, only an email address of "response@up-letter.com" and a fax number.

"Sincerely, Microsoft Corporation".

There is an envelope included, not prepaid, that goes to "Marketsphere Unclaimed Property, PO BOX 12049, Atlanta, GA 30355". Wait a sec, the first part of the letter says that po box is Microsoft, now it is Marketsphere?

Now this is a little weird because the business never did business directly with Microsoft but did go through resellers of Microsoft product.

I can't see how this is a scam unless they are just fishing for people's information on who responds. What am I missing?
livesoft
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by livesoft »

What did google bing tell you about this?
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mickeyd
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by mickeyd »

"Sincerely, Microsoft Corporation".
If Bill Gates did not sign it personally, I would just ignore it.
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Rob5TCP
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by Rob5TCP »

inbox788
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by inbox788 »

Wow! A letter with free money knocking on your door that might not be a scam? I got something like that from someone claiming Paypal owed me money, and I was skeptical, so I let the state have it. I might get around to picking it up from the state someday. The state wanted a copy my social security card which I haven't seen for years. It's more trouble and time, but trustworthy to collect the cash after they transfer it to the state. For the small amount, unless I was certain it wasn't a scam, I'd just wait again.
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CABob
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by CABob »

Is it possible that MarketSphere is a company that claims missing money for a fee? Nothing necessarily wrong with this except it is something that you can do for yourself without paying a fee.
Have you gone through one of the unclaimed property searches to see if your business is listed as eligible for unclaimed property or money? http://unclaimed.org/
I vaguely recall that a few years ago Microsoft had to pay a class action suit for something or other.
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dolphinsaremammals
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

I got a letter recently from some other place telling me I had unclaimed money and offering it to me in exchange for a fee of about fifty dollars. It was one of those middlemen companies that charge you for something the government does for free, in this case give you back unclaimed property.

It sounds like this may be similar but more deceptive. If you have an idea of what state the money is in, looking on the web will turn up the state's unclaimed property list.

(I did not have unclaimed property. It belonged to an unBogle relative by marriage with a similar name.)
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bertie wooster
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by bertie wooster »

If I were you I'd trash this letter and not give it a second thought.
ulrichw
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by ulrichw »

mickeyd wrote:
"Sincerely, Microsoft Corporation".
If Bill Gates did not deliver it personally, I would just ignore it.
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nisiprius
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by nisiprius »

Have you tried calling Microsoft? You should at least try that.
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SimonJester
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by SimonJester »

Why in the world would Microsoft own you money, usually its the other way around.
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cheese_breath
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by cheese_breath »

I'm making no recommendation here , but they do have a website http://marketsphere.publishpath.com/

The address and Email information on your letter match the info on the website http://marketsphere.publishpath.com/letter

Answers.com says it's not a scam FWIW http://www.answers.com/Q/Is_the_markets ... ter_a_scam

BBB hasn't received any complaints about them FWIW http://www.bbb.org/upstate-new-york/pub ... =153148679

So apparently they're a legitimate business. Does the letter ask you for any information they don't already have?

edit: You might notice the address on the BBC report is different than the address on OP's letter, but if you click on the website address in the letter it goes to the company's main site.
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skepticalobserver
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by skepticalobserver »

You've got to weigh $67 bucks against the likelihood of stepping in it. Is it worth the risk?
fuzz
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by fuzz »

i got the same letter last week. my issued check is also from microsoft and the amount is $270.00

i looked up Marketsphere and tried calling them to ask about this Suspect letter i received.
this is where things got funny. i tried hitting "3" to talk to someone about this letter and no one picked up.
i hit "4" (if you're a client...blah blah blah) someone picked up, "Sue", she transferred me and yet no one picked up.
do i check this off as bad customer service? or ???

any suggestions???
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Rob5TCP
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by Rob5TCP »

I just clicked on the website and got the message below.


http://marketsphere.publishpath.com/Err ... pired.aspx

Message appeared below:

This Website Is Disabled.
If you are the owner, please sign-in to enable it.
inbox788
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by inbox788 »

So this is a scam after all? Or a poorly run company? I don't get the angle asking only for name and email, but maybe the real theft occurs later when they need a bank account to deposit funds into.
john94549
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Re: Possible mail scam?

Post by john94549 »

nisiprius wrote:Have you tried calling Microsoft?
Too funny. A few weeks ago, just before my previous computer died, the CSRs at Norton (following their playbook) suggested that I "call Microsoft". I asked if they might have a "super-secret" number where an actual person might answer the phone. I suspect you know the answer. As my wife noted, there is one benefit to working well past normal retirement age: you can still call the IT department. My wife's work computer seems to have hiccups daily. She calls IT. Companies should think about offering lifetime IT support as a recruiting tool.
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