DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY'S ESCROW SERVICE (www.contractedwork.com). THEY ARE A FRAUDULENT SITE. (this also applies to their sister site www.smarthunt.com)

We used their site to find a contractor abroad who would carry out a website design for us. Meanwhile, we transferred $500-00 to this company's so called 'Escrow' servcie thinking that since they had been around for a few years, they would be a reliable company to use (rather than transfrer money direct to an unknown supplier of It services abroad). After the project was completed, the supplier abroad requested payment. When we went to transfer the escrow money to the supplier from the escrow account, we found that we could not gain access to our deposited funds.

They do not respond to emails, their 'customer service' number is fictional and their telephone number in Florida is dis-connected. It seems that all the details on the whois site are completely false.

Digging in to their site i find out that their customer service number is: Contracted Work Customer Service 1-800-231-8350



and smarthunt.com is another of their sites. They even charge Membership fees from all the suppliers who bid for projects. Their email is contact AT contractedwork.com but there is no response from this email address.



Their I.P. address is 84.40.18.186



and their address is



Administrative Contact:

Contracted Work Inc

Kelly Brown

2202 n 64st

mesa, az 85215

US

Phone: +1.8136900047

Email: contact AT contractedwork.com

Technical Contact:

Contracted Work Inc.

KELLY BROWN

9211 lazy ln

TAMPA, FL 33614

US

Phone: 727-786-1849

Email: Contact AT Contractedwork.com



I have now given the case to the Internet Crime Complaint Centre as well as to my local FBI office. I hope I can get both the websites put out of business as they are a totally fraudulent site and it seems that once monies are in their escrow account, it's gone for good.

Has anyone else been duped by this site's escrow service?

If you have, please let me know and, more importantly, let the ICCC know (at www.www.ic3.gov).

I'll keep you all informed of the case.

By the way: I'm also especially annoyed at Paypal, through whom noies were transferred to this company. Paypal said that because we were technically outside their '45 day' period, there was nothing that they could do. They used a technicatily to get out of their obligations to prevent Fraud. As a result, I've close my Paypal account and I refuse to trust Paypal ever again as they are happy to condone Fraud. I've also made a separate complaint against Paypal (which you can see on www.complaints.com).

In other words, Paypal won't shut this company's paypal account down, and is happy to keep accepting transfers to this company despite knowing that www.contractedwork.com is committing fraud.