When looking to make extra cash, mystery shopper jobs can be tempting, but be sure to tread carefully. Thieves are cleverly luring people into a mystery shopper scheme involving counterfeit checks.
Musette Henley knows all about it, after accepting an online job for a research study on customer service.
She accepted the job and received a check in the mail with instructions.
"They were so insistent and they kept reminded you reminding you rather – don't use your money – only use their check," says Henley.
The check was for $1,500. She was told to buy certain items, remove her fee, then send the rest back. Henley was told to do this as quickly as possible.
Right after the deposit, she called her bank. They found the check and confirmed it was a counterfeit. Expediency is a key part of this scheme.
"The urgency of receiving more prompts the consumer to react right away and that's what the suspects want, they want you to react right away and wire them the money so that they can get what they are looking for. They prey on the elderly, because I get so many calls that I never got. It doesn't start until you are 60 and when you are 60 years old you start getting all of these calls all of these offers," says U.S. Postal Inspector Lee Jones.
If you do not know the source, do not react to the source. Prevention is the best tool in fighting fake check schemes.
