A recent scam involves fraudsters mailing large checks to people along with letters stating they have either won a contest, are being solicited to be mystery shoppers, or some other similar story. These letters look legitimate, and the checks are large enough to entice anyone into cashing them.
Some letters instruct recipients to call a phone number to activate the check, which is actually an attempt to gain personal information. In other instances, recipients are told to keep a portion of the check and wire the rest to an individual named in the letter. No matter the scheme, the results can be devasting, time-consuming, and costly to you!
MYSTERY SHOPPER
In an actual report of this scam, an individual received a $3,350 check in the mail with an offer to become a mystery shopper.
A letter instructed the person to cash the check, use Western Union to wire $3,000 to an individual named in the letter, and provide feedback about his or her experience with Western Union. After that, the person was told to use $200 of the remaining cash to buy whatever he or she wanted at a specific department store chain, rate the shopping experience, and keep the merchandise. The remaining $150 was to be kept as a gift. Eventually, the check will be returned for non-sufficient funds (NSF) and the person will be liable for any money spent.
Always remember - if the offer seems too good to be true, it usually is.
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