Huron OPP urge people to beware of the Mystery Shopper scam

(HURON COUNTY, ON) - Huron County residents need to be aware that the Mystery Shopper scam is currently active. In fact, in one recent case, a Huron East resident was victimized for nearly $2,500.
 
Getting paid to go shopping? Sounds like a great gig, making a hefty sum of money for a relatively small amount of your time. Before you get too excited and respond to that enticing ad or letter that shows up in your mailbox, please remember the old adage, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

Yes, there are plenty of legitimate mystery shopping companies, which hire individuals to drop in unannounced at retailers, hotels, restaurants and other businesses to secretly evaluate customer service. However, the fraudulent kind typically works as fake check scams.
 
Scammers often use free on-line classified websites to recruit potential victims. Consumers answer tempting on-line posts, E-mails or text message ads to become a mystery shopper. The "employer" sends a letter with shopping tasks to be completed in a "professional and expeditious" manner at various stores. Enclosed with the "Congratulatory Letter" is a cheque that is to be used by the "employee" for purchasing the goods and fulfilling the shopping tasks.

The "employee" is told to deposit the cheque and is instructed to keep a portion of the money as a payment. The remaining funds are to be used to send a wire transfer of funds to test the company's procedure or customer service skills. In this instance the "employee's" assignment was to evaluate the "effectiveness and efficiency of banks."
 
Eventually, the cheque is returned as counterfeit and the "employee" is accountable to pay for the funds that were transferred. In this particular case, a 46-year-old of Huron East deposited the cheque into her account, completed her assignments and then proceeded to deposit $2,480 into the scammer's account. 

Upon returning home, the victim decided to go on-line to do some checking on the company she was working for and she immediately noticed she had fallen for a scam. She immediately reported the scam to her bank and police, but the damage was already done and the prospects of getting her money back are unlikely.
 
Consistent with most scams, the scam artist requests you to be "discreet and confidential" and "act in accordance with the Employee Code of Business and Ethics." This scam is also dependent on you responding immediately. The mystery shopper letter states, "Although this is a training exercise, it should be considered a job interview. An offer of a permanent position will be based on the time it takes you to complete the assignment." The scam artist wants you to feel pressured and to act quickly before the bank or consumer determines it is a fake cheque.
 
Here are some warning signs to help protect yourself:
 

• Be mindful where you post your resume; scammers often use legitimate websites to seek out victims
• A legitimate employer will never send funds and request a portion of it back
• Do your research - a simple search on the Internet can save you thousands of dollars
• Beware of unsolicited text messages and E-mails offering employment
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

 
To learn more about common frauds and how to report a fraud, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre.ca or 1-888-495-8501