Full Notification

Responding to a mystery or secret shopper ad could set you up for a scam. Recently, the Newark Police Department was made aware of a scam that begins when you get an email, phone call or letter offering “secret shopper” jobs with retailers like Wal-Mart, Kmart, Best Buy or Home Depot. You eventually receive a check for thousands of dollars. You are instructed to deposit the check into your personal account to “activate” your employment, and keep some of that money as “advance payment.” Problem is, the “job” isn’t real and it’s not associated with any actual stores. You’re dealing with a scammer. That check is a fake. If you deposit it, you’re on the hook to pay the bank back.

Scammers continue to come up with new angles for old scams. One that is becoming more popular is a variation on the fake check scam. Instead of wiring the money to the scammer via MoneyGram or Western Union, the bad guys have their victims purchase Green Dot MoneyPak Cards or other pre-paid cards and send the PIN numbers to the scammers.

Here is how it works:

The victim receives a check which they are instructed to deposit into their bank account. They are told to purchase some Green Dot MoneyPak Cards at various locations as a “Mystery Shopper”, and to evaluate the retailers. The victims are told to email the evaluation forms along with the 14-digit code from each of the pre-paid cards.
What the victim doesn't realize is that the check they received was fraudulent, and once the PIN code is given to the scammer, the money loaded on the cards can be transferred and used by the scammer. Sometime later, the victim discovers that the check they received has bounced, and they are required to repay the money they gave to the scammer.

Green Dot MoneyPak Cards are often used by people who do not have bank accounts or credit cards. Once customers purchase a card at a participating retailer with cash, they can use it to reload prepaid cards, add money to a PayPal account without using a bank account, or make same-day payments to major companies.

Remember if it’s too good to be true, it is!

For more info click on links below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WXA6D-6f0Y

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/radDocs/consumer/MysteryShopperScam2.pdf