POLICE WARN OF NEW SCAM

The old adage “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” holds as true today as it ever has, probably more so.

For that reason, the Chickasha Police Department wants to warn citizens to be aware of a new type of scam being perpetrated on unsuspecting victims by unscrupulous individuals.

According to Chickasha Police Chief Lynn Williams, individuals using the name of legitimate companies such as Consumer Impressions, Inc., a mystery shopper company, have cheated, or have attempted to cheat, unwary consumers out of thousands of dollars across the U. S.

“They’re ripping off people all over the country through e-mail, phone calls and the U.S. Mail,” said Williams.

The ruse is to send people a letter and a cashiers check for amounts ranging from $1,000 to $4,500 and then instructing them to cash the check and transfer all but about $300 of the money from a wire transfer facility, typically a Wal-Mart store, to an international address, often in Canada. The $300 the victim is allowed to “keep” is said to be payment for completing an assignment and/or training, according to the National Association of Mystery Shoppers.

However, within a few days, victims are notified that the check has bounced. Unfortunately, because both the check and the company that issued it are bogus, victims have no recourse and are unable to recover any of their money, leaving them liable for the entire amount, including bank fees.

Other similar scams involve mailing victims unsolicited letters and cashiers checks issued in their name for around $5,000, with instructions to call the company’s office upon receipt of the letter for further instructions. Victims are told to deposit the check into their bank account.

The company then requests that the victim wire most of the money back to them via Western Union or Money Gram, usually several thousand dollars to cover “administrative taxes,” “government taxes,” or “certificates of clearance and insurance.”

Some letters claim to be from “mystery shopper” companies, while others claim the victim has been “randomly selected by computer” and that they have won tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in the “2008 Power Pay Stake,” the “North American Lottery Game,” or other bogus sweepstakes. Some even make references to legitimate sweepstakes like the Publisher’s Clearing House or Reader’s Digest Sweepstakes, but are not affiliated with either organization.

One letter, for example, which included a check for $4,900 made out in the victim’s name, asked her to deposit the entire amount into her bank account and then wire $3,950 back to the company “to facilitate the delivery of (her) won large lump sum.”

According to the letter, once the “tax payment” was “processed,” a final check lump-sum payment would be delivered to her by UPS or FedEx.

However, these checks are fraudulent, leaving the victims poorer but, hopefully, wiser, after being cheated out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars, often on top of large bank fees.

In addition, these bogus companies sometimes attempt to reassure their victims about their legitimacy by advising them about their “security protocol” which will “avoid any fraudulent activity that might hinder or delay the processing and remittance “ of their prizes.

Shopping offer likely a scam

Dear Troubleshooter: Thought this might be of interest to readers. Of course, I did not initiate this offer. It just appeared in my junk mail! - J. H.
For the benefit of my readers, let's explain this mailing. It is an offer to become a mystery shopper. As indicated, the letter arrived unsolicited and stated the recipient was selected to be a mystery shopper .
In addition to the letter, the mailing includes a cashier's check in the amount of $4,998 "to assist you with your assignment." The letter provides instructions for the recipient to follow with regard to their "probational training." It further says they absolutely must contact the company office immediately upon receipt.
Among the tasks the recipient is required to perform include making small purchases at two well-known retailers. However, the crux of the transaction instructs the addressee to arrange money transfers at two different financial wire services.
There's only one way to accomplish this...the recipient will have to deposit the $4998 check. Though the letter doesn't state this, there's a likelihood he'll be told to do so when he makes that required call to the company office.
There is little doubt in my mind the check is fraudulent. This opinion is re-enforced by several postings on various rip-off Web sites. Unfortunately, once the check is deposited and the "employee" carries out his mission, the money will almost surely be gone...never to be seen again. In a week or two, the bank will notify the recipient that the check was fake.
Here are some tell-tale red flags to support my opinion. The envelope contains a Canadian postmark. The company address is in South Dakota but the telephone and fax numbers contain the area code for Ontario, Canada. And finally, the check is drawn on a bank in Wyoming.
Cross-border fraud is an ever-growing problem. Unfortunately, criminals working out of Canada have often been the source for various scams. There are several cooperating government agencies on both sides of the border who work side-by-side in an effort to track down these con artists and bring them to justice.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, many mystery shopping ads promise so-called lucrative jobs but don not deliver real opportunities.
While legitimate companies do in fact hire individuals to evaluate quality of service at particular businesses, the FTC indicates it is unnecessary to pay money to someone to get into the mystery shopping business.

Counterfeit Scam Leaves Erwin Couple $10,000 Poorer

The Dunn Police Department is investigating two cases of counterfeit check scams, one of which has left an Erwin couple more than $10,000 in the hole.

When Kimberly Spell saw a classified ad in The Daily Record for a clerical job, she thought it was right up her alley, so she called.

The voice at the other end of the line told Mrs. Spell she had the opportunity to participate in a mystery shopper program, evaluating the customer service and efficiency of Wal-Mart's wire transfer service.

Mrs. Spell was sent a money order for $2,775, along with a checklist of criteria on which to evaluate the Wal-Mart employee. She was told to cash the money order at her own bank, keep $300 for payment and use the rest to evaluate the wire transfer service, sending it back to a fictitious relative named Tracy Spell.

When Mrs. Spell went to her bank, State Employees Credit Union in Dunn, the money order raised eyebrows only because of the unusually high amount. The branch manager was called over to inspect the check. He verified it as authentic and Mrs. Spell was given the cash.

She successfully sent the $2,475 to Laura Spell in Ontario, Canada, all the while paying careful attention to her checklist criteria and the attitude of the Wal-Mart employees.

Following the transaction, Mrs. Spell called the mystery shopper company to confirm the job was complete.

The next day, promptly at 10 a.m., a second package arrived via overnight delivery and the same routine took place again. On the third day, two checks were enclosed in the overnight envelope. On the fourth day, the company in Canada sent Mrs. Spell four checks, bringing the grand total to $23,055.

When Mrs. Spell went to her bank to start the day's work with these four checks, she was told they, along with the first four she had cashed, were all fakes. All of the checks bounced, and Mrs. Spell and her husband, Howard Spell, will be held responsible for the more than $10,000 they wired away to an unknown person in Canada.

The advertisement is no longer running in The Daily Record.