Wrightstown man victim of scam
WRIGHTSTOWN — A Wrightstown man is $5,500 poorer and a great deal wiser after falling victim to a “secret shopper” scam that is making the rounds of the U.S. 
Officer Ray Reimann said the victim received an unsolicited request in the mail asking him to help uncover suspected fraud in a legitimate moneygram business.
The mailing included a check, which the man was asked to cash. He was then directed to take the cash to Wal-Mart and purchase a moneygram including a name and reference number.
Reimann said the name was false but the reference number was legitimate.
The victim followed instructions, cashing the check and sending the money to the recipient by moneygram. Later, the original check bounced. It was written on a fraudulent account at the Pioneer Federal Credit Union in Colorado, Reimann said.
“There is a legitimate Secret Shopper service, but this is not legitimate,” Reimann said. “The fraud is probably being run out of Vancouver or Victoria, British Columbia.”
Reimann said the Wrightstown victim actually received two of the fraudulent solicitations and completed both transactions before learning that the checks were no good. By that time, he was out the $5,500 when his bank held him responsible for the bad checks.
Reimann said the original letter of solicitation said the victim had applied to be a secret shopper, when he had not.
Reimann said the criminals behind the operation are using Wal-Mart’s legitimate moneygram service to steal from victims.
According to the Arizona Attorney General’s office, legitimate mystery shopper businesses do not:
The AG’s office said there is no legitimate business that asks you to send money to a third party.
It also notes that it may take more than a week for a fraudulent check to be identified. This is especially true for checks that are written on foreign banks.
If you deposit any fake check, including a fake cashier’s check, you are responsible for making it good when it bounces. Banks will not take the loss, and may charge you a large fee to handle a fraudulent check that you cash or submit for deposit.
More information is available at www.azag.gov.
News Source : http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070830/APC0101/70830118/1979/frontpage
