You've heard of marketing companies conducting surveys on department stores... asking shoppers about their experiences.
That's the hook on this scam.
You get a letter in the mail asking you to be a "secret shopper".
It conveniently comes with a check just begging to be cashed.
But don't take it to the bank... It's just another fake.
Melissa Molles received the letter and check. She says, "I thought it would be fun to do, you know. You could go shopping. Everybody loves to shop ... and then make money at the same time."
Melissa was intrigued by the offer.
The company, Global Management and Evaluation Marketing Services of Toronto, Ontario... offered to pay her $350 to go shopping.
On top of that... the company would give her $100 to shop at J.C. Penney and another 100 bucks to spend at Wal-Mart.
All she had to do... fill out an evaluation of her shopping experience.
But what made her suspicious... being asked to deposit this check and wire $3,300 to Canada. She checked with her bank first.
Melissa says, "They said that the check was stolen actually. I guess somebody had stolen a bunch of checks so the check wasn't any good."
Melissa was smart to check things out before moving forward.
These days check fraud is big business... netting millions for the crooks who convince folks their checks are real.
Just remember... whenever someone sends you too much money and needs some wired back... it's a scam... especially if you're asked to send money out of the country.
U.S. law enforcement can't help with crimes which originate outside our borders.