Mystery Shoppers and Lottery Winners Beware
If you receive a random check in the mail with instructions to send money to someone else—don’t!
The Northeast California BBB has received dozens of complaints against fraudulent companies from consumers who have supposedly been selected to be mystery shoppers or are told they have won thousands of dollars from a lottery.
These fake check scams follow a similar pattern: a check amounting between $3,000-$5,000 is sent to a consumer with an explanation that the funds are for lottery winnings, a prize promotion, or mystery shopping. The victim is given a reason to deposit the check promptly and then send back a portion of the alleged funds for taxes, registration or confirmation. The checks are fake; they bounce 14 days later and leave the victim responsible for the funds they withdrew from their account, generally over $1,000.
Mystery shoppers, who’s job is to purchase items and evaluate customer service, incur additional losses from the money they spend on their merchandise during their mystery shopping experience.
“I thought this job would be an easy way to earn some extra money. All I had to do was cash their check and send them 10%,” said Sacramento resident Isaias Garcia. “I double checked with the bank and found out it was fake. They say if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.”
One Northern California senior was told he’d won $250,000 in the lottery and was asked to send $2,500 to Israel to claim his winnings. He did so and never received a penny. Two months later, a man alleging to be with the FBI called offering to help retrieve the victim’s money. He sent $2,600 to Canada for this service. Now just this week, after spending $5,100, he was called again and asked to send an additional $299 in order to receive his lottery winning.
Some red flags to watch out for are requests to wire money overseas, requests for personal information, typos in the letters or checks, and random winnings for lotteries.
“These are the kinds of schemes where the victims allow their wishful thinking to overcome their common sense,” said BBB President Barry Goggin. “People need to think these kinds of things through.”
Do not divulge personal information to anyone who solicits it over the phone. Before making any purchase, always be sure to obtain a BBB report as part of your decision making process. For reports on businesses and for information about BBB services, visit our website at www.bbb.org or call (916) 443-6843.