Mystery shopping cheque fraud scam
July 28, 2010 No CommentsBridgend County Borough Council’s Trading Standards service is warning of a possible scam involving mystery shopping which is currently in operation.
Beware of the mystery shopper cheque scam
The scam involves a newspaper advert asking for mystery shoppers to take part in a survey. Consumers are asked to send an email to the organisers, who then send a cheque for a substantial amount of money.
The consumer is asked to then transfer money with a well known company, which the organisers claim is a part of the mystery shopping scheme. Some people are transferring money from their accounts before realising the cheque they have been sent is actually a fake.
Service Manager for Trading Standards, Helen Picton, wants to highlight the severity of these scams to Bridgend County Borough residents.
She said: “We believe that this scam is likely to be operating from outside the UK and this makes it very difficult to bring the scammers to justice. It’s important that consumers are fully aware of the risks involved when responding to these adverts, and it reinforces our belief that if something sounds too good to be true it usually is.
“It is important to step back and evaluate the risks of this type of transaction, especially as the only information likely to be received is in an email. Please be on your guard.”
Anyone aware of such a scam should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506 or 08454 040505 for a Welsh language service. Further advice on scams can be found by visiting http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/watch_out/Scams/.
FACT FILE:
Tips to avoid being the victim of a scam:
- Ask for full contact details, including a street address. A company website should provide the full street address for the business, not just a Post Office or mail box number.
- Contact them using details from their official website or documents. Be wary of buying from anyone who only gives an email address or mobile phone number.
- Put the firm’s name into an internet search engine to see what you can find out.
- Look them up on at www.companieshouse .gov.uk to check they’re a registered company.
- If you’ve received a letter or other mailing, check whether it’s come from a member of the Direct Marketing Association.
- Don’t be fooled by professional-looking websites and marketing materials. Scammers are good at making their scams look authentic.
