Have you seen an offer that seems too good to be true? Probably is so do some research before you dive into anything. You will be better off in the long run, trust me. Check out my story:
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I have always thought being a secret shopper would be the coolest job since I love to shop so I signed up for information on the internet months ago. I never received any information about it until recently and three weeks later, I have a check in the mail for $2,850 with assignment instructions. I was supposed to keep $400 for my services and with the remaining money I was supposed to buy packs of Ebay gift cards, get the numbers off the back and send him the information. Pretty easy right? Almost too easy so I decided to do a little research before I done anything with the check. How the scam works is that you draw the money out to buy the gift cards and once you give them the numbers off the back, the check gets canceled. They leave you owing your bank while they have their money and the cards.
For the first time in my life, I uncovered a scam and these were the 6 things I researched:
- Google search the sender’s name. In my case there were only 2 showing up – one was deceased and one was NYC broker which I don’t think has time for a secret shopper scam.
- Do a reverse look up on the phone number. If nothing comes up, at least check the area code that it is coming from. The phone number used to contact me was coming from a Las Vegas area code so I knew it wasn’t the broker guy from NYC.
- If you receive a check, look at all the information on the check. Does it have a company’s name as the sender or does it have an individual’s name? Major company’s paying you for a service do not send a check under an individual’s name. If it has a company’s name, look up the corporate office phone number and talk to someone about the information you received. Also look to see if the check has a statement at the bottom with the words money gram which could mean it’s not linked to an actual account from that bank. Like a money order, it was just issued from that bank. Call the bank and verify the account or talk to your bank about the situation so that they can take the necessary precautions prior to you depositing it.
- If you receive any type of information package in the mail, check the address to see where the package has been mailed from. My package was mailed from Virginia so along with a phone number with a Las Vegas area code and a name belonging to a deceased guy or a broker from NYC, nothing was adding up.
- If the sender is rushing you to do an action there maybe a reason why. As in my case, the sender was trying to rush me to get the check cashed and the assignment completed. After just one day of receiving the package, I received a text message asking for an update which was crazy.
- Check the internet for similar scams reported. You will find out how the scam works and others stories about being scammed. You can also check on the Better Business Bureau’s website to see if the company has any reports as being a scam.
These tips won’t apply to every scam out there but it will give you somewhere to start. If you or someone you know has been a victim of an internet scam, you can go to the FBI website to report it. That is exactly what I did because I know I was lucky enough to see the signs but I want to do my part in helping keep others from getting scammed.
