Quote reblogged from herewearenowentertain.us with 8 notes
Someone who answers a mystery shopper ad is sent an employment packet typically containing a training assignment and a cashier’s check made out for a largish amount. The “shopper” is to pose as an ordinary bank customer, cash the check there, then wire the funds to an address that has been supplied in the information package. The “shopper” will also typically be told it is imperative he complete the task within two days.
The pressure to get the check cashed works to keep him from discovering that the check he was given was counterfeit, and once this information comes to light (as it eventually does), our hapless “mystery shopper” is left on the hook with the bank for the value of the rubber check. The FDIC requires banks to make money from cashier’s, certified, or teller’s checks available in one to five days. Consequently, funds are often released into payees’ accounts long before checks have been honored by their issuing banks. Forgeries can be bounced back and forth between banks for weeks, by which time victims have long since turned over the monies the bank gave them to the con artists who have just taken them for a ride.
Snopes: Secret Shopper Scams¹. My mother, a generally pretty savvy woman, very nearly got taken by this one. Only the fact that today is a banking holiday prevented her being on the hook for $1500, since she was fully prepared to pop down to the bank first thing. Another thing to thank Dr King for. She’s now the proud owner of two forged money orders of middling quality. In other news, people are horrible. (via jrhyley)
Wow, people suck. I’m glad your mother wasn’t a victim of this scam.
Source: jrhyley
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ubermichael reblogged this from jrhyley and added:
Wow, people suck. I’m glad your mother wasn’t
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jrhyley posted this
