The Laurel Police Department is warning the public of a scam currently being attempted in our area. The LPD has received complaints regarding a secret shopper/mystery shopping scam, according to information released by Police Chief Tommy Cox.
The scam is generally promoted through e-mails which instruct the recipient to register to become a mystery shopper for reputable companies. The scammers create websites that appear legitimate for the individual to register on, making the scam seem believable. Once the person is registered, they are provided a list of businesses to shop at and after completing their tasks are instructed to submit a report about their experience.
Upon completion of the report, the person is sent a cashier’s check in an amount that is in excess of what their payment for services should be with instructions that they are to cash the check, keep the portion due to them and then use the excess amount to purchase gift cards which are to be returned to the company by electronic transfer. A similar method of scamming is used in the taking of online surveys, in which the individual is offered payment to take surveys about businesses in return for payment.
The best way to spot the scam is to know that you should never be charged a fee to register for the mystery shopper program. You should never be instructed to wire money back to a company. If your assignment includes wording such as “Evaluation of a money transfer service,” this is a scam. As always, any persons with information about criminal activity may contact LPD or Crime Stoppers at 601-428-STOP.