5 scams spreading like a virus in recession |
|
|
The shopper is told to keep $50 for use on the mystery shopping spree and for the shopper's fee, and to wire the remainder of the funds to an address supplied by the supposed mystery shopping company.
"These are very real-looking checks," says Bartholomy. "Some even have watermarks and holograms."
The shopper is told to complete the assignment within two or three days. This urgency keeps the victim from discovering that the check is counterfeit until it's too late. Once the check is cashed, the victim becomes the responsible party. Unless the victim keeps a hefty checking account balance, personal checks will start bouncing.
How to avoid this scam: If you receive a check to mystery shop, it won't be legitimate, Bartholomy says. Bona fide mystery shopping companies don't send checks before the work is done. You can look up the company name at the Better Business Bureau. Bartholomy warns that these companies change names frequently, so you may find no report. Don't let that give you a false sense of security.
"You should verify that the company is a member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, which only represents legitimate mystery shopping companies," says John Swinburn, executive director of the association in Dallas.
Unfortunately, some of the scammers use names of legitimate mystery shopping companies. Make sure the company is on the association's Web site and that the contact information is the same.
5. Social networking scams
In this, someone builds a friendship with you on a social networking Web site such as Facebook or MySpace, becoming your "online friend."
"Once he has your trust and confidence, he runs into trouble and needs your help or, more specifically, your financial assistance," says Durst.
In another version of this scam, a person may pose as a relative who needs financial help.
The scammer may say he will lose his home or car unless he gets some money quickly. Or he might say he's in jail. Other perpetrators send you a check and ask you to wire the funds to a relative who lives in your country, saying it's too difficult do it from his own country.
"In both cases, you end up out of luck," says Durst. "With the first scenario, the 'friend' will disappear with your money. And in the second scenario, the check you deposited in your account in order to wire the funds will bounce, leaving you to repay the bank."
How to avoid this scam: Be careful about giving out too much personal information online, says Durst.
If you're contacted to "bail someone out" and aren't sure if that person is who he or she claims to be, ask personal questions that only the actual person could answer. Or contact the person that the scammer is claiming to be. Finally, you could call the authorities that are supposed to be holding him.
"If you call your grandson, and he doesn't know anything about being jailed in Canada, you know you're being bamboozled," Durst says.
|
