When Brenda Berry of Brookton County, West Virginia received a letter asking her to be a secret shopper for Wal-Mart, she was thrilled. Adding to her excitement was also a check in the amount of $1,892.35. “When I saw the check, I was like woohoo. I was excited. It’s $1800 dollars. Everyone can use $1800 dollars.” Brenda said.
Everything about the letter and check looked real. Brenda wasn’t completely convinced, though, so she talked to her daughter. Doing some investigation, Brenda found out the letter and check were a scam. From the letter to the scrupulously forged signature on the check, it was all a scam.
The Wal-Mart website makes it very clear to their customers that they do not use secret/mystery shoppers. Wal-Mart also offers tips for customers to use to prevent being scammed.
The scam is set up for the scammers to receive your bank account information as soon as the check is deposited. Similar cases have been reported across the nation. All reports cite the same type of letter and a check for nearly $2000.00.
Berry said “I kept thinking, please let it be real. I wanted it to be real, but it’s not. And if I would have put that in my account, I would have had to pay back all that money. Every fee and everything for having a bounced check.”
To protect yourself, do your research, ask questions and get opinions from others. Remember the saying “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Don’t put yourself in the position that you have to pay all the money back, plus bank fees and any other costs that are connected to the scam.