KELOWNA – A Kelowna man is warning job seekers about a scam he nearly fell for.
Richard McGregor responded to an ad that was texted to his phone, claiming to be hiring secret shoppers.
He corresponded with the company, Mystery Shopper Survey, and was told he had landed the job.
Then he received a cheque in the mail for $3,500, with instructions to cash it, buy several items from several stores, then return the unspent funds to the company.
One of the items to be purchased was a Moneygram from Western Union, which was also to be sent back to the company. McGregor says suddenly, things didn’t seem right.
His letters outlined that he would receive $400 for his first set of assignments.
“But when the guy called me to see if I’d cashed the cheque, he said, ‘Just leave $500 in your account and call me when you’ve cashed the cheque.”
RCMP say they have heard of this type of scam before, and have a message for the scammers.
“We’re educating the public,” said Const. Kris Clark with the Kelowna RCMP. “The public is getting smarter about these scams, and really, they’re going to have to change their game because we’re always looking at ways of identifying them and bringing them to justice.”
Information about the mystery shopper scam, and other scams, can be found on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre web page.
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