Extra cash for being a secret shopper? It sounded too good to be true to one woman in Terrell, TX, -- and it was, reported Jason New of CBS11-TV, Dallas - Fort Worth. The secret shopper scam is one of BBB's Top Ten Scams of 2012.
The woman received her first check in the mail for $1,600. As instructed, she deposited the check, kept $300, and wired the rest back to the company.
But the check she had deposited bounced. “I cried,“ said Smalls recalling the conversation with the banker. “He said what are you crying for, it is not your fault. I said ‘but how am I going to make it up.’”
"The mystery shopper scam has become so prevalent and effective; it made the BBB’s top ten scam list. However, according to the BBB, the top scam of the past year was the fake Sandy Hook Elementary charity," said Jason New.
“I think sometimes people hear what the scammer says and there’s a little voice that says maybe this isn’t right. You should listen to that voice and stop, think it over,” said Jeannette Kopko with the Dallas Better Business Bureau.
See the story above, or go to http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/02/14/better-business-bureau-lists-top-ten-scams-of-2012/
For a detailed explanation of the Top Ten scams of 2012, click here.
Top Overpayment/Fake Check Scam: Car Ads
Top Emergency Scam: Grandparents Scam
Top Employment Scam: Mystery Shopping
Top Advance Fee/Prepayment Scam: Nonexistent Loans
Top Phishing Scam: President Obama Will Pay Your Utility Bills
Top Sweepstakes/Lottery Scam: Jamaican Phone Lottery
Top Identity Theft Scam: Fake Facebook Tweets
Top Home Improvement Scam: Sandy “Storm Chasers”
Top Sales/Rental Scam: Real Stars, Fake Goods
Scam of the Year: Newtown Charity Scams
To learn about scams or report scams, visit BBB Scam Stopper, www.bbb.org/scamstopper.
