Winnipeg woman warns of 'secret shopper' cheque scam

A Winnipeg woman is warning people about a "secret shopper" scam after she received a big fake cheque in the mail recently.

Crystal Claeys was pleasantly surprised on Monday when she opened up her mail and found a cheque from the Toronto-Dominion Bank for $3,650.

"I was at first like, 'Right on, let's go shopping!' But I knew it was too good to be true, so I took it to the bank," Claeys told CBC News.

"My bank said it was a scam and I should call police."

Her first clue was the cheque's postmark, which was from Sacramento, California, she said.

Police in Manitoba have been warning the public as recently as last month, when a Brandon resident reported their cheque to police.

The "secret shopper" or "mystery shopper" scam works like this: The victim receives a letter saying they have been selected to be a mystery shopper.

Typically, the fraudster supplies a cheque for a large amount of money to help the victim accomplish their shopping tasks.

One of those tasks is usually to send another individual a large part of that deposit - usually using a wire service - as part of a test of company procedures.

Unfortunately, the cheque is counterfeit and when it bounces, the victim ends up being out the money that was transferred. 

Police say if an unknown person sends you a cheque as payment for property or services, and wants any of those funds sent back or passed on, it is almost certainly a fraudulent scam.

Claeys said it was pretty obvious to her, but it may not be to everybody.

"I worry a lot about an older person getting scammed," she said.