Police warn about “Mystery Shopper” scam, Fredericton, N.B

The RCMP is warning people to be wary of fraudulent employment offers. Over the past two weeks, the RCMP has received reports of New Brunswickers responding to job offers for “Mystery Shopper” positions published in various local newspapers.

People are asked to apply online, and when they do so, they receive a letter in the mail telling them they’ve been selected for the job, as well as a cheque from the company. They are asked to cash this cheque at their local bank, and use the funds in order to carry out their first assignment, which is to evaluate Canada Post’s “Moneygram” system by sending cash to a recipient in the U.K. These cheques turn out to be fraudulent, and the victim is then responsible for replacing the cash they’ve withdrawn from their bank accounts and paying the bounced cheque fees to their financial institution.

“There’s no such thing as easy money," says Cpl. Chantal Roger of J Division’s Commercial Crime Section. “We’re reminding people to verify the legitimacy of any company they are thinking of doing business with before cashing cheques or providing any personal information.”