The RCMP in Grand Falls-Windsor is warning the general public of another fraud-through-mail scam.
A news release notes that at least three residents of Grand Falls-Windsor, one of whom is a 12-year-old girl, have received letters through the mail offering paid positions as mystery shoppers.
Attached to the letters in each case was a sizeable cheque in the recipient’s name. The cheque was to cover their wages and operating expenses related to this role.
As part of the deal, the “Mystery Shopper” was then to return a large portion of the cheque to the sender using common money transfer services. The letter stated that the money transfer was intended to test these money transfer businesses to ensure that they are following the correct protocols.
The letters bore the letterheads of a legitimate business based out of Ontario. These businesses are not believed to have any involvement with the attempted frauds.
Members of the general public should be aware that cashing cheques of this nature often results in the cheques being rejected at some point and the “Mystery Shopper” is then left holding responsibility for any money spent or transferred.
Information on various scams and frauds is available at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.