Investigative Shopper Scam Hits Douglas County

05/17/2011
Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson warns Douglas County residents to be especially vigilant about responding to emails or other types of solicitations offering "investigative shopper/mystery shopper" employment. Recently, one out of state company scammed a Douglas county resident out of several thousand dollars. The unfortunate victim was told to deposit a check mailed to her by the company. Within 48 hours the company instructed her to go to several businesses that performed money wire transfers that they claimed were suspected of fraudulent practices. She was instructed to return to the businesses the next day for a refund. When the woman returned for the refund, she learned the wire transfers had been picked up and a refund was not possible. The final punch came when she learned the check she had deposited in her bank was returned for being altered or fictitious. In the end she lost over $4,000.00. The company counts on their victims relying on their financial institution's funds availability policy instead of waiting up to two weeks to verify a check will not be returned for insufficient funds, for being altered/fictitious, or for other reasons. Branson stated, "These offers are never legitimate, they are always a scam." He went on to state, "Never spend money from a deposited check from a questionable source, until you verify with your financial institution that the check has cleared. This holds true for money orders and cashier's checks which used to be the gold standard, but now they are frequently forged." -30- CONTACT INFO: Charles Branson, Douglas County District Attorney 785-841-0211 cbranson@douglas-county.com

Related Links:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/douglascountyda
Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/DouglasCountyDA

Media Contact:
Cheryl L. Wright - Assistant to the District Attorney
District Attorney's Office
785-841-0211
cwright@douglas-county.com