Do you think you may have received a scam or have received something that makes you suspicious? This page is designed to provide some guidance to keep you from losing your hard earned money and give you some direction on what to do.

How to identify a scam:

• You received an unexpected cashier’s check or an offer of a large payment from a company that may or may not be posing as a mystery shopping company. Mystery shopping is a common front; however, it could be any type of company.
• You are asked to send some of the proceeds to someone else.
• The offer seems too good to be true. The scammers are counting on your willingness to take the chance their offer is real.

What to do: After you realize it is a scam, you can destroy the check and go on with your life OR you can try to protect other potential victims and help catch the criminals (we REALLY hope you choose this option). If you choose the second option, at minimum:

• Notify the FBI. The FBI NEEDS your report to help track down the criminals.
• If there is a Canadian postmark or other indications it came from Canada contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center – PhoneBusters.
• Notify the Better Business Bureau. The BBB can send out an alert in your area and spread the word in their system.
• Report the check to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

You may also consider:

• Contacting the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). The main trade association for the mystery shopping industry.
• Contacting the REAL company and alert them of the scam. Be sure to use contact information from the BBB, the MSPA, or another reliable source.
• Contacting the bank the check was written on so they are aware of the forged checks.
• Notify your state banking commission.
• Contacting your local (non-emergency) number for the police to make sure they know the scam is taking place. Understand though, they don’t have the resources or jurisdiction to go after the scammers.
• Contacting your local news agencies to help spread the word to your friends and neighbors in your area, just in case they receive something too.