When he was offered the chance to make some extra income as a mystery shopper, David Bowers said he thought it would be an easy, convenient way to help tide things over while he looked for work.
Bowers, an employee of Day Construction, has been looking for work since being laid off late 2009. He said the layoffs were due to decreased business.
He found the ad for the Mystery Shopping program at an online site and sent in his resume, and was accepted. He received the package from Lifestyles Solutions Inc. by mail within days.
It included a letter explaining the mystery shopping process, survey forms to be filled out, a time sheet, and a cheque from Lifestyles Solutions Inc., issued by the National Bank of Canada, for $2,500.
As he looked things over, one thought kept crossing his mind: this is too good to be true.
“They asked me to go to my bank, cash the cheque, put $200 in my pocket, and then transfer the rest (to them) by Western Union,” Bowers said.
“It just seemed odd (they are) giving me $2,500, and they don't have a clue who I am, what kind of person I am. So right off the bat, I thought 'okay, this is a little fishy.'”
Rather than cash the cheque, he contacted the issuing branch. The representative on the phone confirmed within moments that it was a fake, by pointing out differences in what a real cheque, issued by the National Bank of Canada, would look like compared to what Bowers had received.
Denis Cyr, branch manager at the National Bank of Canada location in Greater Sudbury, wasn't able to comment on the specific case as an investigation is ongoing.
“If it looks too good to be true,” it likely is, he said.
Bowers tried to call the company at the number listed in the letter, but there was no answer. There was an answering machine, but Bowers said it was not a professional recording. He contacted the Greater Sudbury Police, who pointed him towards Phone Busters, a scam unit operated by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
Greater Sudbury Police Const. Albert Lapalme said is it “unfortunate” when individuals are taken in by these types of scams, because there is very little local police can do.
Follow-up becomes difficult because while the crime occurs in Greater Sudbury, the people committing it are often not in the same country. It becomes very difficult to do anything due to the cost and jurisdiction issues.
Avoiding scams like the false cheque scams comes down to common sense, he said. People should never accept cheques for more than they are owed, nor should they send money to strangers.
“(People) don't send money for nothing,” Lapalme said. “If money is owed to me, chances are I know about it.”
For more information on the different types of scams, visit:
- Phone Busters (OPP)
- www.phonebusters.com
- RCMP Personal information protection and scams protection
- www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/canad-practical-pratique-guide-eng.htm
- www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/canad-practical-pratique-guide-eng.htm
