“Our agency is investigating another scam received through the mail. The victim, a Cadiz woman, is out over $1,500 as a result,” said CPD Public Information Officer Scott Brown. “A working list of scams can be found on our website at www.cadizpolice.com. Unfortunately, we seem to be adding to this page weekly.”
Victims receive a letter from WVAS Merchandise Basics telling them they have been selected to be a Consumer Service Evaluator (secret shopper) at selected retail outlets. The victim is sent a check or money order for around $2,000 and instructed to deposit it into their personal bank account to cover the costs of purchasing merchandise through the program. Once the money is deposited, the victim is told to send them around $1,500 back through a Western Union money order.
The bank notified the victim that the check was counterfeit, but not before they had wired the $1,500. In addition, the victim made a $57 purchase as part of the secret shopper program as instructed and was responsible for that purchase also.
For the rest of this story, see this week's issue of The Cadiz Record or subscribe to our e-Edition by calling 270-522-6605.
