Mike
McGrath Warns Montanans
Last
month Attorney General Mike McGrath
warned
Montana
consumers of this crime. "People
need to remember that you don't get something for nothing," McGrath said.
"If someone you don't know sends you a cashier's check unexpectedly in the
mail and asks you to cash it and wire some of the money back to them for
whatever reason, it's 99.9 percent certain that it's a scam."
In
recent weeks, victims in
Montana
and throughout the nation have received packets in the mail from "Shopping
Group Agency," a company that claims to hire secret shoppers to help
businesses improve their customer service. The mailing includes:
·
a
fraudulent cashier's check that claims to be drawn on a legitimate financial
institution;
·
details
of a "PAID training assignment" that involves making purchases at
well-known businesses;
·
a
one-page code of business conduct and ethics, and
·
a
customer service rating form.
Victims
are asked to pose as customers to evaluate the service provided by various
businesses, including
Western Union
and MoneyGram. As part of the evaluation, they are asked to cash the check,
keep $250 as training pay and expenses, and wire $2,150 via
Western Union
and $100 for the service charge by Money Gram.