A tipster called Eyewitness News about a scam known as the “secret shopper”.
The Bakersfield Police say they see scams like this more and more this time of year.
Scammers cashing in on holiday shoppers looking for easy money.
Our tipster did not want to be identified. We’ll call her “Norma”.
“Norma” received a cashier’s check in the mail for about $1,500, for her to be a “mystery shopper”.
The letter wanted “Norma” to deposit the check into her bank, then spend money at Best Buy and “evaluate” her shopping experience.
But something wasn’t adding up.
“I don’t know anybody that would pay you up front without doing anything to earn it,” said “Norma”, “that was the first indicator.”
She called the Better Business Bureau. The BBB says the bank will reject the check, then delete the advanced funds from your account.
“Norma” would’ve been out at least $1,000.
Police reiterated these scams are out there. Guard your computer, guard your mail, because scammers will try to get into your financial accounts.
The same way they tried to get into “Norma’s”.
“People should be aware,” she said, “a lot of people need money right now, they should be aware of what’s going on right now.”