Getting paid to shop sounds like a dream job for many people and it's that lure that keeps the secret shopper scam going.
Donna Gutteridge is a graphic artist who works from home.
Business is slow right now so she filled out several applications online for part time work.
Gutteridge assumed that's why she got a letter and a $4000 cheque from Price Waterhouse Coopers' management services offering her a job as a mystery shopper.
“When I first read it, I got excited, I must admit and I thought, wow, this is something I can do and I can make some extra money and it's good,” said Gutteridge.
The letter instructed her to cash the cheque, keep $500 as pay and spend $100 at some well known retailers.
She was told to fill out a customer survey, keep the products and then wire the rest of the money in two transactions using either Western Union or Moneygram.
The scammers even had an explanation for why so much money, $3000 in this case, had to be sent just to test the wire service.
"They specifically explained it had to be over $1000 because since 9/11 there's security issues and there's forms that have to be filled and that sort of thing,” said Gutteridge.
CTV Consumer Specialist Lea William-Doherty contacted Price Waterhouse Coopers and they confirmed they had nothing to do with the offer.
They said that it wasn’t a stolen cheque, but rather a counterfeit one that's been completely fabricated by the bad guys.
CTV Calgary has had seven viewers contact Lea over the last few days who have also received the letter and cheque.
Lea says to beware because once you cash the cheque and wire the money, you are on the hook to repay your bank once the counterfeit is discovered.
