What to do if you are the victim of a MoneyGram scam.

 

July 19, 2010

 

The chance to make some extra cash without much effort is enticing to anyone.

 

Mystery shopping is one of those ways to earn a few bucks and potentially get reimbursed for a movie or dinner. What many people don't know, is they will never make huge amounts of money for doing a single shop.

 

Each year, hundreds of people around the country fall victim to a so-called mystery shop scam that involves wiring a few thousand dollars in cash using your local MoneyGram location to someone either on the East Coast or Canada.

 

They are told that if they perform this shop successfully, they're entitled to whatever cash is left over, usually $300-$500. It seems worth it to make a few hundred bucks for a half an hour of time!

 

The problem is, that cash you wired is going to a scammer. Everything about this mystery shop is fake, including that check you were sent. You'll find that out about a week or two after you cashed it at your bank.

 

That was part of your assignment. Now, you're on the hook for all that money the bank gave you for cashing the fake check. Instead of gaining $500, you're out the amount of the check, which can be a few thousand dollars.

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Don't be statistic.

Mystery shopping assignments don't pay in the hundreds. You can expect $50 at the absolute most.

 

Especially with the down-economy, people are more desperate to find any sort of income and scam artists search them out.

 




   

While you may not ever get that money back, you can at least give yourself a fighting chance. You can try filling out a report with your local police department, but that won't go very far. Unless it's a bigger city department, most don't have the capabilities to find where it originated from.

 

There are agencies out there you can contact and make a report with that will try and track down the people who initiated the scam. Here are a few of more recognized and valuable websites you can go to.

 

You can contact the FBI to report a suspected fraud. There they have tips to prevent yourself from being a victim and many different types of fraud schemes.

Another valuable site to use is Ripoffreport.com. To date, they have had over 500,00 reports filed with them and they have an extensive legal directory.

 

By going to Fraud.org, you will find different types of scams and who can be a victim. Here, you can file a complaint if you believe you've been a victim of fraud and have your name removed from marketing lists to avoid those annoying phone calls from telemarketers.

 

Don't let your need for money cloud your judgement. It's when you're vulnerable that you let your guard down, just in the hopes that you can get paid quick.

These are type of people that scammers prey on. For them, it's feast or famine. I say let them starve!
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