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Scammers always in search of suckers
Staff writer
Whether by mail, telephone or Internet, there seems to be an endless variety of ways for scam artists to con unwary consumers out of their cash.
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Cindy Howsare of Amity said last week that she received an offer to be paid for shopping from Mystery Shoppers PLC.
"They were offering me a part-time job, saying I had been selected in our area as a mystery shopper. I would be paid $400 a week for the first three months, with the pay going up to $800 a week after six months."
Included with the letter was an authentic-looking check for $3,499. Howsare was given instructions to deposit that money in her checking account and send a wire transfer of $2,900 to two people in New York. The remaining money was $300 for training, $149 service charges and $150 to use for shopping.
After opening the letter, Howsare got on the Internet to research the company and learned that people had been bilked out of money after finding out the check was bogus. She said the company claims to be based in New York, but the letter had a Canadian postmark and the check was written on an Ohio bank account.
"I just want to warn as many people as possible," she said.
Nils Frederiksen, spokesman for Corbett, said the Mystery Shopper scam is the latest twist in rip-offs. The attorney general's office started getting complaints about the Mystery Shopper last year.
"And the complaints intensified since then," Frederiksen said. "The amounts change. But people are always asked to wire money, and then they are left holding the bag when the check doesn't clear.
"Legitimate businesses just don't operate that way," he added. "These scam artists are just preying on people who may believe it is their lucky day or those who may need money because things are tight. All these cons are hoping is even a few people fall for it."
State police Trooper Joseph Christy, community services officer for Troop B in Washington, said he knows people who are mystery shoppers for a legitimate company.
"They are told to buy certain items," he said. "Then they submit receipts for the items and are reimbursed through a PayPal account."
With the Internet and the desire of some people to get rich quick, there is no shortage of scam artists looking for victims, Christy said.
"They say a fool and his money are soon parted," he said. "People need to do some research on an offer before diving in with both feet. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."
To check on the validity of an offer or other issues, Christy suggests using the snopes.com Web site.
"It is an urban legend reference page," Christy said. "It cites the number of times the offer or story has been sent out over the Internet and how it has morphed over the years."
Beware, Frederiksen said: Scam artists are very good storytellers.
"We've had them since the dawn of time," Frederiksen said. "And it works as long as there are suckers out there or (until) they get caught."
The con artists even steal scam ideas from each other. There are many variations of cons, from the foreign lottery to online auctions.
The state attorney general's office works with federal agencies and even the Canadian government to try to recoup lost money.
"But once the money goes offshore, it is almost impossible to trace," Frederiksen said. "Chances of getting the money back are slim to none."
Frederiksen suggests that anyone who received an offer but did not fall for it contact their local post office so the letter can be forwarded to postal inspectors. Victims who lost money should contact the attorney general's office either by e-mail at attornygeneral.gov or telephone at 717-787-3391. He also encouraged people who believe they have been approached in a new type of scam to contact his office.
And if your e-mail inbox has a message from the Internal Revenue Service, consider it a scam.
Before the recent tax rebate was even approved by the House of Representatives and Senate and signed into law by President Bush, the cons were contacting people via e-mail, said Andy Hromoko, IRS spokesman in Pittsburgh.
"They were trying to get people to give up bank account numbers with the promise of direct deposit of the rebate," Hromoko said. "The IRS does not make unsolicited calls or send out e-mails asking for personal information."
The scams aren't limited to conning people out of cash. An e-mail has been circulating indicating that state police are on a 30-day ticket-writing frenzy on highways through Western Pennsylvania, including Interstates 70 and 79 and Route 22.
Cpl. Linette Quinn, state police spokeswoman in Harrisburg, said that is simply not true.
"State police do not have a quota system," Quinn said. "The money we do get in fines goes into a fund for several state agencies. The whole thing is a hoax."
Christy said people tend to believe that if they read it in an e-mail, then the information must be true. He even had a relative believe the information on the quota system.
"Just because it is posted on the Internet doesn't make it true," Christy said.
For more information on different scams, check the attorney general's Web site at attorneygeneral.gov and type in the keyword scam or lottery.
