Local authorities warn against check scam-

A 12-year-old child is among the local residents targeted in a new mail scam which encourages unwitting victims to become ‘paid customer survey specialists’ in what is a scheme to clean out their bank accounts.

‘This is not a legitimate offer,’ said McMinnville police investigator Nicole Mosley. ‘What happens is they have people sending in their own money and they are left holding the bag when the check they’ve been sent by the bogus company comes back worthless.’

Mosley said two checks, one for $1,860 and one for $4,950, have been reported by local residents, one of whom was only 12 years old. The checks were sent through the mail.

In one case, a person tried to deposit the check into his account but was turned down by the bank which told the potential victim the check was worthless.

However, Mosley said not everybody is so fortunate to have a bank looking out for their best interests.

‘The person is liable for that money if the check is cashed,’ said Mosley, noting some people who have unwittingly cashed the bogus checks have been prosecuted in criminal court for passing a worthless check.

In the case of the most recent scam, Mosley said the potential victim is sent a letter and told they have been selected to be a customer survey specialist and they are being sent on a paid training assignment. They are mailed a realistic-looking check and told to deposit it into their account before going on the mission.

The victim is then supposed to obtain a money order and return a large portion of the money, but keeping $200 for themselves. The money order is to be sent, in most cases, to a location in British Columbia.

While the victims believe they have made $200, they have in fact indebted themselves to whatever amount was on the check as the check will prove to be worthless while the money they sent to British Columbia from their own account is real.

‘There’s even a line in the letter where it urges the victims to keep their missions quiet,’ said Mosley, noting the cloak of secrecy is suggested in hopes the victims will not go to law enforcement.

Mosley said the warning is about all law enforcement can do given the international implications of the scam.

‘We can’t go up to British Columbia and get your money back, if the money even is actually collected there,’ Mosley said. ‘We need people to beware of these scams because once your money is gone, it’s not coming back.’

Mosley said the offers can come from a number of fictional companies, the most recent one here being Shore Life Exchange.

SCAM BASICS

While slight details may change, the scam most people fall for works like this:

‘ The victim receives a realistic-looking check.

‘ The victim is told to deposit that check in their account and return a large portion back to the sender. The victim gets to keep a certain amount, say $500, for their trouble.

‘ The check that’s deposited turns out to be worthless and the victim loses the $500 that was sent.