Complaint Review: Shadow Shoppers - MISS LUCY BLACK - JOANNE SUTHERLAND - BYRON MILKY - Barrier Ontario

Hey there. Sorry you got ripped like that, and it sucks that it happened. Here's a few tips for you and any other readers of this story. Some of it relates directly to your experience, but some is generalized for those looking for the ease of working from home.... Personally, I would love a "work from home" option too, so I can make some extra scratch in my off time from my regular night job, the sad truth however, is that many of these jobs made available online, all want something from you first. IMHO, there are just not enough legit work from home offers out on the web to make looking at them worthwhile. Firstly, be happy that you weren't out more money when all was said and done. Plus, from your report, it sounds as if the police and the bank don't figure you as a suspect in the shady dealings. In that case, you got off kinda light. If you're looking for a "work from home" type job, watch for some red flags... Be wary of ANY advance payment you get. Think of it this way; would any other legit employer pay you in advance for work that you hadn't done yet? Especially in such a large amount, and especially a new employee? What's stopping you from just taking off with that money? Be cautious of any "job" that asks you to spend your own money upfront the way you were asked, and especially in such a high amount. A woman I know worked for a legit "mystery shopper" outfit, and was never requested to spend $50. The cost of the item isn't relevant to what a mystery shopper goes to evaluate, which is mainly the service level of the store, store cleanliness, appearance and disposition of the staff, etc. Many legit jobs will never ask you to put any money down up front to work for them. Be suspicious if they do. If you are starting a franchise, are making an investment in someone else's enterprise, or have to invest in some kind of stock/product to get the ball rolling, that's a different story. Be wary if you get that gut feeling that the person for whom you're working is trying to "rush" you, or they have a hurry up" sense of urgency ESPECIALLY when it comes to depositing money in a personal bank account. Even more so if they seem to be using your account to "launder" an amount in any way that will go back into their pockets (and leave you holding the bag). You experienced this when they were calling you "every 5 - 10mins." or so, and it wasn't to see how you were doing at the JOB, was it? No, it was to see how you were coming with sending them back their ill gotten money. Red flag, BIG time. A "check" can look legit, but often in these situations they're not. Quite often they are "counter checks" that you can pick up while in the bank line up. They look real, but they're worthless. I know you said the teller swiped it, but tellers won't verify the legitimacy of a "check" unless you ask. Even then, they may make an error. Make it a personal creed to never honour a check until it has cleared your bank; 14 days or if the bank comes back with a problem earlier than that (your mileage may vary). In a pinch, you can also go to the "issuing financial institution" as get them to verify the funds at the teller. So, if you were issued a check that was drawn on an RBC account, go to an RBC branch and have the check verified there. It shouldn't cost you anything. By the way, this is a fairly well known check scam. They give you an amount, and get you to send the "overage' back to them from your account. As you know now, the check bounces and you're liable for the entire bill while they get away with $2900 in "free money". It's a scam commonly used on eBay type sites. The stories vary somewhat, but the basic trick is the same. You get a payment WAY over the actual amount of the item, and you may be told there was a "clerical error" and could you please wire back X amount of dollars, or you may even be told that you're doing these people a "favor" if they could put a larger amount on the check and have you give back the difference, because they need to do something with that money RIGHT NOW (there's the "hurry up" thing I was talking about). However, it's all the same in the end. (And why, if they need the money that bad, can they just not go to their own bank or even write a check to themselves?) Finally, the old adage applies here; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It sounds like these scammers depended on the "flash of the cash" confidence trick to dazzle you with their big bucks while wowing you with their alleged corporate affiliations (and any one can copy/paste corporate logos onto a piece of paper, right?). Don't let yourself be blinded by flashy logos and big bills. Be more cynical. ASK QUESTIONS. Lots of them. Check out the corporate affiliations if you really want some assurance. Call corporate HQ and ask them if they are in anyway affiliated with the service in question.Corporations tend to frown on people using their image to lure people in to a scam. This can be a good thing, because the corporations can get the scammers on, at the very least, defamation of their corporate image and misuse of copyrighted corporate logos with intent to defraud. If the person "hiring" you is unable or unwilling to answer your questions, or tries to dissuade you or distract you from asking them, SOMETHING IS WRONG. Tell them no thank you and then report them to any government or law enforcement agency that deals with this type of fraud (the RCMP have an internet fraud division) and hopefully get them caught before they move on and snag another sucker. Hope this helps.