The Coos Bay Police Department is dedicated to protecting the citizens of Coos Bay and the Bay Area from various frauds and internet scams. Unfortunately, many frauds and scams are perpetrated by persons operating on the internet and outside of the area and even outside of the country. This can make it extremely difficult for our local agencies to fully investigate or ever locate the suspects. Nonetheless, we can still work to protect our citizens by informing them of the various types of scams as they are reported to us and if they have been victimized, help them to take the necessary steps to protect themselves from further victimization. Recently, the Coos Bay Police Department has received reports of a fairly elaborate “Mystery Shopper” or “Secret Shopper” fraud. The following information regarding this type fraud was found on the Wal-Mart website: Mystery shopping, sometimes referred to as secret shopping, is where an individual is hired to “act” like a customer, and evaluate services at a business. The individual is essentially paid to shop, and then report on the experience. Walmart does NOT utilize these services. Fraudsters are sending fraudulent solicitations via mail, print, text, and e-mail to entice consumers to evaluate the retail experience, products and services at stores, including Walmart. This mystery shopper scam uses fraudulent offers, fake checks and wire transfers to persuade unsuspecting consumers into sending money to fraudsters who are often located outside the U.S. Signs of Fraud: These communications are often associated with fictional departments or branding initiatives with letters or e-mails coming from addresses that appear to be “Wal-Mart” or an address such as “admin@walmart.com”. There is usually another email address embedded in the “From” line. You can see the embedded email address by either hovering your cursor over the “From” line in the email or in many cases by clicking the “Reply” button and seeing what is in the “To” line of the reply email. Be careful to delete the reply before sending as to not confirm your receipt of the email to the scam artists thus confirming to them that your email is active. There may be multiple emails listed in the “to” line, or to “undisclosed recipients” – A website may be lacking Walmart branding, the Walmart Privacy Policy and the general look and feel of other Walmart websites. Other signs may include using outdated Walmart logos and branding. (e.g Walmart typed as “Wal-Mart” or “Wal«Mart”) – If you have been a victim of this type of fraud, or have received fraudulent solicitations via mail, print, text, or email please notify your local law enforcement agency so we can help to protect you, your identity and your money from these thieves.
