APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Appleton Police Department received a fraudulent check in the mail Tuesday as part of a common “Mystery Shopper Scam.”
One of the Appleton captains received the check in the mail at work.
The scam involves the victim receiving a fraudulent check with instructions on what to buy with the money. Then, they are promised a certain amount of that money as payment. The victim is instructed to deposit the check and then make specific purchases — often gift cards — which are then transferred to the scammer.
The scam is intended to make the victim think they’re the ones making money. But when the check bounces, the victim is solely responsible for the spend funds.
The department said it was “befuddled yet mildly amused by the brazenness of a scammer” to target them.
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