Crime & Safety

Petaluma Woman Loses $800 in Mystery Shopper Scam

Asked to deposit cashiers check, then wire money

A Petaluma woman lost nearly $800 in an online mystery shopper scam, according to the Petaluma Police Department.

The victim, who is not being identified to protect her privacy, received an email saying she had been selected to become a mystery shopper. After she answered the email, she received a cashiers check in the amount of $999. Her contact, who had an address in Tampa, Florida, told her to deposit the check into her account and then forward him $769 out of that amount to cover initial expenses.

A clerk at Western Union talked to the woman about the danger of scams, but agreed that the cashiers check looked real. The victim received another email asking her to deposit three money orders for $999 each and then send $1700 to an address in the Philippines. The victim then became suspicious and contacted the police.

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Petaluma police attempted to contact the senders of the original cashiers check but could not find the address given. The case has since been suspended due to a lack of leads. 


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