Recognize & report fraud

Work at home

While job openings are on the rise, fraudsters are creating counterfeit jobs to entice new victims. Fraudsters create job ads claiming no skills or experience are required. Typically, the job offers high pay for little or no work. The company promises that a business opportunity is surefire and will pay off quickly and easily. You're required to pay upfront for background checks, training, certifications, directories or materials. Be wary of any employment opportunity where you are asked to pay upfront costs or expenses and verify the legitimacy of the organization and job offer. 

Online marketplace fraud

Online shopping has sky-rocketed during the pandemic. Fraudsters are listing merchandise (typically on sites that offer third party selling) at unusually high or low pricing. Customers are provided a tracking number after purchase, but the products will never be delivered, as the fraudsters have used stolen, valid tracking data to legitimize a fake transaction and take the victims money. Be careful of purchasing too good to be true items online.

Grandparent/elder fraud

Everyone knows grandparents are kind-hearted people. Fraudsters know this best. Fraudsters sometimes present themselves` as a relative—usually a child or grandchild -  claiming to be in immediate financial need. Their end goal is to manipulate you out of your hard earned money. Please be aware and touch base with family members to verify a family crisis first, and never ship cash.

Government impersonation scam

Fraudsters pose as government employees and threaten to arrest or prosecute victims unless they agree to provide funds or other forms of payments. Do not give anyone your personal information without verification of legitimacy and never ship cash.

Sweepstakes/charity/lottery scam

Fraudsters claim to work for legitimate charitable organizations to gain victims’ trust. They may even claim their targets have won a foreign lottery or sweepstakes, which they can collect for a “fee.” Carefully inspect the background of any charitable organization before committing to donations or paying any fees. 

Payroll (and other checks) processing

Employees believe they are working for a legitimate company, however fraudsters usually initiate the contact for employment. The fraudster will supply or ask that you purchase check production software and attain a FedEx (or competitor) account number. Details such as bank account info, digital signatures, names/addresses and depositing amounts will be supplied to you. Checks are processed to individuals selling items. Item is sold and a check is written for a value greater than the item value with excess funds being requested to be returned. The check is cashed and the sold item is sent with excess funds. Checks are later deemed fraudulent by bank.

Depositing checks and sending reimbursements via wire or gift cards

In this scheme fraudsters send out checks or money orders, often from an online advertisement or job offer, utilizing a delivery service like FedEx to appear legitimate. You are then instructed to deposit the check and return a portion of the funds using a wire transfer service or through gift cards. You may even be given the opportunity to keep some of the cash as an enticement. Banks later discover that the check is fraudulent and the depositor is held responsible.

Secret shopper

Beware of receiving/money and cashing money orders when signing up to be a mystery shopper. Fraudsters sometimes utilize FedEx to send money orders to “other secret shoppers.” Authentic mystery shopping companies only require you to shop at stores and send feedback about your shopping experience directly to them or through a selected third party service.