By Matt Nemeth

Mystery shopper scam victim speaks out

Dec 20, 2016 | 8:35 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — A Medicine Hat woman who was a victim of a Mystery Shopper online scam is speaking out to warn others to not fall into the same trap she did.

Barbara Shelton, 45, responded to a message online to become a mystery shopper.

“I though this was basically an answer to my prayers,” she said.

The so-called company sent Shelton detailed instructions about what she had to do after receiving a cheque for $2,980.

“I was to keep $400 for myself as pay, $200 an hour training fee, as well as I was to take $100 to go shopping at Walmart,” says Shelton. “And I was to contact them (the company) because I was to do a direct deposit from another bank to them for the remainder of the amount.”

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But, what sounded like a godsend for Shelton soon turned into a nightmare. The direct deposit is what leads to the scammers getting their money. After spending the $100 at Wal-Mart, Shelton made her way to the bank to direct deposit the remaining amount as instructed. That’s when everything came crashing down.

“I was going to do the direct deposit and I found out instead that my bank card had been ‘hot carded’ and my bank account was frozen,” she said.

For Shelton, who’s on a fixed income, the consequences were immediate.

“They removed everything from my account,” she says. On Tuesday, Shelton and her bank will be meeting to discuss her situation, but she worries the effects of this will be long lasting.

“My credit rating now states that I have bank fraud and that I have been ‘hot carded’. So basically for the next seven years I have to rebuild everything again.”

Sgt. Mike Fischer with the Medicine Hat Police Service says there are almost too many scams out there nowadays to count. But he does have some advice for anyone who comes across a situation like Shelton’s.

“If anyone offers you a big lump of money and then to pay them a portion of it back, that’s a big red flag,” he says. “If someone wants to pay you for a service they will just pay you for a service. They will not ask you for money back.”

Shelton says that red flag was actually a sign to her that the company could be trusted. Now she has a message for anyone who comes across an “opportunity” like the one she did.

“Be very careful because there are fraudulent scams like this, and I don’t want to see other people in my situation,” she said.

Shelton says aside from the lost money, it’s the false hope the scam provided her that really hurts.

“With the amount they would have paid I actually would have probably been able to go off (government) assistance and take care of myself for once,È she said. ÈThat’s another hard part…..it hits the pride.”