Maryland officials are warning residents of a recent spike in “secret shopper” scams involving fake checks that appear to be issued by the state.
Victims have received fraudulent checks along with a letter from a nonexistent company, usually with a Canadian address, said Attorney Doug Gansler.
In one, the letter said the victim was selected to conduct a secret shopping assignment; in another, the letter said the victim won a lottery prize.
In both scams, the victim is directed to deposit the fraudulent check into their bank account and then wire a portion to the scammers using Western Union or Money Gram. Any money that is wired to the scammers cannot be retrieved, Gansler said.
Anyone with questions or to report a scam should call 410-528-8662.
