Call for Action Alert: Watch for mystery shopper scam

A man thought he landed a new job as a mystery shopper. It turns out it was just a scam, and he lost hundreds of dollars. Katie Pelton explains what to watch for in this 11 Call for Action Alert.

David was excited when he got a text saying he was picked to be a mystery shopper. He's been one before. He got a check in the mail for nearly $2,000 with instructions.

"I got $200 out of the $1,950, went to Walmart, bought a Walmart gift card, did what it said to do, scratch off the pin, send a picture of it to them right away," said David.

The next day, the check bounced so he went back to Walmart only to find money had already been wiped off the card.

David was a legitimate mystery shopper before and said there are some warning signs he should have noticed. "There's no deadline on it, there's no dates on it, so that right there should have been a red flag to me," said David. "But I was taken in by that, the check."

Don't pay to be a mystery shopper. The Federal Trade Commission said you should not have to pay anyone to get into the mystery shopper business. Make sure to do your homework and check the company's background before signing up. If someone asks you to buy gift cards or wire money, that's always a red flag that you're being scammed.

to report a scam to the Colorado Attorney General's Office.

You can read this full story in Monday's edition of the Gazette. Katie writes a weekly consumer column for our news partners.