TUPD cautions members of the campus community against becoming involved with ?secret shopper? or ?mystery shopper? positions advertised on Web sites and in e-mail and print publications. Some positions have been identified as phishing attempts, originating from international fraud-based criminal groups that request your involvement and then ask for your address for mailings of counterfeit money orders to you.
Perpetrators will ask you to cash the money orders, keep a small portion ? your compensation for ?secret shopping/mystery shopping? – and mail the remaining amount (usually more than you keep) back to them in a foreign country. When the counterfeit money order is processed at your bank and it is determined to be fraudulent, you will be held accountable for the entire amount!
Any time anyone asks you to cash a negotiable instrument in your name and to return the majority to them should make you suspicious?trust your instincts and don?t get involved!
For additional information about campus safety, go to {http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/facilities/police/campussafety/} or contact the TUPD at 410-704-2133.
