news-record.com

RALEIGH — People who promise sweepstakes winnings or jobs as secret shoppers might not be on the level, the state Attorney General's Office said today.

At least 15 people per week recently have reported counterfeit check scams to the Attorney General. Most say they were taken in by unsolicited sweepstakes offers or bogus promises of work.

In one version of the scam, a newspaper or online ad, an e-mail, a telemarketing call or a letter promises well-paying work as a secret or mystery shopper. People who reply to the solicitation are sent a check that looks real and are asked to deposit it, then wire the money back to evaluate the wire service company. Victims realize a few days later that the check was a fake and cannot recover the money they wired.

In a related scheme, victims are offered work as a payment processor for an overseas company. People who respond are sent checks or money orders and asked to wire the money back to the company for a 10 percent share. The check is a fake, and the victim is out the money he or she wired.

State residents also are reporting that they are getting fake check in response to sale items they have listed on newspaper or online Web sites, such as eBay and craigslist. In this scam, victims are sent a check for more than the asking price, then asked to wire back the extra money.

The sweepstakes scam also continues to make the rounds. Victims get counterfeit checks for winning a lottery or sweepstakes prize and are told to wire back money to cover taxes and fees on the prize.

The attorney general's office said counterfeit check scams are popular with international fraud rings. The scams are often more convincing than they used to be because of recent advanced in printing technology, which help suspects make checks and money orders look more authentic.