The Mystery Shopper Scam

Ever heard of or used Travellers Cheques?

Well, I'm definitely dating myself here, because I have to hold up my hand and say that I used them on my first trip to Thailand 17 years ago, and on my previous trips to the United States. 

Having traveled extensively around the world both with family and alone, I considered myself to be very travel savvy. Now, what that really means was that I vacationed on a budget, “lived” like a local and didn't use a credit or debit card abroad.

I always used cash, more recently my Starling currency card, but about 2 decades ago I was using Travellers Cheques.

In fact, my comfortability with them, may have been the reason I so easily fell for this scam, and was completely unsuspecting when I came across a job advert on Gumtree for a mystery shopping opportunity. 

I hastily applied, and shortly afterwards, my so called "employer" emailed me with instructions.

The “mystery shopper” role involved going into my local post office, cashing Travellers Cheques that would be sent to me by mail, documenting the experience, and reporting back.

When the Travellers Cheques finally arrived, I mentioned it to a friend who immediately thought it was fake. I disagreed, not fully appreciating the implications of handling counterfeit “money”, and wrongly assuming that if there were any issues, they would be identified at the counter.

That was very naïve on my part.

I went to the post office with my passport and the Travellers Cheques. The clerk took them and disappeared into the back which I innocently thought nothing of. That was until the police arrived.

I was taken aside to a private area of the post office and questioned by the officer. Although completely innocent of any wrongdoing, at the time, I did not understand that attempting to cash fraudulent Travellers Cheques could itself carry criminal consequences.

During the interrogation, my phone began ringing repeatedly. It was my "employer," calling from a private number. 

I explained this to the police, offering to answer the call and pretend that I'd successfully cashed the Cheques. He advised me not to.

A short while later I was allowed to leave, without being charged or cautioned.

After compiling photocopies of all the email correspondence relating to the mystery shopping role, I surrendered them at the police station.

Disappointingly, I heard nothing, and was left with the impression that no further action was taken.

Looking back, when I think about how much technology has advanced, and with money laundering, fraud and financial crime at an all time high, notwithstanding racial profiling; discrimination and "unconscious biases" particularly concerning people of colour and crime, I'm not convinced that I would have had such a "happy ending" if this situation occurred now.

That's because it's now so easy to become entangled in criminal activity just by the click of a button, whether that's Sextortion of a teenager by the Yahoo boys; or the swipe of a tinder profile for a romance scam, or uploading a fake job advert for the scam compounds.

Living dishonestly and stealing without consequence is the new "in" thing because it offers low risk and high reward. 

The internet provides the perfect cover of anonymity, the ability to safely hide behind a screen, create a suitable narrative, and play with people's lives & finances.

When I was "scammed" there was no Chat GPT, Sago by Mythos Lab or Ask Silver to help me ascertain whether the Travellers Cheques were fake. 

But, the truth of the matter is I actually didn't need AI. I needed to listen and I didn’t, which is behavior that is far from uncommon.

The reality is, I won't be the first or last person to ignore a friend, and in my case, what also worked against me was that I was the one studying law, therefore, mistaking my education for immunity.

I was wrong.

Education, experience and confidence do not make us immune. People with bachelors, PhDs and professional backgrounds are scammed every day, because while we may be alert to some forms of fraud, others are sophisticated enough to deceive almost anyone.

The lesson is simple. Humility matters. Listening matters. And accepting that no one is unscammable may be the most important safeguard of all.