The Regina Police Service would like to warn residents of a scam reported to police recently. The scam is initialized by a random text or email, offering a job as a secret shopper. If you reply to the text or email, your device may have been compromised. The scam is not a new one, as it is a variation of a scam that originated in 1999.
The company is currently running under the name of “Elitecorpsurvey” and has used other variations of the name. The scam will go as follows: They will send you a cheque to cash at your bank. They will ask you different questions to think about and report back with, while at the bank (how many people in the bank, how many wickets are open, demeanor of cashier, etc.) to make the scam seem legitimate. When you deposit the cheque, you will get to keep $500, but then you will have to wire the remainder (thousands of dollars) back to another location. They will ask you to send an image of the deposit slip back, to make it seem legitimate, but this will have your banking information on it, giving the scammers access to your account.
If something like this looks familiar to you, do not reply to the message. If you suspect that you have been a victim of this type of scam, call your financial institution immediately and report it to the Regina Police Service 306-777-6500 or your local police agency.
