'Mystery shopper' scam bilks family out of $2,950

Like many parents today, Daphne and Bob Hillyer were looking for extra income to help support their family of five children ages 6 to 22.

"We have three kids at home and two off to college, and we were looking for a little extra income," Daphne Hillyer said. "Secret shopper looked like the way to go."

In less than a week, the Hillyers fell prey to an international scam that cost them nearly $3,000.

Hillyer said she received a letter in August from an outfit called Premier Shopping Forum, a subsidiary of National Shopping Service, Inc., "delivering real jobs that pay you to eat and shop."

The letter included a $2,950 cashier's check issued by Corning Credit Union, a legitimate financial institution in Corning, N.Y.

Believing she was being paid to shop at Walmart, Sears, McDonalds, Wendy's and a Money Gram terminal, Hillyer went to work.

She made all the contacts, deposited the check and sent a $2,950 money gram to Canada, believing the cashier's check would cover it.

When the company's "officer" began to badger Hillyer for another $500, she became suspicious.

"I did what was instructed and after completing three out of the four jobs, I was ordered to send an additional $500 before I would receive my next assignment. It was that last e-mail when I got suspicious and went to my bank," she said.

That's when Hillyer found out the check was no good and she was out $2,950.

"God knows I, like may other Americans, do not have this type of money just lying around," she said.

She and her husband both work full time, but with five children, expenses add up.

The phony check set off a domino effect.

Hillyer's rent check bounced and the bank put a hold on her account.

She's grateful to the Greater Nevada Credit Union because they are allowing her to make payments on a no-interest loan to cover the bogus check.

"It's not their fault, it's not my fault," she said.

Hillyer is not embarrassed about the scam, rather, she hopes her experience will enlighten other people tempted by similar offers.

"Anything you get in the mail is phony," she said. "Check it out first. If they tell you you've got to keep it secret and can't let anybody know what you are doing, it's phony."

She said the scammers called her four times in one day demanding money.

"I said, 'Dude, your check was no good. Why would I want to send you any money?'" Hillyer said.

The last time, her husband Bob answered the phone and told the man to stop calling.

All the telephone numbers Hillyer turned over to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office no longer worked.

Hillyer is not optimistic her money will be returned.

"If I can keep other people from getting scammed like we did, that's restitution enough," she said. "God gave me this task for a reason."

The same week the Hillyers filed their complaints, two other Carson Valley residents reported suspicious contact similar to Secret Shopper. However, neither party fell for the scam.

"I think these people are terrorists," Hillyer said. "It's like a terrorist trying to fund their next mission."