Young victim falls for mystery shopper scam

OLATHE, Kan. - Daniel Lang recently moved away from home and into his own place.  The 19-year old works hard to save his money.

When an offer came in the mail to be a consumer service evaluator along with a check for $1,394, Lang thought he could make some money.  

“I thought about it for a couple days but I was really hurting for money so I was like, why not,” Lang said. 

He deposited the check in his credit union, and then as instructed on the letter, wired $950 plus $90 in fees as a way to evaluate Western Union.  He could keep $300 for the job. 

Days later, Lang got a call from his credit union informing him the check he deposited was no good.  

"I had no idea these scams were going on,” he said.  

The mystery shopper scam has been around for a long time, but the scam artists continue to target unsuspecting victims.

Recently, Call For Action reported on this scam when a Kansas City, Kan., woman got a similar offer.

The reality is the sneaky scammers lurk in shadows while sending out these letters hoping you fall for their slick  pitch. 

Lang’s mother contacted Call For Action after her son fell victim to this scam.

"To see him taken advantage of that way, because he's young, naïve…it made me very mad as a mom,” said Maggie Claerhout.   

Once the money has been wired and picked up, the cash is gone. 

Western Union trains its employees to be on the lookout for customers who may fall victim to scams like this.  

The company also warns customers about the risks when it comes to sending money to someone you do not know.

To find out about more wire scams, go to: www.westernunion.com/ stopfraud

To learn how to protect yourself from fraud, go to: http:// www.westernunion.com/sites/us/consumer-protection/ fraud-tips.page