A Windsor man sent on a secret shopper mission later learned he was a victim of a cheque scam.
It happened late last year and now Windsor police are warning the public about the fraud.
Police say the victim received an email offering an opportunity to earn $400 to be a secret shopper. Soon after responding and providing his personal information, he got a $4,000 cheque in the mail. The letter told him to deposit the cheque immediately and provide a copy of the deposit receipt.
Police officials say his first assignment was to then withdraw all of the money except $400, which was his payment for the job.
He was then told to deposit $2,000 at another bank and assess the customer service. After that the man was instructed to make a $120 purchase at Walmart, and again rate the customer service. Police say the letter stated "remember you get to keep [the purchase] for yourself."
He replied with those results and was told to make another deposit with the money he had withdrawn in the amount of $1,200.
Windsor police say the scam worked because the original cheque was legitimate, but stolen. They say the scammer altered the cheque by adding the victim's name and changed the amount.
The victim was told he would be contacted again for the next job, but he never heard from them again.
Just weeks later his bank told him he owed money because the cheque was bad.
"Remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true it probably is," Windsor police warn.
Below Windsor police have released copies have emails sent to the victim:
