Sioux Falls man outsmarts scammer

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - A Sioux Falls man is relieved that he dodged a scam that could have opened access to his bank account and personal information, and is warning others.

The man asked to remain anonymous due to concerns about retaliation. After recently retiring and looking for a little extra income, an online ad caught his eye.

“I had a chance to get a part-time job. Remote work at home. So I said Yeah, why not?” the man recalled.

Shortly after applying, he was hired as a secret shopper.

“We’re thrilled to have you. Congratulations,” the man said.

The next step was to look for a package in the mail.

“FedEx package came, and I read it like, ‘Oh wow, okay,’ they’re really serious. And there was two checks in there, and, ‘We need you to go buy money orders from the post office. Three money orders are $985, and 5 bucks of stamps.’ Then I said, ‘[It] just don’t seem right,’” the man explained.

He attempted to talk to someone at the company.

“I contacted them and couldn’t find nobody, couldn’t contact no one. That’s when, like, the red flags started going off and bombs everything,” the man said.

Leery of depositing the two checks in his personal bank account as instructed, he met with his banker, who confirmed his suspicion that something was very wrong.

“That’s the best thing I could do, is come talk to her. Trying to cash these checks, that probably would have got me in trouble,” the man said.

The letter is generic, addressed to “Dear Shopper.” Dakota News Now texted the number in the letter and said we had received the package. The person on the other end said to deposit the checks in an account, and if the post office asked why we were making the large purchases, to say it was for work.

When we asked the company if we should contact the Attorney General, they replied with a crude text.

The Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection wants to know about possible scams in the state.

“We field over 16,000 concerns and complaints a year from South Dakotans, and it’s there to help spread awareness, to help with prevention,” Attorney General Marty Jackley said.

Your information could protect someone else.

“So we can get ahead of it, that we can make sure the whole public is aware of it. That they’re equipped to push back and to make sure that they’re not falling subject to one of these, uh, bad actors, which typically are either out of state or out of country,” Jackley explained.

For the Sioux Falls man, it’s a relief that he outsmarted a scammer.

“Listen, do your homework. Make sure, and if not, ask questions,” the man said.

Although it’s best to check before depositing a check or spending money, the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office can check if you think you have been scammed.

You can contact them at consumerhelp@state.sd.us or by phone at (605) 773-4400.