Suspicious mail causes fear

A suspicious piece of mail caught Joyce Habuda's attention.

Posted 9:56 p.m. Sep 5, 2013 — Updated 9:59 p.m. Sep 5, 2013

RALEIGH, N.C. — A suspicious piece of mail caught Joyce Habuda’s attention. It was addressed to Habuda’s 21-year-old-daughter, who was out of town. The envelope was marked “priority,” tracked and insured.

“I was thinking, this has to be something important,” said Habuda, who opened it.

To her dismay, Habuda read that her daughter was supposedly selected as a secret shopper. The letter included a check for $1,600. She was directed to cash the check at her bank and then transfer the money to someone in another country. She could then keep $200 as a payment.

This a cashier check scam disguised as a secret shopper assignment at Western Union. Once the fraudulent check is flagged, the victim is responsible for the entire amount. Complaints online show that people in Mississippi, Virginia and California have all received the same sort of scam via mail. At least two people have fallen for the trick and lost big money.

Habuda wants to spread the word; she knows that her daughter could have fallen victim. She admits that if her daughter would have been the one to open the envelope, she would have marched right down to the bank and cashed the check.

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