PORTLAND, Ore. -- More victims came forward Wednesday in a secret shopper scam involving authentic-looking checks.

Barbara Nichols said she filled out an online form to become a secret shopper several months ago. Last week, a check for nearly $4,000 came in the mail, along with a convincing letter from Frontline Consumer Research Group.

The letter said she had been hired to become a "mystery shopper."

"The check looks real," she said. "Very real."

All Nichols had to do was deposit the check into her bank account and Moneygram a chunk of cash to the company. The remaining $500 was for her secret shopping trip and payment for her time.

"They're having people deposit it, the check bounces later, they've already sent their own money," Nichols said.

Before Nichols deposited the check into her account, she called the issuing bank and she's glad she did.

"There was fraudulent activity on the account already," she said.

When a phone call was placed Wednesday to the company that sent the check, a woman named Belinda answered the call. She quickly said the check must have been a mistake and then hung up before more questions could be asked.

Nichols and her husband hope their warning keeps others from depositing the checks.

"It was clear they were caught in the scam," Greg Nichols said. "It's a numbers game to them. They send out 10,000 of these. If 100 people do it, they have $300,000."

If you receive a similar check, you're instructed to call the issuing bank to verify its legitimacy.

You can also visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association Web site to examine the legitimacy of the mystery shoppers company.

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