A local bank wants residents to be aware of a mystery shopper scam. 

Scammers will look for their victims through the internet or mail, offering jobs traveling to businesses to shop and buy items.

When you sign up to a be a mystery shopper in the scam, you receive a training manual telling them where to shop and what to buy and a cashier's or company check.  The victim is encouraged to deposit the check in their account or cash it, then wire or send the remainder of the money to an address listed in the paperwork.  The checks issued are counterfeit, putting the victim on the hook for the invalid transfer.

Central Bank of Lake of the Ozarks has had several customers fall victim or turn up with the scam.

Always remember, never depend on funds from a cashier’s check from a source you do not know.  Secondly, there is not usually a legitimate reason for someone who is giving you money to ask for the money to be wired to a third party. And remember, the fact that a check was accepted for deposit by a financial institution does not necessarily make it authentic. It could take a week or longer for a bank to authenticate a check, especially if it is foreign.