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Bibb County Woman Warns of Mystery Shopper Scam

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - A Bibb County woman is out hundreds of dollars after falling victim to a mystery shopper scam. Now she hopes to warn others before they make the same mistake.

Luvenia Lewis tells 41NBC she was told she'd get between $200 and $400 for each mystery shopper assignment she completed.

For her first assignment she received nearly $800. She was supposed to spend $50 at Walmart and evaluate the customer service. The rest of the money was to be taken to Western Union, where she would send the remainder of the money to another mystery shopper.

Once she completed her first assignment she received the second one. "It contained 3 checks of money orders," says Lewis.

That's when the scam began to reveal itself.

She was supposed to cash the checks and take them to Western Union, evaluate Western Union's customer service, and then send the money off to another mystery shopper in the Phillippines.

Lewis says "I never did make it to Western Union." Lewis says her bank never cashed the $3,000 the mystery shopper program gave her.

"They told me that the money orders were no good, and they cut off all ties between me and the bank," says Lewis.

Now she's out hundreds, but she considers herself one of the lucky ones. "It could have been worse. It could have been worse," says Lewis.

A lesson learned on her behalf; she doesn't want you to repeat.