New scam warning: criminals are conning people into shoplifting

Police in Manchester have warned people not to be taken in by a scam, which persuades individuals to steal things from shops - and then send them on to the scammers.

The victims are told they are performing a service for the stores - by identifying weak spots and providing feedback on the way they treat shoplifters, but the whole thing is an elaborate scam.

The scam first came to light when a woman in Torquay was found shoplifting in Boots. When the police were called, she claimed she was working for a company called Mystery Shopping UK. She explained she had gained a job as a 'personal shoplifter', and had been given a list of things to steal and send to the company. She had also been sent a feedback form, and was supposed to assess the performance of store personnel and security staff.

She was quite surprised to discover that the neither the company or the job existed.

Would you fall for it?

Greater Manchester Police posted details of the scam on its Facebook page. It said the process started with a job advert on Facebook. She was invited to input her location and search for a job. She clicked on an advert for a mystery shopper, and was taken to the Mystery Shopping UK website.

She input her details and got a call from the company, outlining its 'personal shoplifting' service. She then got a letter explaining what she was to steal - and from where.

To cover their backs, they even told her not to reveal she was a 'personal shoplifter' if caught by security staff. They said she should keep quiet even if police were called - and only reveal the 'truth' if she was arrested. At that point she was meant to get them to call the company, who would explain the situation.

Unfortunately, when police called, they got no answer. It was only then that she looked through the letters and emails and discovered they were full of mistakes and spelling errors, and that none of the contact details actually led to anyone.

The police warned people that these kinds of jobs do not exist and that anyone offering them is a scammer. They added that students looking for summer work could be particularly vulnerable to these kids of approaches, so should be on their guard.