South Philadelphia couple avoid Amazon scam

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - A mysterious envelope appeared in the mailbox of Dorsey and Denise Jones in Southwest Philadelphia on Wednesday morning.

Inside the letter was an offer promising $350 to work as a "secret service agent" on behalf of Amazon.

Dorsey Jones initially believed the authenticity of the check and letter, but Denise was much more skeptical.

"I said 'That's a scam, babe, don't listen to that! That's a scam," Denise recalled.

The letter explained that the couple were recruited to find phony Amazon gift cards being sold at local grocery stores.

The note said that the Jones' were helping Amazon stamp out imitations, and offered $1,600 to make the buys.

To get the cash, all the couple had to do was to send a copy of thier deposit slip to their mystery boss.

The Jones', who were formerly split on the legitimacy of this task, were now both questioning the proposition.

Dorsey called the bank the check was linked to, the Bank of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and confirmed his suspicions.

"I told him the number of the check and he said it's no good," explained Dorsey. "It was a bum check."

Fox 29's financial guru Dan Roccato says the scammers wanted access to Jones' account number and his bank routing number.

With that info, they could empty his checking account.

"If your account is linked to other accounts they'll have access to all of your financial 411," explained Roccato. "A savings account, your credit account, any bills that you pay from that account are fair game."

In the end, Dorsey passed on his chance to join the "Evaluation Secret Service," and instead learned a valuable life lesson.

"[Denise] was right again," said Dorsey. "Now I have to take her out to dinner."