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Crystal Lake man sentenced in secret shopper scheme

A 48-year-old Crystal Lake man was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison Friday for his involvement in a "secret shopper" scheme.

Michael S. Mackay, who pleaded guilty in June to mail fraud, admitted that from Sept. 2011 to May 16, 2012, he received at least $2.5 million in counterfeit money orders from New York, Nigeria, Ghana and other places, which prosecutors say netted him about $10,000, according to a prepared statement from the U.S. attorneys office.

U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Kapala sentenced Mackay to 59 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution in the amount of $26,971.39 to his victims.

According to authorities, Mackay placed "work-at-home" ads on the Internet. People who responded to the ads were deceived into believing they were working as "secret shoppers." The victims received a letter with a phony money order and were instructed to deposit the counterfeit money order into their banks. They were then instructed to keep a percentage for themselves and wire transfer the rest to another account, authorities said. Victims made the transfers from their accounts before realizing the money orders were fake.

The victims, who believed they were hired to evaluate local businesses and report on their experiences, did so by submitting their reports to an email address included in the letter, authorities said.

Crystal Lake man facing federal fraud charges

Crystal Lake man admits guilt in money order scam

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