Area residents have unwittingly taken part in a scam by believing they were “mystery shoppers,” according to the FBI.

“Mystery Shopping Assistants” were hired to ship merchandise to Russia. “Subjects illegally obtained credit card information from victims,” according to a release from the FBI.

“Using this stolen credit card information, they ordered merchandise from various retailers and had it shipped to the mystery shopper assistants. These mystery shopper assistants repackaged the merchandise and sent it to Russia, unknowingly acting as an intermediary in a criminal fraud scheme,” the release said.

Others were contacted by email and postal mail to apply to be a mystery shopper and asked to send resumes for an extensive background check.

Mystery shoppers were instructed to deposit a check, not knowing it was counterfeit, and a portion went back to the “employer” while the mystery shopper kept a portion as their payment.

Anyone who believes they are a victim of a mystery shopper scam are asked to visit the website at www.IC3.gov.