VIDALIA — Residents who cash a check from a fraudulent “secret shopper” business may find themselves in jail.

Ranging between $2,700 and $2,875, the checks proport to be “training pay” for the secret shopper program.

The checks, some of which bear the logo of Pioneer Federal Credit union, come in the mail with a letter identifying them as secret shopper solicitation.

So far, the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office has contacted the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office with warrants for at least five local people who drove to Rapides Parish to cash the bogus checks, CPSO public information officer Kathleen Stevens said.

The district attorney’s office also knows of several other area residents who received the checks, Stevens said.

A number of people took the checks out of town after they were not accepted locally, CPSO investigator Sheila McFarland said.

The stationary the letter is printed on carrries the logos of businesses such as Pizza Hut, Starbucks Coffee, Wal-Mart, Wendy’s and others.

Anyone with information about the scam should contact McFarland or CPSO Chief Investigator Bobby Sheppard at 318-336-5231, 318-757-3162 or 318-386-2200.