Two Omaha women looking to earn a little extra money for part-time work got drawn into a scam, costing one of them thousands of dollars.

Marilyn Moore and Kari Kaplan received unexpected checks in the mail and both deposited them in their bank accounts. One sent the sender money. "I feel so stupid," says Marilyn. Kari didn't send the money. "Luckily, I didn't because I thought that there's proably strings attached."

Marilyn thought she was hired to be a secret shopper to test the MoneyGram system. A $4,800 check gave her cash to wire her new employer while she kept a few hundred dollars salary. "I thought it would be a good deal to make a little extra money."

Though waiting four days before wiring the money, Marilyn had to repay her bank more than $4,000 because the check was bogus. "I wish I would've just called the Better Business Bureau or checked it out better."

Kari waited longer to see if the check cleared and discovered the scam before sending money. "I knew there was a trick to this, but I was hoping I’d still receive my $45,000."

Of course this "offer" was so exclusive the instructions were marked confidential. That's because the scam artists don't want victims showing this to anyone who might warn them.

When Kari called the grant office that sent her the check, she got the brush off. "Is this a scam? Sir?" He hung up.

Marilyn reached voice mail, leaving a message that cost her more than $4,000. “I'm really upset about how I've been taken advantage of, so please give me a call back.”

Here’s a warning from the Better Business Bureau. If you deposit one of these checks do not wire the sender any money until you're sure it's cleared. You should wait for weeks, not days. Chances are the check will be returned as bogus.