Are Mystery Shopper Scams Getting Sneakier?
I ran across a story about a secret shopper scam with a new twist. If true, it means that mystery shopper scammers are trying to get ahead of the curve to continue their schemes as more people get wise to them. However, I suspect that this story may not be exactly as it appears.
Here is the story about a secret shopper scam that appeared on a Wisconsin television station. According to the report, a woman signed up to be a mystery shopper and completed some price audits. She was paid $10 to $20 for each of them. Fairly common, right?
According to the news story, after doing several of these audits over the course of six to eight months, the company for which she had been working sent her a check for $1975, telling her to keep $100 or so for her fee, and to wire most of the money to someone. You know how this ends, right? Of course, the check she received was fraudulent, and she was out the money.
It is possible it happened exactly as stated in the report: A scammer actually made several small payments to a potential victim to convince her that she was working for them as a mystery shopper, so that she would not question it when they sent her a large check and told her to wire money somewhere. However, I doubt that.
Why would scammers spend so much time (and work that hard) over the course of six to eight months for $1500 or so, when there are still people lining up every day to fall for their scams without all that effort? That makes me think that the story is not exactly as it appears.
My theory? I think the victim signed up as a mystery shopper and was doing some actual mystery shopping jobs for a real company. When the check showed up, she assumed that it was from one of the companies for which she had been working.
Many scammers use the names of legitimate companies when they run their scams, and the names of many mystery shopping companies are very similar. It would be easy to confuse them if you are not paying attention.
The most important thing to remember is that NO MYSTERY SHOPPING COMPANY WILL ASK YOU TO CASH A LARGE CHECK AND WIRE MONEY TO SOMEONE. It is always a scam.
What else could this woman have done to avoid getting scammed? If something is out of the ordinary, check it out. Most mystery shopping assignments are made over the Internet. If you have been getting assignments via a website and suddenly something shows up in the mail, contact the company and ask about it. And do not use the contact information in the mailing. Go online and look up the company to find out if the legitimate company is the one that sent the mailing.
Not sure what the real company website should be? Check to see if they are members of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. There are links to member companies there. Or check this list of legitimate mystery shopping companies.
Likewise, if you have been dealing with schedulers at a company and suddenly get an email from someone claiming to be with that company but using an email address at Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail or some other service, it is probably not legitimate. Mystery shopping companies and their representatives tend to use the email addresses associated with their company websites, not free services such as Gmail.
Another out of the ordinary thing about this assignment was the pay. She was offered at least $100 for a simple shop, when she had been receiving $10 – $20. Huh? What’s up with that? Something sounds fishy.
Keep track of where you have applied and which companies you have worked with. Do not assume that when a possible assignment comes to you, it is from the company you know and trust. Many of these names sound similar: Mystery Shoppers Something, Something Secret Shoppers, Customer Service Whatever…
Do not become so excited by the possibility of making a couple of hundred dollars that you allow yourself to be scammed out of thousands. Be vigilant.
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on November 29th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
I can confrim what you just said about a scam. I received in my mail yesterday a check for 1870.00 from a company that stated they were a secret shopper employment agent. I am to cash the check and sent 1200 of it western union to some address in hong kong….I can’t find the company name on the check listed and the bank it is suppose to be drawn from isn’t real.
I get emails to from people I have never heard of telling me they are from the FBI or an overseas bank and they have money for me if i would just give them the following info. I send the emails to the scam folder and the letter I received yesterday will be going to the post master general. So deffently beware of any company that sends you money in the form of a check or money order and wants you to send them the majority back in cash.
on January 5th, 2010 at 1:23 am
I was searching job listing when I noticed a posting for a secret shopper. I applied and received an email stating my application was accepted. The first assignment I received in an email was the one listed below. It’s hard to believe someone would actually follow these instructions and do this sort of thing. I was just surprised that the company was actually listed on a job site.
Hi,
You have been appointed to run a survey on a location in your area.
Location: Western Union Point
Company :CASH PLUS #103
Address:1052 W Alameda Ave
Burbank, California 91506
Western Union has reported a laps in the services of their Management and some of their staffs,
Their complains were based on reports which their customers forwarded anonymously and Phone calls which were also made to the head office.
The Western union location was reported for evaluation for the following reasons
:Slow services
:Unbalanced exchange rate
Your Secret Evaluation would be
1) To make a transfer of fund from this western union location to our Mystery shopper in Texas
2) You would have to record the time at which you go to the location and how many minutes it took you to get service.
You will be sent a check of ($2,300) via fedex courier which would cover your payment of $200 for the duty. As soon as you receive the payment( Certified bank of america check) in the mail, deduct your $200.00, and use the rest of the money for the services.
The location has been attached above, together with the recipients information which is listed below. You would have to keep a comprehensive report on every activity you carry out with the name of the attendant attached to your report.
Do not forget to include all the transaction information, that is the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) as given to you by the western union attendant and also the amount sent.
RECIPIENT INFORMATION WHERE FUND IS TO BE SENT TO
NAME: Tanika york
CITY: houston
STATE: texas
ZIP CODE: 77035
Thanks
NB: Please get back to us when you recieve this email, also include any questions you might have.
Thanks
Edward Jones
Mystery Shopper Agency
USA Office
on January 5th, 2010 at 10:40 am
Most job sites do not review ads before they are posted. In fact, I had a story a while back about a mystery shopper scam ad on a state job board.
I would hope that most people would question this based on the grammar, if nothing else.
on January 29th, 2010 at 9:13 am
It’s not just the grammar. Whoever wrote this doesn’t even seem to know the rules of capitalization!
on January 29th, 2010 at 10:12 am
;o) If scammers could write, maybe they could find other jobs.
on June 30th, 2010 at 9:08 am
i have two money orders sent to me from a secret shopper.i wrot back to tell this person that i would be no part of this an do not send me no check i told him i would not cash this money oders. well they ups it to my address . i have wrote many time as to where to send this back.i’m not going to be a part of something ilegal.what do you do with these money there are two for over 900.00 each. thanks vickie walker
on June 30th, 2010 at 9:17 am
The money orders are worthless. You can throw them away, shred them, set fire to them…whatever you want to do. Don’t spend another minute thinking about them. Get rid of them and move on. Glad you didn’t get caught up in the scam.
on July 9th, 2010 at 11:21 am
i just got an email, which i deleted it states:
Introduction
————-
Feedplus Secret Shopper is a venture that checks reputable companies performance
and services,We are registered and established in America for a long while
now,Feedplus Secret Shopper® is accepting applications from qualified
individuals to become mystery shoppers. It’s fun and rewarding, and you choose
when and where you want to shop.There is no charge to become a shopper and you
do not need previous experience. After you sign up,you will have access to
training materials via e-mail, fax or postal mail.
One amongst many others pay for Secret Shoppers to shop in their establishments
and report their experiences.On top of being paid for shopping you are also
allowed to keep purchases for free. Secret Shopper® never charge fees to the
shopper,training,tips for improvement, and shopping opportunities are provided
free to registered shoppers.
Assignments Example
——————————-
Secret Shopper has available for immediate assignment an inspection of the
customer service of any Wal-mart in your area. This fee will be paid
upfront.During this shopping you will visit the location and make several
observations as regards the customer service.
*You will be required to interact with the shop clerk.
*You may conduct the shop alone or as a couple.
*We will pay $300.00/ Assignment
Interested Shopper need to kindly fill Out the application form below and we
will get back to you shortly with more information,and be advise that you need
to be checking your mail at least once or twice everyday.If you fail to respond
to any mail for more than 24 hrs you will miss your assignment.
First Name……..Last Name
Street Address ……………
City, State, Zip Code ……….
Cell Phone Number ………
Home Phone Number ………
Age ………
Current Occupation ………
Alternate Email Address ………..
* this is a REAL email from im assuming a scammer!*
i am not even a mysteryshopper yet, but i am interested in becoming one, and not sure if i want to deal with all of the scams for a buck, haha~