Online Survey Scam

Posted on April 7th, 2008 in Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

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woman_computer1.jpgYou already know about phishing scams. Phishing is where scammers send emails claiming to be from PayPal, eBay, Amazon, Google, banks and other well-known companies and attempt to get you to give up your personal information. For example, they may say that you need to update your credit card information and ask you to click through to the site, log in, and update your account.

The scam? The link in the email takes you to a page that looks like the real site, but is actually owned by the scammer. You enter your log in and password, credit card numbers and other identifying information, and they can now use that to charge things to your account or even steal your identity.

Now there is a new twist on phishing that tries to pass itself off as an online survey. In this new scam, …continue reading Online Survey Scam

How Mystery Shopping Companies Spot Fraudulent Shops

Posted on March 19th, 2008 in Dealing with Mystery Shopping Companies, Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

con-man.jpgIt is hard to believe, but true: There are some secret shoppers who fake reports. Fortunately, there are not many of these dishonest shoppers, but the few who are out there harm the industry and all of us with their fraud.

It seems as though it would be more difficult to make up a report and all the necessary details and documentation than to just do it. However, there will always be people who want to feel that they got away with something by faking the secret shopper report instead of doing it right.

Mystery shopping companies and clients can spot the fakers, though, so even if they get away with it for a while, fraudulent secret shoppers will get caught. Here are some of the ways that mystery shopping providers and their clients spot these con artists and their fraudulent shop reports. …continue reading How Mystery Shopping Companies Spot Fraudulent Shops

Secret Shopper Scam Arrests in Canada

Posted on February 22nd, 2008 in Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

Two operators of an alleged counterfeit cashier’s check scam have been arrested in Canada. This secret shopper scam has cheated potential mystery shoppers out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars each. Variations of the scam have involved lotteries, eBay and CraigsList purchases and other scenarios, but the mystery shopper angle has gotten a lot of attention lately.
…continue reading Secret Shopper Scam Arrests in Canada

New Mystery Shopper Scam

Posted on October 4th, 2007 in Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

mystery-shopper-scam.jpgAlthough mystery shopping is a completely legitimate industry, the scammers have come up with lots of ways to exploit the popularity of mystery shopping and take advantage of the unsuspecting. Just when I thought I had seen all of the mystery shopper scams, I found a new one today.

This site (and, no, I am not going to name it) looks like it could be a legitimate mystery shopping company. However, if you sign up with them you will be buried in spam email, and you may find yourself with lots of unexpected charges on your credit cards. Here is how it works: …continue reading New Mystery Shopper Scam

Identity Theft and Mystery Shopping

Posted on July 29th, 2007 in Identity Theft, Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

Shoppers are often concerned about having to give their Social Security Numbers to so many companies–especially when they have to share the information online. Should you be concerned about identity theft? And what can you do to protect yourself? …continue reading Identity Theft and Mystery Shopping

MysteryShopLink Charged by the Feds

Posted on March 23rd, 2007 in Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

The Federal Trade Commission has filed charges against Mystery Shop Link, LLC (a.k.a. MysteryShopLink.com) and others, claiming that they deceived consumers who were led to believe that paying a $99.95 fee would give them access to mystery shopping jobs available through the company. In fact, consumers received a worthless certification and access to re-postings of other mystery shopping assignments posted by other companies, who were unrelated to Mystery Shop Link. …continue reading MysteryShopLink Charged by the Feds

Mystery Shopper Check-Cashing Scam

Posted on August 28th, 2006 in Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

The popularity of mystery shopping has again brought the scammers out of the woodwork to prey on the unsuspecting. People around the U.S. are being offered “easy money” to cash a cashier’s check for a large sum of money, evaluate the service they receive, then wire most of the money to the phony “mystery shopping company.” The scam? The check bounces a few days later, and the person who cashed the check is held liable for the amount of money they wired to the scammer, often thousands of dollars. …continue reading Mystery Shopper Check-Cashing Scam

Don’t Pay to Shop!

Posted on September 25th, 2004 in Mystery Shopper Scam by Cathy Stucker

You see an ad in the newspaper, or get an e-mail promising that you can make lots of money and get all kinds of free stuff as a mystery shopper. All you have to do is sign up with them . . . oh, and pay $29.95, $49.95, $99 or more. …continue reading Don’t Pay to Shop!