Mystery Shopper Check-Cashing Scam
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.
There are reports of this scam in many locations around the country, with more people being solicited every day. In some cases, the materials sent by the scammers use the names of legitimate mystery shopping companies. However, these companies are not involved in the scheme.
If you receive such an offer, contact your local police department. Never cash a check, even a cashier’s check, and send any of the funds to someone. This scam has been run a long time, but now the scammers are seeking legitimacy by making it appear that it is a mystery shopping assignment. Don’t fall for it.
Cathy Stucker is the author of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual. Get free mystery shopper resources here.
on November 2nd, 2006 at 8:56 am
I’ve also had reports of Paypal scams being specifically targeted to mystery shoppers. Use your head out there – why would a transaction need to be thousands of dollars to test a wire company, but yet you’re purchasing $1 of gas?
on October 21st, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I too have received a large check in the mail from these mystery shoppers people it was almost $4000.00 and the first thing I thought was too goo to be true so there for it is. My husband said you cash the check it bounces then they take that money out of our account the only way I was going to cash the check was if I did it at the bank it was issued from. On the check there is no bank name just says franchise facility concessions. I also tried calling the number that was on the letter and got a voice stating that the mailbox was full and couldnt hold any more messages then hung up.
on December 29th, 2009 at 2:06 am
Hi Cathy,
On Nov. 30, 2009, I received a bogus check in the mail for $3,789 from a so-called mystery shopping company in Canada that I’d never worked for before, nor had I ever applied or signed up to work for them to My knowledge. According to the genuine looking letter that came with the bogus check, I was supposed to be paid $500. I was supposed to spend at least $100 at either Walmart, K-Mart, Home Depot, Sears, JC Penny or Best Buy and buy and keep whatever I bought. I was supposed to wire $3,019 to either John Stewart in Canada via Western Union or to Sam Williams in Canda. The service charge from Moneygram or Western Union was supposed to be $170 for the check total of $3,789. I blocked My phone number when I called to verify My suspicions about the check being bogus, which I guess caused the foreign accent speaking male that answered My call to tell Me to call back in about 15 minutes, which I didn’t do, nor did I deposit the bogus check in My bank. I still have the bogus check and genuine looking letter here in My apartment in front of Me now. The genuine looking letter has a company name of a company that supposed to be in Mechanicsburg, PA, but the check was mailed to Me from Canada with no return address on it, but it has a Canada stamp on it. Oh, I forgot to mention that I was supposed to fax My evaluation form from My mystery shopping assignment and the receipts from My $100 purchase and $3,019 wired money transfer to the scammers immediately for verification.
on December 29th, 2009 at 10:09 am
This sounds like all of the other mystery shopper scam packages I’ve seen or heard of. Pretty standard.
Glad you saw it for what it was and avoided the scam.
on April 24th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Clifford, I would advise to turn in everything to the local police. They may not be able to do anything but it can help identify a pattern. Also, if there’s a solicitation in a newspaper, job site, magazine, or on Craiglist, immediately report it to the classified ads department as fraud so they can shut it down. Report the email address if the solicitation is by email to the ISP in the email address. If it’s a legit account holder, they can shut down the account.
on September 14th, 2010 at 10:16 am
I too have recently been contacted by a mystery shopper. i made the mistake of emailing my contact information to this person. He called me to tell me the check is on the way and I should receive it in a couple of days. I have emailed this person to tell him I’m not interested and I think it’s a scam and to never contact me again. He’s threatening lawyers and saying I’m responsible for the check fee plus I’ll go to court. Please help in what I should do? I haven’t received any check nor have I agreed to receive a check. I also didn’t enter into a foney employment contract.
on September 14th, 2010 at 11:42 am
You were not contacted by a mystery shopper. You were contacted by a scammer.
He’s going to take you to court? And say what? “This lady refused to let me scam her!”
Ignore him. When the check comes, you can refuse it or you can turn it over to law enforcement. Do not let this slimeball intimidate you. He can not take legal action against you because you wouldn’t cash a forged check.
Oh, you may go to court in one scenario: If you try to cash a fraudulent check, your bank could have you arrested. But the scammer is not a threat.
on May 26th, 2011 at 11:05 am
On May 19th I found an UPS express letter on my porch with a check for $2450 inside. No instructions, no return address except for a street. The tracking number indicated it had originated outside of Atlanta, Georgia. The week before I had answered an email looking for secret shoppers to join a mystery shopping company. They wanted standard contact information, and no personal info like a SS#. I figured that is pretty standard so I had applied. No more info followed so I called the company on the check. They didn’t have any record of the check. I decided against cashing the check unless I found out what it was for.
The following Weds. I got a second check by USPS express mail.It was for this same amount but from a different company. Again it had been sent from Atlanta. This time I got an email with instructions to cash it, buy an item from WalMart, then wire the remaining money to an address in the Phillipines using western Union. There are just enough discrepancies to prove this is a scheme. The check is not an official cashier’s check. The company doesn’t have a record of the check. The person sending the email ‘works’ for a company the shopper has never registered with. I checked the mystery shopping company’s website(GAPbuster) and it mentioned they do not use Western Union for any shops. I went on line to see if there were any check cashing schemes associated with mystery shopping.
Beware – if you didn’t earn it legitimately it probably is a fake. I did know enough that I would be accountable for the funds if I cashed the check. Don’t get caught up in these schemes.
Stay sharp, we’re suppose to be observant as mystery shoppers. Do some research first if there are any questions. I’d rather lose a few dollars for a shop than to be convicted of a felony!