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You are here: Home / Mystery Shopper Scam / How Do Mystery Shopper Scammers Get Away With It?

How Do Mystery Shopper Scammers Get Away With It?

March 30, 2017 by Cathy Stucker 17 Comments


Every year, scammers take millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims who believe they are doing mystery shopper jobs. The scam is always the same. The bad guys send a forged check to the victim, get the victim to cash the check and wire most of the money away, then the victim is left holding the bag when the check is found to be worthless and the bank demands repayment of the money they received.

The victim usually wires the money to the bad guys, using Western Union or MoneyGram, so the obvious question is, why doesn’t law enforcement set up a sting and arrest the crooks when they go to pick up the cash? The scammers call the victims and give them a number to call, so why can’t the phone number be traced?

Unfortunately those methods won’t work. The phone numbers are typically to burner cell phones that are soon deactivated. And there is no way of knowing when or where the scammers will go to pick up the money.

In order to better serve their legitimate customers, the money wiring services allow them to pick up cash at almost any of their locations. Law enforcement can’t send people to stake out every possible location in the hope they can catch the bad guys. Bad guys who are very well organized.

The Federal Trade Commission recently reported on a company that provided money runners for a number of telemarketing scams. These scams involved telemarketers impersonating IRS agents and demanding payment of back taxes, or promising a grant after the victim paid a fee. Although the scams were not exactly like the mystery shopper check scam, the result was the same: victims wired money, the scammers picked it up and the victims were out the cash. By the time they realized they were victims of a scam, the money was long gone and they had no chance of recovering it.

This company, PHLG Enterprises, picked up payments at Western Union and MoneyGram locations all over Florida. They used fake names, went to multiple stores in various cities every day and lied to store employees about being friends or relatives of the people who wired the money. (Apparently, this is one of the fraud protection systems used by the money wiring services. They ask if you are related to the person sending the money because a scammer wouldn’t lie about that, right? Sheesh.) The FTC says that the PHLG runners were able to pick up more than $1.5 million from about 3000 people in an eight month period.

The bottom line is that the scammers are not easy to catch and there isn’t a lot of motivation to catch them. The money involved in each transaction is not enough for law enforcement to get very worked up about it. And the money wiring services don’t seem to care because they do not lose money on these scams. In fact, they make money because they collect a fee every time a victim wires money to a scammer.

That means that it is up to us to put a stop to these scams. Don’t fall for the scam and talk to the people you know about avoiding scams. The scams are not just about mystery shopping. They take a lot of different forms, but the bottom line is that thieves are stealing money from people who cannot afford to lose it. They do it by appealing to the victims’ greed or creating fear. They promise lots of money or threaten jail. Whatever their tactics, don’t fall for them and help others avoid these sleazeballs.

Filed Under: Mystery Shopper Scam Tagged With: check scam, scam

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Comments

  1. Lynn Halkuff says

    June 12, 2017 at 3:59 pm

    I just received a check for $991 with a letter saying to deposit the check into my account. Wait until the funds can be withdrawn, notify by e-mail , then withdraw all money. I should take out $242($200 for me and $42 forWalmart transfer fee. I should then send funds to someone in Indianapolis. I am to rate the store and person on service,how long transaction took, professionalism,etc. IS THIS A SCAM?

    Reply
    • Cathy Stucker says

      June 12, 2017 at 4:47 pm

      Of course it is a scam. Never cash a check and wire money (or send gift cards or whatever) to anyone for any reason ever. It is ALWAYS a scam.

      Reply
  2. Edward Parker says

    September 3, 2017 at 8:36 am

    I just received a check from mystery shoppers in the amount of $2750
    The check has a Citibank logo on.
    Th eres a remitter address as one Penn way New Castle De. I’m suppose to deposit check in my account
    Send $1185 to two different people then keep 300 as payment
    The letterhead has Western Union on it.
    Is this a scam?

    Reply
    • Cathy Stucker says

      September 3, 2017 at 9:37 am

      Edward, of course it is a scam. It is always a scam. No legitimate mystery shopping company will send you a check for thousands of dollars.

      Reply
  3. Scott says

    September 25, 2017 at 9:51 am

    Just received my first, LOL “check” to be deposited in my bank account and then buy three “WalMart” gift cards, $500. each or smaller denominations if WalMart does not have $500. denominations. then take a picture of the front and back, scratch off security code cover on back and send information to company, “Anderson Cooper”, (Anderson Cooper is a TV personality), Duh! At e-mail, andycoy424@outlook.com I haven’t done all my homework yet, just informing on another way to be “SCAMED”. All seem to have the same M.O.

    Reply
    • Scott Greenwood says

      December 26, 2017 at 11:27 am

      I too received the same letter?? same directions. The name on the check is from Joe Millonzi from Katy Tx. however the check was mailed from California

      Reply
      • Cathy Stucker says

        May 28, 2018 at 6:56 pm

        It doesn’t matter what name is on the check or where it came from. Scam. No legitimate company will mail you a check before you have done any work, then ask you to send some of the money to them or someone else. It is always a scam.

        Reply
  4. Dennis Wood says

    October 5, 2017 at 1:30 pm

    I just received postal money orders for over $1900, they want me to deposit, then send cash to two recipients by money gram, evalauating moneygram services? The postal money orders look legit, what do you think?

    Reply
    • Cathy Stucker says

      October 7, 2017 at 3:40 pm

      I think you didn’t read this post.

      Reply
  5. Brit says

    November 3, 2017 at 7:28 am

    I received a check for $2144.76 it says the first national bank and they said I take 17.26 for dining at 3 stores to chose from Starbucks McDonald’s or subway I deposited it in the account and about 24 hrs draw the money out then send $870 to two different recipients through money gram or western union take pics of receipts and email it and keep $250 for my commission ….. This a scam ain’t it ?

    Reply
    • Cathy Stucker says

      November 4, 2017 at 3:56 pm

      Brit, it most certainly is a scam. Do not deposit the check and NEVER wire money to someone you do not know. EVER. I’m glad you checked and didn’t become a victim.

      Reply
  6. Marguerite Pizzati says

    November 17, 2017 at 10:49 am

    Hi Cathy,
    I just received a check of $2780.45 from BLB Delivery Inc , Iowa. Felt it was a scam and looked up company which is a trucking company. As I scrolled through I found you. Thank goodness. The usual scam of deposit the money & send money to a person then contact them (blb) for next assignment. My question is what do you do with the check? Do you toss it?

    Thank you for the work that you do.

    Sincerely
    Marguerite

    Reply
    • Cathy Stucker says

      November 17, 2017 at 11:08 am

      Shred it or report it. Glad you didn’t get scammed!

      Reply
  7. Naivil patel says

    May 28, 2018 at 6:40 pm

    Got a check for $1628.14 as my second assignment. I have to deposit all and take 350 for myself and rest I have to send it to someone.
    This is my 2nd time…is this really a scam?
    It is from the apex systems.
    Ellen walters

    Reply
    • Cathy Stucker says

      May 28, 2018 at 6:57 pm

      It is 100% a scam. No legitimate company operates this way. Do not cash the check and do not wire money or send gift cards. The check is no good.

      Reply
  8. Alex says

    August 30, 2018 at 6:47 pm

    I received one as well via fedex but it doesn’t ask me to send money to anyone . Only to deposit the check, take out the commission for myself but then iTunes gift cards ( w/instructions) In the letter he gives details of what he wants in the report.
    Store name, pics of cards
    Info on clerk & store

    Reply
    • Cathy Stucker says

      August 30, 2018 at 7:06 pm

      Alex, they will have you send them the numbers on the gift cards. That is how they get the money from you. You pay for the gift cards with the money you think they sent you. You give them the numbers off the gift cards. They immediately drain the cards. You find out the check was a forgery and you are out the money. Same scam, slight variation.

      Reply

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