If you have gotten one of those checks for thousands of dollars from someone representing themselves as a mystery shopping company, you are about to be scammed. Unless, of course, you follow the advice in this article.
Mystery shopping companies do not send checks for thousands of dollars to potential mystery shoppers. Ever. They do not ask you to wire money. Ever. I have written about mystery shopper scams many times, but even some of the people who read those articles will want to believe that their situation is the exception, and they are going to get paid $400 for a couple of hours of work. Not gonna happen. Ever.
Before you cash the check and wire the money off to the scammer, humor me for a minute. Do a couple of things to check them out. If I’m wrong and the “offer” if legitimate, you can post a comment and say I was wrong. But if I’m right, you will save yourself thousands of dollars, lots of aggravation, and possibly some jail time. (Cashing a forged check is a crime, and you may have to convince the police that you are the victim to get out of trouble.)
Here’s what to do…
Call the company listed on the check and see if they sent it to you. Do not rely on a phone number on the check or in the package you received. Go look them up online and find contact information for them. Sometimes the check has the name of a legitimate mystery shopping company on it, although they did not send the check. But I have seen some drawn on accounts for auto parts stores and other businesses. Why would an auto parts store be paying you to mystery shop WalMart and Western Union?
Anytime a scam involves a cashier’s check, official check, or money order from a bank, and you believe that it could be counterfeit, you should contact the issuing bank directly to verify authenticity. As with the company that supposedly issued the check, when contacting the bank, do not use the telephone number provided on the check, as this number is probably not associated with the bank, but rather with the scam artist.
To locate a bank’s mailing address, you can check the FDIC’s Web site at:
https://research.fdic.gov/bankfind/.
So now you have learned that the check is a fake. What should you do next? Resist any impulse to call the person behind the mystery shopper scam. One option is to shred the check and throw it in the trash. Another is to contact the authorities. In addition to notifying the bank named on the check, there are others whom you also should notify if you receive a counterfeit item. They include:
- For all scams: Federal Trade Commission (FTC): by telephone at 1-877-FTC-HELP or file an electronic complaint via their Internet site at www.ftc.gov.
- For Internet-based scams: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Fraud Complaint Center: www.ic3.gov.
- For mail-based scams: U.S. Postal Inspector Service: by telephone at 1-888-877-7644, by mail at U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General, Operations Support Group, 222 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1250, Chicago, IL 60606-6100 or online at https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactus/filecomplaint.aspx.
If I was wrong about your check, post a comment and let me know. You can even taunt me. But if I was right…well, I won’t even say, “I told you so.”
I am glad I looked it up on internet.I got 2. Checks from a Robert Payne an told me .he told me to go to bank deposit it an get a money order at bank one an send it to American heart charity.then go take a picture email it to him.then start I had 2 Wal-Mart’s stores to go to get 8 itune .cards 8 at each store $100 ea scratch of an take pictures of all front an back red flag then I was suppose take money for gas an $410 for commission. Check was $2300.$10 to mail all back to address he would send.all addresses he would send,glad I read all these letters.reporting to police tomorrow.he texted me today an said go t o your bank deposit the check.thank u
Carol, I am glad you took the time to check it out before you fell for a scam. Now just ignore the scammer. Do not respond to him.
I just got a check and a letter to buy Apple gift cards. I knew this was a scam. Thanks for your website.
Charli, you’re right, it is a scam. Glad you weren’t fooled by it.
I received a check yesterday and it was for 2400.00 and I was to go to a store of my choice and purchase $50 worth of whatever product I wanted and to keep it but answer the questions they gave me about the store. I was supposed to purchase 1500.00 worth of iTunes cards and 500.00 worth of amazon cards. I felt it was too good to be true but I searched up the bank the cashiers check was drawn on and they verified the check. I was never asked to send any money back to anyone or anything like that. I did the first transaction of $50 but have yet to do the cards until I know the check clears the bank.
STOP RIGHT NOW! The check is a fraud. Even if the bank releases funds, that doesn’t mean the check is good. You say you haven’t been asked to send any money back to anyone. What do you think sending $2000 worth of gift cards is? That is like sending $2000 in cash. And they don’t need the physical gift cards, all they need is the numbers off them. By the time you find out the check is a fraud, they will be long gone with your money. I say your money because you will have to repay the $2000 to your bank.
DO NOT DO WHAT THEY ARE ASKING. Unless, of course, you have an extra $2000 lying around that you want to give to scammers.
This is a scam. It is always a scam. Do not fall for it.
my mom got scammed and we lost 5,000 dollars….. i don’t know what to do.. i’ve told them multiple times that it was too good to be true but they brushed me off.. we are a low income family and I’m so frustrated….
I was contacted through text about being a mystery shopper and emailed a questionnaire from Walmart. Someone texted me saying I would receive a survey in mail after repeated failure to get one mailed out, I was told I’d receive a bonus . Well I finally received the survey and a check for $2950 and told to text and let them know it was received ( I don’t plan on doing) and deposit into my account they want everything done in 48hrs so I’ll get a $200 bonus. But $2600 worth of gift cards from Walmart Scratch off to reveal code take pictures and send to them. I will be contacting authorities later today about this scam.
I got a check saying my mystery shopper application has been approved. They sent me a check for 1995.00 telling me to spend 45. at cvs or any clothes store and keep that for myself; thenbuy 17 google cards at 100. Each. Write the white numbers down with the form they sent me filled out send back to them. My question is I know now this is a scam, but I have brought 4 cards already. Can I cash them in and put the monies back in my bank?
I don’t know if you can get a refund on the gift cards (check with the store where you bought them). If not, you can use the cards yourself. Just don’t buy additional gift cards and do not send the numbers on them to anyone. Glad you stopped in time and didn’t get scammed.
I received a check of 2300 to go to any apple store and purchase gift cards and send back the survey sheet.The problem is i already deposited the check in my bank,then i came about this article .I am kind of scared,the money is still in my account and i have not yet gone to any apple store.I don’t know what to do.I took a picture of the check before depositing it now i am stuck with money in my account .Please any advice will be appreciated.
Notify your bank that someone attempted to scam you and you unknowingly deposited a fraudulent check. The check isn’t good, so the money will be removed from your account. They may charge you a returned check fee, although if you notify them ASAP they may waive the fee. Do not have further contact with the scammers. Do not call or text them and do not respond if they attempt to contact you. They will go away and bother someone who will fall for their scam. You may want to report this to the police or the FTC. See this post for more: https://www.mysteryshoppersmanual.com/where-to-report-mystery-shopper-scams