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
Checked with bank and found check for 2900 to be invalid. Filed complains with USPS and FTC. May call local police.
I have recieved 3-4 now all for Walmart 1 was a post office money order which I never knew they did money orders. All of them were for walmart all but 1 I was to wire money to someone and the most recent one was to purchase Kroger vouchers since receiving the check I just set it off to the side cause I knew it was another fake. And now they keep calling me saying I should of done the evaluation already and as much as I want to tell them they are scammers I dont. Also 3 others scams that ppl need to be aware of is the grant scam for 9000$ you list have to pay all of this money in order to recieve it. Well unfortunately I fell for this scam and they promised either I’d recieve my money back with or without the grant wrong. If the government was giving me a grant they wouldnt ask for money just like loans why would they ask u to pay money when u are asking for money. Then you have the good old “freeflys” on social media not the one that sends you emails on free products I’m talking about the one who says you have won 10 grand you’ll get 1 grand a week plus 3-7 grand more to give to charity. But you have to give it to a charity of their choosing not your own. That’s when I knew it was a scam. And lastly the SSA scam. That they are going after you for fraudulent activity referring to your social security number and a warrant is out for your arrest. First off the social security administration would not call unless you request a call 2nd they dont refer to them as ssa. Please be careful thanks for this article
I received a check today for the sum of $2,450 with 4 step instructions to text a phone number each step of the way. The co. is “Smartend Mystery Shoppers” and the check is drawn on Santander Bank N.A.. The package was sent priority mail with a return address in Houston, Texas. The bank is a real bank and the check has a real routing number. I googled it. But, that doesn’t mean anything. Can’t find the wb site on the letter, and the return address is a hair salon. These are the instructions: 1) text 661-241-8319 with my name and “exercise received” when I receive the package; 2) deposit the check in my account then text the number with my name and “draft lodged”; 3) check balance after 24 hours then text “total sum of $2450 ready”; and 4) after notification of funds I will receive a text instructing me what to buy, how much to spend and where to send the items purchased, which will be provided to me on the day the funds are available for the task. Also: “It is mandatory that your assignment is completed within 24 hours upon receipt of the assignment package as for us to meet with the delivery time of reports to our clients.” I keep $200 for my task. Yeah, right! Funds may clear my bank in 24 hours, but it takes days for the funds to clear the bank a check is written on. Although the check appears legit, the urgency that the task must be completed within 24 hours of the funds clearing my bank is a big red flag for me. I haven’t been scammed yet, and even had one “IRS” scammer so turned around he was going to send me a check. lol!
I received a package with a Postal Money Order for $1000.00. It appears the Money Order is legit. However I have grave concerns. What would keep anyone from cashing the check/money order and just keep the funds?
Michael, what would keep someone from cashing the check and keeping the funds is that there are no funds. The money order is a fraud.
This happened to me too. The check looked legit, but the instructions said to deposit in my bank, wait 24hrs, then take out $300 for myself and wire the rest to someone in this country I never heard of.
I took it too my bank but only to ask them if they’d ever seen a check like that and showed the teller the instructions.
Right away she confirmed my red flag and said it’s money laundering scam, and if I was to cash this, not only would this be insufficient funds that I would have to pay back ($2000), they would also now have my banking information, and I would have to close my account and reopen one with another number. She advised me to take this to the post office and give it to the postmaster general.
The next day I was contacted by the supposed secret shopper site that sent me the money. I deleted it.
I was contacted 3 more times on 3 different days, on the 3rd day I told them was with the FBI and they were now being investigated.
Never was contacted again.
Thank you Cathy. I had no question whatsoever recognizing this as a scam. (my wife received a $2800.00 cashiers check on Friday via priority mail.) The check had no watermark and the paper was easy to tear. Also, the letter that accompanied check included no specific info. Had this been legitimate, both my wife’s name and address as well as the survey company’s name and address would appear along with an area for both parties to sign. Those are requirements of a valid contract. Without a contract, it’s free money! I have to admit, however, the letter isn’t bad. (Compared to the vast majority of email scam I’ve seen.) No typos and it’s well written, no grammatical errors.) Typically, there’s some weird sentence I attribute to poor translation. (i.e. “I am John Smith by name.”) No one speaks or writes like that!
I opened your website looking for the proper authorities to report this to. I appreciate your effort to include that information. Thanks Again!
Thank you for this information. I received a cashier’s check in the amount of $2,487.00, which I was to deposit, then purchase 3 Wal-Mart money orders for $670.00 each, then text the sender for further instructions. I called the credit union the cashier’s check was drawn on and learned, not to my surprise after reading here, that is a fraudulent check. I have filed reports with the FTC and the IC3.
Gift cards were my request. I was contacted thru linked-in. It felt very legit and I had to apply.
I received the cashiers check today, and the “package” seemed very low-class. I began googling “mystery shopper gift cards” and realized gift cards were now the focus, with a cashier’s check not being legit.
Tomorrow I will report to the authorities.