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.
Many of us in the industry have been warning others about this company for a long time. However, their aggressive marketing campaign drew customers who knew nothing about the mystery shopping industry. You may have heard their advertisements on radio and television stations across the U.S., or in your local newspaper.
The MSPA has issued a press release voicing support for the actions of the FTC. It reads, in part:
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association, the largest professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality using anonymous resources, supports the Federal Trade Commission’s recent action against Mystery Shop Link and the Tangent Group.
Mystery Shop Link is not and has never been affiliated with the MSPA, and the MSPA does not support the practices of which the company has been accused.
The MSPA has cooperated with the FTC in its investigation of Mystery Shop Link and encourages the FTC to continue investigating all mystery shopping-related scams.
The MSPA believes mystery shoppers should not have to pay to find mystery shopping assignments. The association’s 200 member companies around the globe are required to follow a strict code of ethics that prohibits them from charging mystery shoppers a fee or misleading applicants on actual mystery shopping assignment opportunities.
The MSPA has taken steps to warn consumers about this and other mystery shopping scams.
“The MSPA is committed to maintaining the integrity of the mystery shopping industry and will continue to denounce the practices of fraudulent and deceptive companies that use mystery shopping as a cover to take advantage of people,” said John Swinburn, Executive Director, MSPA. “The MSPA is also taking action to combat other mystery shopping scams, particularly scams involving an unsolicited cashier’s check.”
If you are interested in becoming a mystery shopper, here is some advice to keep in mind:
Do not pay to register with any company. Legitimate mystery shopping companies do not charge you to apply.
Deal only with reputable mystery shopping companies, such as those who are members of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.
Remember that just because you read something on the internet does not mean it is true. There are sites that claim to provide “reviews” of mystery shopping sites. In fact, they are simply trying to sell you what is usually a worthless program. Do research. Ask questions of other shoppers.
Educate yourself about mystery shopping. It is an interesting and enjoyable way to make extra money, but do not fall for the scams that will separate you from your money.
Cathy Stucker is the author of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual, the popular book about mystery shopping that shows you how to get started and get ahead without getting scammed.
I made the stupid mistake of becoming a member of “Mystery Shop Link” myself. They promised big things and a lot of available shops in my area. I am thankful the FTC is going after them. Their entire thing is a total scam.
WOW. WIsh I read this sooner. Fortunately I was only out a few bucks. Signed on with some local company who promised HIGH paying jobs. 50.00 or more I was told. I only paid them a 3.00 “processing fee” had to agree for free trials with two other services and if I did not cancel would be billed 9.00 a month EACH on my credit card which she had to have! Well…. the so called training process was not worth it. When I finally got to see the list of work, NOTHING was worth it. 7 jobs total and all junk. I expanded my job search to a 100 mile radious only to get jobs THREE STATES AWAY??? They never replied to emails. Horrible!
THEN… even though I canceled on time, they billed my credit card ANYWAY! Had to get my credit card to reverse that. Royal pain. NEVER again!!!!!
I signed up for two shops because they were touted by someone who said that out of all athe shops he could only recommend these. I have never heard from either shop and later found a company that fecommended that I join MSPA even though that didn’t give me an inside track. I am a silver certificate and am planning on earning my gold @ Anaheim, Ca in April. Just remember. NEVER PAY!!
That is sooo true ….. NEVER PAY!!
I paid for this a long time ago. Maybe 6 years ago. And i knew what i was signing up for. They told me that they were a middleman research group. They said they gather information about mystery shop jobs from various companies and then email me the links to sign up with that company. So i could also use the mysteryshoplink as a email client a place of certification reference and my own recruiting agent who i can contact whenever and however i want. You just don’t wait for a mystery job to land on your lap, you have to sign up all your info to the company’s they find for you then after that they will send you updates about available shops in your area, and they go quick so it’s first come first served. I hooked mine up to my phone and accepted immediately and i always got the job because i was persistent and resourceful. I had signed up with 5 companies only because I already had a full time job. So if your careful not to go over making 500$ per company you’ll never have to pay a penny for taxes. 4 different companies every month for 12 months equals 48 companies so you’ll make tax free money every year while using the same formula every new year is a fresh start so you can reuse the same 48 companies again no problem. I wouldn’t mind making 21,000 tax free. And this company mysteryshoplink finds all the legit companies to choose from so you don’t have to that’s what i thought i paid 99.00$ for and thats what i got. If they bit off more than they could have chewed then they should have stopped making promises, they should have just said guaranteed work on approved work ya know just like the credit card slogan. Oh well.