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In recent years, working as a mystery
shopper has become more and more appealing
to those looking for a flexible work
schedule. In theory, mystery shoppers
purchase products and services in order to
help a company conduct research. The idea is
that the mystery shopper won’t actually have
to pay for these products, and will be paid
for providing this service. The reality,
however, is often quite different.
When you find mystery shopper job offers, often via the Internet, you are
generally greeted by an advertisement telling you how you can “make money just
by shopping.” The ad will make the job sound easy and fun. And while some
mystery shopper jobs are legitimate, most of these advertisements are scams.
Knowing the difference between those that are legitimate and those that are not
is the key.
Some mystery shopping companies will offer you the opportunity to make money by
going into local stores and restaurants and conducting a survey of the customers
you meet. You then take your information and compile it into a questionnaire,
and are paid once this questionnaire has been submitted. Some of these can be
legitimate positions conducting research and providing a company with valuable
information. Others, however, are not.
When you apply to a scam mystery shopping company, you are generally sent a
training packet that contains information about the company, and includes a
training assignment. The packet may also contain a cashier’s check, which is
generally a fake. These checks can be for large amounts of money, and as part of
the training, you will have to cash your fraudulent check. You would then be
instructed to wire the money in order to test the reliability of a company. The
check, of course, bounces, and you are left responsible for the money.
This is only one new twist on an old scam. There are many ways in which a
company can scam a person with this type of job offer, so it is a good idea to
ask a lot of questions before you begin. Remember, they are paying you, so you
should not have to pay for anything while doing your job. Likewise, you should
not have to actually cash any checks sent to you by these companies, nor should
you be given any type of account numbers to use while shopping online. These
things often signify a scam operation.
These scams are traditionally implemented through direct mail, but are being
offered more and more via the Internet. One thing to keep in mind while perusing
the job ads is this: if it looks like it is too good to be true, it probably is.
If something seems “off” about an opportunity, you should always investigate
before moving forward and applying for the job.
