Shopper News

Updated! FTC Issues Warning About Mystery Shopping Scams

by Confero Inc.

We have been notified that current fake letters to consumers list these phone numbers: 888-228-3460, 888-239-1660 or 877-594-6794. Please read the following blog post for information on how to report a scam if you receive a fake letter or fake check. Do not deposit these checks!

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a new warning about mystery shopping scams. This particular warning is intended to caution recent college graduates about potential scammers targeting young people looking for work. Check out the FTC new release .

Scammers are not only targeting recent college graduates. As we have noted before in previous consumer alerts, all sorts of consumers are targeted. Here are some tips for avoiding these scams:

  • Legitimate mystery shopping companies do not require potential mystery shoppers to pay a fee to become a mystery shopper. To find legitimate mystery shopping companies, visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website .
  • Never deposit a check from someone you do not know. Scammers often send fake checks to consumers as part of a fake mystery shop. The consumer is instructed to deposit the check into their bank account and wire a small amount of money to third party. The check will bounce and the consumer will be responsible for paying the bank back for the money withdrawn. For more on fake check scams, check our alerts here .
  • Often times these scammers are based out of foreign countries. Be sure to do your research before signing up for a mystery shopping company.

Confero has compiled a long list of resources to help consumers identify and avoid scams. Please take a few minutes to read the articles and watch the videos below.

  • The FTC released these videos about mystery shopping scams.
  • Confero’s president, Elaine Buxton sat down with the Better Business Bureau for an interview about fake check scams .
  • We have compiled a list of scammers who have claimed to work for Confero; none have ever worked for Confero.
  • Check out this short segment on NBC’s Today Show about fake check scams.
  • Have you been a victim of a fake check scam? This blog post explains what you should do if you receive a fake check in the mail or are contacted by a scammer.
  • Scammers have used fake names to pretend that they work for Confero. They claim to hold positions as “Human Resource Manager”, “Evaluator Coordinator” or “Head of Recruitment.” These positions do not exist at Confero.

A vigilant consumer sent us a copy of the fake check and fake letter they recently received in the mail. If you read closely there are a few typos and poorly worded sentences that should be a red flag. Also, notice there is no return address on the envelope. We have heard from some consumers that the envelopes are postmarked in Canada, but the letter lists Confero’s Cary, NC address.

One of Confero’s staff members called the phone number listed in the fake letter and recorded the call. These people sound legitimate! Take a few minutes to listen to the recorded phone call . One of the biggest red flags is that the “evaluator coordinator” says the shopper can visit any Western Union location and any Wal-Mart location. Legitimate mystery shopping firms require mystery shoppers to visit a specific location at a specific time.

If you are interested in legitimate mystery shopping opportunities, here are a few tips:

  • Do your research! Check out the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website for a list of legitimate and reputable firms.
  • Check out a company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau .
  • Never pay to become a mystery shopper. Any companies requiring an application fee or new shopper fee are a scam.
  • Mystery shopping companies DO NOT issue checks for hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you receive a check in the mail, it is fake.
  • Mystery shopping companies DO NOT mystery shop Western Union or other money transfer services.

read more >>

FTC Issues Warning About Mystery Shopping Scams

by Confero Inc.

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a new warning about mystery shopping scams. This particular warning is intended to caution recent college graduates about potential scammers targeting young people looking for work. Check out the FTC new release .

Scammers are not only targeting recent college graduates. As we have noted before in previous consumer alerts, all sorts of consumers are targeted. Here are some tips for avoiding these scams:

  • Legitimate mystery shopping companies do not require potential mystery shoppers to pay a fee to become a mystery shopper. To find legitimate mystery shopping companies, visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website .
  • Never deposit a check from someone you do not know. Scammers often send fake checks to consumers as part of a fake mystery shop. The consumer is instructed to deposit the check into their bank account and wire a small amount of money to third party. The check will bounce and the consumer will be responsible for paying the bank back for the money withdrawn. For more on fake check scams, check our alerts here .
  • Often times these scammers are based out of foreign countries. Be sure to do your research before signing up for a mystery shopping company.

Confero has compiled a long list of resources to help consumers identify and avoid scams. Please take a few minutes to read the articles and watch the videos below.

  • The FTC released these videos about mystery shopping scams.
  • Confero’s president, Elaine Buxton sat down with the Better Business Bureau for an interview about fake check scams .
  • We have compiled a list of scammers who have claimed to work for Confero; none have ever worked for Confero.
  • Check out this short segment on NBC’s Today Show about fake check scams.
  • Have you been a victim of a fake check scam? This blog post explains what you should do if you receive a fake check in the mail or are contacted by a scammer.
  • Scammers have used fake names to pretend that they work for Confero. They claim to hold positions as “Human Resource Manager”, “Evaluator Coordinator” or “Head of Recruitment.” These positions do not exist at Confero.

A vigilant consumer sent us a copy of the fake check and fake letter they recently received in the mail. If you read closely there are a few typos and poorly worded sentences that should be a red flag. Also, notice there is no return address on the envelope. We have heard from some consumers that the envelopes are postmarked in Canada, but the letter lists Confero’s Cary, NC address.

One of Confero’s staff members called the phone number listed in the fake letter and recorded the call. These people sound legitimate! Take a few minutes to listen to the recorded phone call . One of the biggest red flags is that the “evaluator coordinator” says the shopper can visit any Western Union location and any Wal-Mart location. Legitimate mystery shopping firms require mystery shoppers to visit a specific location at a specific time.

If you are interested in legitimate mystery shopping opportunities, here are a few tips:

  • Do your research! Check out the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website for a list of legitimate and reputable firms.
  • Check out a company’s rating with the Better Business Bureau .
  • Never pay to become a mystery shopper. Any companies requiring an application fee or new shopper fee are a scam.
  • Mystery shopping companies DO NOT issue checks for hundreds or thousands of dollars. If you receive a check in the mail, it is fake.
  • Mystery shopping companies DO NOT mystery shop Western Union or other money transfer services.

read more >>

The Dangers of Copy and Paste

by Confero Inc.

Confero is excited to introduce guest blogger, Cathy Stucker. Cathy is the author of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual, the best selling guide to being a successful professional mystery shopper and blogs about the mystery shopping industry on her blog, The Mystery Shopper’s Manual. Confero President, Elaine Buxton first met Cathy several years ago during a Gold Shopper Certification seminar held by the MSPA when Cathy was working as a trainer for the Gold Certification program.

by Cathy Stucker, MysteryShoppersManual.com

You just got back from shopping three locations of the same client. Each assignment used the same scenario, and they all went pretty much the same way. The temptation is to write the comments and narrative for the first shop, then copy and paste your words into the other two reports. A few changes of names and other details and you’re done, right?

Wrong! Although recycling is a good thing, recycling comments and narratives in your mystery shop reports is not. Not only do some shoppers do this when they shop multiple locations of a company in the same day, they may copy and paste comments from shops done for the same client in previous months, or even shops done for competing businesses in the same industry. I even heard about one shopper who copied and pasted comments from the sample report provided by the mystery shopping company.

Why You Shouldn’t Copy and Paste

Clients are paying for a shopper to go to their location, follow the scenario, and tell them exactly what happened during the visit. When they receive multiple reports that read exactly the same way they question the value of mystery shopping. Why should they pay for this if every report is the same?

There have even been times when shoppers failed to make changes and submitted reports with incorrect employee names or other details. Those errors can cause a client to reject the report, and a rejected report means the shopper does not get paid.

When shoppers cut corners in writing reports, mystery shopping companies have to wonder what other corners they cut in doing the assignment. Did the shopper stay in the location the required amount of time? Did she interact with the expected number of employees? Did he ask the questions required by the scenario? Did the shopper actually make the observations noted in the report at this location or not? Is the shopper copying and pasting to cover the fact that she didn’t do what was required?

Trust is important in mystery shopping. The client must trust the mystery shopping company, and the mystery shopping company must trust the shopper. Mystery shoppers who can not be trusted do not get assignments. And when shoppers do anything to cause their integrity to be questioned it reflects badly on all of us and the industry as a whole.

How to Make Reports Unique

It isn’t hard to make your comments and narratives unique. Simply start with a blank page and tell the story of what happened. Include specifics and details from the shop visit in each report. Details (such as exactly what greeting an employee used, or what product she recommended) not only make your reports unique, they make them more informative and useful to the client.

Cathy Stucker is the author of The Mystery Shopper’s Manual, the best selling guide to being a successful professional secret shopper. Get her free mystery shopper course at http://MysteryShoppersManual.com/.

read more >>

Confero Goes Red for Women’s’ Heart Health!

by Confero Inc.


Women’s heart attacks are not like those shown in the movies. Signs and symptoms are different. Confero participated as a corporate sponsor for the American Heart Association’s “Triangle [Region] Goes Red for Women” Luncheon on Friday, May 7th in Raleigh, N.C. The event’s mission was to increase awareness of heart disease, the number one cause of death for women, and to encourage preventative measures that lower the risk of heart disease.

Confero employees, clients, and other participants visited mini-seminars, including a healthy cooking demonstration by a local chef, CPR instruction, and a fitness session, which included ways to incorporate exercise and stretching into a busy work day. Later, everyone enjoyed a heart-healthy lunch. It was a great day for a great cause !

Confero has adopted Go Red as a major focus for 2010. We are using our communication with thousands of mystery shoppers each day to get the word out about women’s heart health. The following are typical symptoms of a heart attack.

For men:

  • Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
  • Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
  • Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
  • Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness

For women:
As with men, the most common heart attack symptoms for women include chest pain or discomfort.
But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea/vomiting
  • Back or jaw pain

Source: read more >>

MSPA Mystery Shopper Gold Certification Workshop to be Held in Burbank, CA!

by Confero Inc.

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association recently announced that due to shopper demand, a pilot Gold Mystery Shopper DVD Certification Workshop has been scheduled for June 5, 2010 in Burbank, California. All MSPA Silver Certified Mystery Shoppers (and those who can become Silver Certified before registering for the workshop) are invited to register and attend.

For more information about Gold and Silver certification and how to register click here to visit the MSPA’s website.

Confero supports MSPA certification! For information about our support of this program, please visit these pages:

http://www.conferoinc.com/blog/entry/mspa-launches-gold-dvd-certification-get-certified-without-having-to-attend/

http://www.conferoinc.com/shoppers-center/shopper-faq/#16

read more >>

Page 1 of 8 pages  1 2 3 >  Last »

Shopper Log In