How to spot mystery shopping scams is still a relevant topic for preventing fraud in the mystery shopping industry. In the age of the internet and side hustles, these scams continue to take advantage of unsuspecting folks. In 2010, WRAL’s Monica Laliberte interviewed Elaine Buxton on How to Spot Mystery Shopping Scams.
How to Spot Mystery Shopping Scams –
The best way to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of scams is to be cautious of unsolicited money coming to you. Truly, the old adage “If it seems too good to be true, probably is” is the perfect skepticism to evaluate odd money schemes that people may share with you. Genuine mystery shopping companies, like Confero, do not randomly mail checks to strangers. Additionally, genuine mystery shopping companies do not ask that you “pay to play.”
Whenever, Confero becomes aware of scams actively being shared either approaching mystery shoppers who work with us, using our name or pertaining to the mystery shopper industry, we share them. Visit our Consumer Protection Alerts website page to learn more.
Good Advice Stands the Test of Time –
Elaine Buxton, shared how you can evaluate a fraudulent check scam scheme when one is presented to you in this 2010 WRAL TV interview. In this interview, she compares and contrasts real mystery shopping with the scams that circulate from time to time.
Additionally, Confero is a proud founding member of the Mystery Shopper Providers Association. If you are considering mystery shopping, go to their website to verify they are a member of this organization. All the members in MSPA Americas work to protect mystery shoppers from scams and employ fair play business ethics. If a company is not a part of MSPA Americas, Confero does not recommend that a potential mystery shopper associate with that company.
To see the video that accompanies this article click here – 5 On Your Side
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Some Mystery Shopper Jobs are Scams
In the scam, a company offers to pay for a person’s shopping and dining options. People get an official-looking check in the mail. They are asked to deposit it, then wire most of it back, supposedly to test the wire service. When the bank realizes the check is fake, it’s too late.
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RALEIGH, N.C. — Advertisements for mystery shopper jobs make promises like “make $40 an hour” and “get paid to shop and eat.” While these jobs might sound great, many are scams.
“There’s no reason to pay anybody any money to mystery shop,” said Elaine Buxton, head of Confero –
“There’s no reason to pay anybody any money to mystery shop,” said Elaine Buxton, head of Confero, which employs real “secret shoppers.”
“We do thousands of mystery shops each year all over the U.S., Canada and Mexico,” Buxton said.
From restaurants to retailers to banks, Confero’s mystery shoppers help businesses find out how they’re doing.
Buxton said she is concerned about recent scams that are targeting people desperate to find a job.
Amy Baker told WRAL News that she was bilked out of $1,800 in such a scam.
How Fake Check Scams Take Advantage of People –
In the scam, a company offers to pay for a person’s shopping and dining options. People get an official-looking check in the mail. They are asked to deposit it, then wire most of it back, supposedly to test the wire service. When the bank realizes the check is fake, it’s too late.
Because the check is fake, the person ends up wiring his or her own money back to the company.
WRAL viewer Michael Martin said he received an official-looking letter along with a check for nearly $3,000 to be a mystery shopper. It listed possible shops for companies such as KFC, McDonald’s, Sears and Home Depot.
“You really should be suspicious of something for nothing and wiring money to anybody,” Buxton said.
“To make the checks seem real, many of the scammers use the names of legitimate mystery shopping companies, including Confero,” Buxton said.
“They go to that company’s website and they find a logo, they stick it on top of a letter, create a fake letter and then they print these fake checks,” she said.
Just getting an unsolicited check should be a red flag.
How Legitimate Companies Like Confero Work with Mystery Shoppers:
“We would never ask you for money. We would never mail you a letter from Canada with a check in it,” Buxton said.
Buxton added not to believe the promises that lots of money can be made by being a mystery shopper.
Typically, if a person mystery shops at a restaurant, the meal is the compensation. The pay for other shops depends on the amount of time involved.
“I think the average compensation for a mystery shop is about $15,” Buxton said. “So, I don’t see this as being something that someone could make a lot of money doing.”
Next Wednesday, we will reshare the follow on WRAL’s 5 on Your Side interview featuring Confero’s Elaine Buxton – Mystery Shopper Shares Secrets of the Job.
