The mystery shopper scam
"All that glistens is not gold."
Hmm. That quote comes from Shakespeare. Do you think he was ever asked to be a mystery shopper? Highly unlikely. But he really nailed the topic of "the mystery shopper scam."
Yes, there really are people out there who are true mystery shoppers, those individuals who work for a retail outlet and just go to various stores, buy an array of items and grade the individual store, clerk and in effect manager on their services.
It's been an effective approach to discovering the true level of quality of customer service for decades now. Sometimes these are called secret shoppers because the store obviously doesn't know you're reporting back to the main office of the company.
But as with every seemingly easy job, there always appears to be some people who need to prey on it and dupe people out of their money. And this niche is no different. Here's how the scam works.
An individual reads an ad for a mystery shopper. They're told the basics of the job; you get paid for shopping at different stores or eating at a variety of restaurants. (Talk about a perfect job; for the shopaholic it sounds like heaven!)
The company sends them the employment package. Along with all the typical forms, the package includes a cashier's check, ranging between $2,000 and $4,000. This is your "training assignment". You are to go to the bank, cash the check and wire the money to an address in Canada.
Sounds cool, right? Wrong! Because, the check is fake. But it doesn't "bounce" until after you've wired the money to Canada. Now, the anonymous person in Canada is several thousand dollars richer and you . . . well, you'll left with a deficit the size of a black hole in your checking account!
So why do people wire the money even before the cashier's check clears. First, cashier's checks are theoretically guaranteed money . . . that is when they're legitimate. That's the only reason the bank will dole out the money to you instantly like that. Cashing a personal or even payroll check that size at any bank would, indeed, mean waiting the several days to a week for it to clear.
But the scam artists also state in the employment packet that you must complete the first assignment within 48 hours in order to keep your job. Who wants to lose a cool job like that?
Remember, a legitimate mystery shopper position will never ask you to cash a check and wire it to an address unknown to you . . . in Canada or anywhere! If you've answered an ad and that's what you find, toss it all away and keep looking! There really are legitimate mystery shopping positions available.
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