7 Ways Crooks Try To Fool You

Would-be mystery shoppers, anxious to earn some extra part- time cash, face a fresh onslaught from scammers who know how to fool them. Websites, emails and letters convince victims to pay a fee to get a job or claim that they're already selected before conning them out of thousands.

In this issue, we explain the techniques scammers use to try to look genuine.

 

A new alert about mystery shopper scams has been issued by IC3, the multi-agency US group that includes the FBI and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The organization -- IC3 stands for Internet Crime Complaints Center -- fears that the economic downturn is luring thousands of unsuspecting victims into believing they've been chosen to become a mystery shopper. Mystery shoppers, or secret shoppers as they're sometimes known, are used by retailers and restaurants to secretly test customer service standards by pretending to be real shoppers.

 

We've drawn up a list of 7 things the crooks will do to try to convince you their mystery shopper scam is genuine:

1. They plaster their letters and messages with genuine logos of well-known companies, the Better Business Bureau and even the mystery shopper industry's own trade organization, the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
2.  They use phony testimonials from people, some claiming they're making thousands of dollars a month It's highly unlikely, or most probably impossible, to make that kind of money.
3. They ask applicants to send a resume, as though they're genuinely interested in credentials. This may actually be a cover for identity theft, and sometimes the scammers even say their victims must undergo vetting that involves them handing over details like Social Security numbers.
4. They include some fine-sounding words in a privacy or ethics statement. Others, especially online, provide a disclaimer (which they assume no one will read), a fine print document that actually admits their claims about how much you can earn are just that -- claims.
5. Many advance payment mystery shopper scams include a package of guidelines on how to do that job and a set of forms that are supposed to be completed after the mission and returned to the company. Makes it look like the real thing.
6. Online sites claim their service is free, when really they are just gateways to other sites that charge for the kits and lists mentioned above.
7. They advertise on respectable websites, TV and radio stations and in reputable publications, hoping this will give them credibility, when in reality these media are unable to check them out or vouch for them.

The scale of the mystery shopper scams is phenomenal, using netbots to send out a gazillion spam messages every day, and mailing out thousands of phony checks -- sometimes using innocent recruits to do their dirty work.

But following a few simple rules will ensure you never get caught in a mystery shoppers scam:

• Genuine mystery shopper companies do not recruit on spec either by email or letter. You register on their websites, provide a profile and they will contact you if and when work is available.
• The MSPA website lists its 260 members -- use this to contact and register with potential employers. And the MSPA itself doesn't employ mystery shoppers. It also provides useful, free tips on becoming a mystery shopper.
• Genuine firms don't charge you to join or register, and they never send out checks with a request that you then wire a portion of it. Mostly, they reimburse you after you've completed your mission, but if they do pay upfront they don't ask you to wire part of the money to a third party. Never bank a check and wire money this way.
• Look out for bloopers that give away the scammer -- using poor grammar and spelling, using a public email service address, like Gmail or Livemail, claiming there are jobs in your area when they don't even know where you are.

Check out what a typical secret shopper scam letter looks like.

Most of us enjoy a little bit of retail therapy now and then. Getting paid for it might be fun (though you'll never earn a fortune) but paying a mystery shopper scam artist for the experience definitely isn't!