Finding the Perfect Mystery Shopping Job-Watch Out For Scams

Today, more and more people spend hours a week trying to find the perfect work from home job, so that they can spend more time with their families, pursue other interests, get away from their boss, etc.

Mystery shoppers often get scammed in this way. There is one scam going around where a company advises you to shop all you want, wherever you want, and they will pay you for your time, as well as reimburse you for all of the purchases that you make. Well, first of all, you should be thinking this sounds like it is too good to be true, and when in the world of online jobs, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is a scam, so you should already be seeing a red flag. So, if you don’t see a red flag, you go out and spend a lot of money, thinking it is okay, because you will get it back, and guess what? That’s right, you never see a dime, not one red cent!

These companies make money off of these scams, because they require you to pay some sort of fee when you sign up for the offer, either for processing, information, membership, etc. They will often advertise “specials”, stating that their fee is normally X amount, but for this special offer, it is now X. They try to make it sound like a really great deal, thinking that more people will send them their money. If they get one person to fall for their scam, then they have made a profit. Some of them promise to send you information, and in some cases they do, but it is usually stuff that you could find online yourself, or information that is so out of date that you can’t benefit from it in any manner. If someone requires you to pay for a job, chances are, it is a scam!

But, if you do fall for it and give them your money, some of them will send you something in the mail, stating that your first assignment is ready for you, offering you a lot of money for the completed work. They may even include a check in the mail, for prepayment, requiring you to cash the check at your bank, and then do a “shop” on the service you receive while at the bank. When you cash or deposit this check, which was written for more than the amount of money you were promised, you are required to send the balance back to the sender, usually via wire transfer, such as Western Union. While you may think that you have found a great and easy way to make some extra cash you have unknowingly been taken, and in a major way. You will receive a call or letter from your bank shortly, notifying you that the check or money order that you deposited or cashed has been returned as a bad check, and that you now owe the bank, not only the amount of the check, but returned check fees as well. If you had written checks out of the account that had not cleared, you also have to deal with those as well. So, to protect yourself from being scammed, remember that no one is going to pay you an insane amount of money for just a few minutes of work, and that if it sounds too good, it likely is. Don’t send in money for information offered on the internet, no matter how good it is proposed to be. Don’t fall for these common scams, just because you so desire to work from home!

Watch Out For Secret Shopper Scam Out Of Canada - News 8

Watch Out For Secret Shopper Scam Out Of Canada News 8, CA - Aug 26, 2008 What would you do if you were offered a $5000 check and an exclusive offer to become a secret shopper? In this Your Stories report, a Santee woman's scam ...

Scams are often costly for victims - KC Community News

Scams are often costly for victims KC Community News, KS - 19 hours ago By Angie Anaya Borgedalen Liberty resident Carol Birkey had worked as a secret shopper for department stores, so she was immediately suspicious when she ...

'Secret shopper' checks could be a scam; tear them up - Aurora Advocate

'Secret shopper' checks could be a scam; tear them up Aurora Advocate, OH - Aug 20, 2008 by Matt Fredmonsky Brenda Kurimski knew better than to cash the $4989 check mailed to her by a New York firm claiming to be a "secret shopper" employment ...

Beat the credit crunch: Boost your income - This is Money

This is Money

Beat the credit crunch: Boost your income This is Money, UK - Aug 27, 2008 MYSTERY SHOPPERS: If you like shopping and eating out, then being a mystery shopper could net you a small amount of extra income and provide you with a ...

BBB representative details recent scams - Winchester News Gazette

BBB representative details recent scams Winchester News Gazette, IN - Aug 26, 2008 The first job is always a secret shopper assignment for Western Union or Money Gram, using reputable names to gain your trust. ...