Jacob here. I want to let you know about some mystery shopping opportunities. But before I do that, let me tell you about myself.
I’ve been mystery shopping for years. IN that time I’ve also helped hundreds of people get their start with mystery shopping. ANd let me tell you, it can be downright frustrating to get started. There are a lot of scams and traps to navigate in this industry.
Let me clear those up. So that you can get started with real mystery shopping companies that will actually pay you for real work.
The first thing you want to watch out for is the Money-Gram scam. This is a big deal. What happens is the scammers send a large check to unsuspecting mystery shoppers, asking they deposit it and wire a portion of the money back. If you ever get a check in the mail for hundreds or thousands of dollars as part of a mystery shopping assignment…the check is fake! Do not cash it! And definitely do not wire any money as part of a mystery shopping assignment. Ever.
The second thing to watch out for is fake companies that pose as ‘paid survey companies’ or mystery shopping companies. These fake companies will ask you to buy products, and complete offers…and in exchange they’ll send you a gift card or a product, such as an i-pod, or a laptop. These companies are not paid survey companies. They just want you to buy things. While this is not a scam, it definitely is not mystery shopping.
The next thing to watch out for is companies that offer to sell you a product to get started with mystery shopping. This is never necessary. What they’ll do is sell you a list of companies, or an e-book on how to get started. You don’t need to pay them. There are plenty of free ways to get started. There are legitimate companies that will pay you to mystery shop.
What is mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping is all about giving feedback about a store’s customer service. This means going to the store, interacting with employees, and then filling out a report detailing your experiences. Mystery shopping is work. There are professional standards expected of mystery shoppers. Fortunately, they are usually explicitly laid out in the assignment instructions.
So, what you need to do to get started, is to sign up with real mystery shopping companies and then apply for assignments with those companies.
So… I already received a check from this company (3,200).
They want me to go to a Western Union, keep my fee of $2oo. and send out 3,000 to another individual.How should I proceed? Should I contact authorities?
Yeah,
I have a James Hamilton corresponding me about Mystery Shopping and says that a check will be delivered today from Fed-Ex. I was planning on taking the check to my bank to find out if it was good before I started the process with them. I thought it sounded weird when he stated that they were sending the check first and then once I confirm that I have recieved the check they will send me a packet to get started. What should I do once I recieve this check?
Should I contact the authorities?
EVERYONE PLEASE TURN THESE CHECKS IN TO THE POLICE OR TO THE FBI. THESE CHECKS ARE FAKE. THESE CHECKS ARE BAD. IF YOU DEPOSIT THAT CHECK IN YOUR ACCOUNT IT WILL EVENTUALLY BOUNCE!!!!! AND YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING IT BACK!!!!
HI THIS IS ROSE AND I DID RESEIVED A CHECK FOR ALMOST 4,000 AND I STILL HAVE IT BUT I DIDNT DO ANYTHING. IT IS SO UNPROFETIONAL HOW PEOPLE SEND CHECKS THINKING THAT IS REAL. MY FRIEND DID THE SAME THING FOR A CHECK OF 5,495 AND NOW SHE HAVE TO PAY ALL THE MONEY. IN THIS DAYS ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY MEANS SOME BILLS PAID OFF. I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR A REAL MYSTERY SHOPPER TO DO IT IN MY FREE TIME AND I CAN’T GET NONE, BECAUSE I DON’T TRUST THEM. I LIVE IN PERTH AMBOY, NJ AND IM A SINGLE MOM OF 3 KIDS, AND AS A MOM I WANT MY KIDS BE SO PROUD OF ME SHOWING THEM THAT I CAN SUPPLY EVERYTHING THEY NEED FOR SCHOOL AND A FUTURE COLLEGE. MY FREE TIME IS ON WEEKEND AND I REALLY WANT TO START ATO BE A MYSTERY SHOPPER. IT IS SO DIFICULT FOR ME TO PAY FOR A PROGRAM PROMISING YOU THAT THEIR BUSINESS IS GOING TO WORK FINE AND IS NOT. ONCE I GET TO START THIS BUSINESS I CAN SAVE MONEY FOR MY KIDS. MOST OF THE TIME I RUN OUT OF FOOD AND THEN I HAVE TO GET SOME ON CREDIT TO THE STORE AND WHEN THE MONEY COMES I ALREADY HAVE TO PAY THEM AND THEN I DON’T HAVE TOO MUCH TO PAY MY BILLS. I REALLY NEED SOME JOB LIKE THIS. I KNOW I CAN MAKE IT BUT I NEED GUYS YOUR HELP. GREATFULLY YOURS: ROSE
I would love to fax this letter to you to see if its real?
I have a check with detailed information on buying and sending Money Grams…. Phone numbers,etc… Satterfield Marketing Group and it says a division of MysteryShopOnline.com… Would you let me know if this is legit?
I am about to recieve one of these checks from Wal-Mart, to evaluate, a MoneyGram location in a Wal-Mart of my choice.I really need to KNOW what to do with “the Check” when it arrives via Fed-Ex, tomorrow 12-14-2009. I am truely grateful to you and your web site. Also I am thankful that My Roommate had suspicion enough to convince me that something smelled about (where i decide to do alittle digging). After seaching for the name on the E-mail and not finding a satisfying match up …I found you site. I could use your help asap. we have a shot at catching someone if action is taken today!
Help me?
I just got ‘accepted’ by Gapbusters Worldwide. They sent a check and a contract and said to sign the contract and fax it back and then they would validate the check for me to deposit. It seems the check is to pay for articles they want me to purchase. Not sure but I’m really suspicious. Everywhere I check this company out they look good but I don’t understand why any legitimate company would send a cashier’s check for $4280 to a total stranger.
What should I do? I would like for this to be for real. They say they pay $180 per hour but I have read elsewhere, perhaps here, that they are low pay.
Take your mail to the Post office and turn it in. Thats what I did.