Mystery shopper scams on the rise

Scambusters.org is reporting the latest in so-called “mystery shopper” scams that involves counterfeit check payments to victims who, in the end, lose thousands of dollars in the scheme.

How the scam works
The victim responds to a job posting for mystery shopping. He/she receives an employment packet containing many items, including the first training assignment letter along with a cashier's check that is typically made out for two to three thousand dollars.

The victim is told the secret shopping assignment involves pretending to be an ordinary bank customer (either at his/her own bank or at a specific other bank), cash the check, and then have the teller wire those funds to an address that is included in the employment packet. Sometimes, the secret shopper is informed to keep a portion of the money ($100-$300) as payment.

A key part of this scam is that the secret shopper is told that the check must be cashed and the money wired within two days; otherwise, he/she will not be paid for the assignment or hired again as a mystery shopper.

Of course, the cashier's check is counterfeit, so the victim must repay the bank for the money that the scammer has stolen.

Another version of this scam provides the victim with a counterfeit money order that is to be used at Wal-Mart to purchase a MoneyGram. He/she is told that the secret shopper assignment is to test the MoneyGram system to see how courteously customers are treated. Again, if the mystery shopper follows through with the assignment, he/she is out thousands of dollars.

What you can do to protect yourself
Never agree to cash checks or money orders and wire funds to strangers. You are on the line for this money in the event that the check or money order is counterfeit. For more info, click here to read “The Secrets of Mystery Shopping Revealed” published on the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

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