Shopper Round-up: Your Feedback On The Mystery Shopping Scam Issue + How To Tell Who's Likely Legit And Who's Not
Many of you were kind enough to write me back regarding the alert I sent out recently about a mystery shopping scam that was brought to my attention by one of the companies I partner with. Lots of people appreciated the alert and thanked me, some shared other scams, some asked for more information about detecting scams, and some concerns were expressed by a couple of smaller, legitimate companies who do run classified ads in smaller markets where they have trouble finding shoppers.
So I knew I had to address some more issues on this topic as these ads have appeared nationwide from large places like Cincinnati to small towns in Montana. In this piece, I will share some of the information that other subscribers were kind enough to provide, and also offer some of my insights.
For the benefit of the new subscribers and those who missed that alert, here is what the scam involved:
Tema Frank, President of Web Mystery Shoppers, received a call from a mystery shopper in Delaware who was the unfortunate victim of a scam. Apparently, some company took an ad out in a local paper in the name of Web Mystery Shoppers, using their toll-free telephone number. The shopper responded to the ad, and got a blank disk that claimed to be a mystery shopper information program.
This company then called her and persuaded her to give them her bank account details. Now money has been taken out of her account without her permission. The bank says Web Mystery Shoppers took it out, but of course it was not the legitimate Web Mystery Shoppers company. Tema assured me that they would never ask for a person's bank information (or even their credit card number), nor have they ever advertised in print, nor sent disks out.
A New Twist From Shopper Laura:
"Yesterday in our local paper there was an advertisement about mystery shopping with a toll-free number. I called out of sheer curiosity and the man who answered said they were Direct Merchants. For an undisclosed amount, you would get a similar thing (a disk with some companies to contact). Also, if you were already a shopper, they would give you whatever free if you would fax them completed shop reports, companies you worked with and some verification of payment like a pay stub from a mystery shopping company. What really shook me was the thought that any shopper might divulge that kind of information. The man never did reveal his name."
Editor's Note: Both the scam reported to me by Web Mystery Shoppers and the convenient new twist which came from Laura have some pretty obvious red flags that should clue you in to run, don't walk, away from these advertisers:
1. They are requesting sensitive, personal information. Be especially concerned when you get such a request either from an unsolicited e-mail, phone call or mailed letter. And even when you get a follow-up request for more information from someone with whom you have done business, stop and think about why such information would ever be necessary. Even your bank would not call and ask for information like your account number, social security number, etc., so why would you ever give it out to a place you barely knew or had not checked out?
I used to hear of such scams regularly in my corporate banking days and was always shocked about how someone could be so free with their personal information. The answer was that people unfortunately do, so the scams do work. If we kept the scams from working, we wouldn't have them!
2. If you didn't get something of quality from the initial order you made, why give out more information (our unfortunate Web Mystery Shoppers victim)?
3. While there are indeed legitimate information products available on disk or CD, most legitimate companies would likely offer you the ability to get access to your product immediately after purchase as one of the delivery options. It costs more for someone to send a disk or CD to you--so why would they not offer it on-line or in paper-published form where you can easily see whether or not there is solid information being provided? The reason could very well be that there is not any information supplied or that it is of poor quality.
4. Where's their free sample of what you will be getting? If they have something of quality to offer, why not demonstrate this?
5. Why are they cautious with information like their name? A legitimate person or enterprise works hard to build their name, reputation and company or brand recognition (I know I do), a scammer hides information, because they will change it as often as most of us change socks! Anyone see the movie "Boiler Room" with Ben Affleck? It's a must-see--go rent it.
6. When you go to an advertised web site, if available, what is the content like? Do they provide lots of free information that is valuable? Are they connected with legitimate companies, organizations or other resources? Do they freely identify themselves and encourage contact? Do they come up clean with the Better Business Bureau? Can you apply without divulging any information you feel is unnecessary until you at least feel confident in who you are working with?
Once again, there are legitimate companies that do advertise mystery shopping work in the classifieds of a paper. However, do their ads read like a typical job ad, or do they sound like they are promising the moon? Do they ask for money upfront? Do they ask for sensitive information upfront? Are they members of the MSPA (not all companies are, but if so, they have gone to the trouble of joining a trade association and have a code of ethics to uphold)? Do they check out with the Better Business Bureau (not all companies will have a Better Business Bureau record, but at least make sure there are no complaints)? What kind of company do they keep?
Stop and think about all of the points in this article before you part with your money or sensitive information. A real mystery shopping job opportunity should not set off any warning bells to you. And above all, the best way to not be the victim of a scam, is to stay alert and use common sense. We all tend to have good heads on our shoulders and pretty good basic instincts. If something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't. End of story.
Scam Or Not? From Shopper Rich in NY:
"Our "Pennysaver" type publications have an ad as follows:
MYSTERY SHOPPERS $25/HOUR. For local area businesses. FREE merchandise, meals and more! No experience!
Once you check the web site you soon see they're after sign up fees for jobs."
Editor's Note: Now this may or may not be a scam, but at the very least, it may not be necessary. So enjoy your mystery shopping work, but remember at the same time that it's good to keep your guard up. If you come across a scam or a situation you would like a second opinion about, please feel free to e-mail me at mysteryshopcoach@aol.com. I'll keep sharing information I uncover either through this e-zine or special subscriber alerts.
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