WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderYour Money: Warning About Mystery Holiday Shopper Scam

Your Money: Warning About Mystery Holiday Shopper Scam

By Bob Schaper

ROCKFORD - The idea behind mystery shopping is simple. Big retailers like Target use undercover employees pretending to be ordinary shoppers. Then they file reports telling managers how they were treated and what areas need improvement.

Mystery shoppers jobs are often advertised in newspapers and online. The problem is many of the help wanted ads are phony.

"There is a plethora of ads that are surfacing in newspapers and online that are offering people the opportunity to be mystery shoppers, when in fact there is no job for them to take," says Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Better Business Bureau.

The ads claim to be an easy way to earn money by evaluating stores, restaurants and other types of businesses. However, the BBB says most of those ads turn out to be scams that cause you to spend money and get nothing in return.

"Today's mystery shopper scams are actually variations of the common check scam that's been around for years," says Horton. "Check scams involve people receiving a check that they believe to be legitimate, depositing it in their account, and then are asked to use money from their bank account for some purpose. The check is supposed to cover the amount the consumer uses. However, the check the consumer received never clears the bank and is actually invalid.  So, the consumer is out the money used."

Another red flag, Horton says, are "blind ads," or ones that don't include the company's names. Reputable companies rarely place such ads, he says.

"If you do see a blind ad, that is one you should really check out first," he says.

The BBB says the ads can be found through popular search engines, job boards and in newspapers.

"Because there are legitimate mystery shoppers...first check to make sure that the opportunity that's presented itself to you is in fact a legitimate opportunity," Horton says.

Victims of the scam are asked to report their case to the BBB at http://www.chicago.bbb.org/ 

The BBB warns consumers to be skeptical of mystery shopping promoters who:

• Advertise for mystery shoppers in a newspaper's "help wanted" section or by email.
• Sell "certification". Companies that use mystery shoppers generally do not require certification.
• Guarantee a job as a mystery shopper.
• Charge a fee for access to mystery shopping opportunities.
• Sell directories of companies that provide mystery shoppers.

You can register to be a mystery shopper through the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website at http://www.mysteryshop.org/.