A classic scam involving fake checks often disguises itself in mystery shopper job postings, according to the Department of Consumer Protection.
In the few years since her retirement, Cathy DeSimone has used mystery shopping as her way to make some extra cash.
“It’s not a high paying job or anything,” said DeSimone. “But it’s kind of fun.”
After signing up, mystery shoppers will usually get assigned to shop at and secretly rate one of several retailers for qualities such as customer service, cleanliness and overall experience.
The mystery shopping company will then take its users’ findings as data to let businesses know where they can improve.
It usually pays around 30 dollars per assignment, so when DeSimone saw an offering for 250 dollars, she wanted to learn more.
“I thought, [200 to 300 dollars], what kind of job are they asking me to do?” said DeSimone.
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She reached out to the listed point of contact—an HR Manager who says he’s with The Premier Mystery Shopping Company.
A few days later, she received a Priority Mail envelope with a check for 2,800 dollars. She says they told her to deposit the check, keep her 250 dollar cut, and send the remaining 2,600 dollars back to the company through MoneyGram.
The Better Business Bureau warns this sounds similar to a popular scam, ranked among the BBB’s top ten scams of 2015.
Fraudsters will typically request you wire money as soon as you deposit the check they send you. That check will later bounce, but by the time the bank flags it, it’s too late. Your money is gone.
DCP says consumers should be very careful when wiring money, because that method of payment cannot be traced.
“A legitimate company that’s checking out purchases is not going to ask you to use an untraceable form of payment,” said DCP Communications Director Lora Rae Anderson.
Legitimate companies like Secret Shopper and Mystery Shopper both warn its online visitors about the scheme. Since DeSimone has mystery shopped before, she saw those warnings and decided not to fall for it, but worries about those who will.
“It’s not just stereotypical people [who] fall for scams,” said Anderson. “These are your friends, your neighbors, your family members, or anybody who’s looking for a little bit of extra cash.”
