?!!!!secret shopper scam alert!!!

There is so much of this crap going on that anytime I get a secret shopper thingie in my email I just delete it. I know there are some legitimate SS jobs but they are few and far between since they are so in demand. Congrats on using your God given good sense!

It's such a shame. Being a secret shopper or mystery shopper is something that people can do in the US. I provided my son with free restaurant meals, free movies, and had extra income when I was a single mom because of mystery shopping opportunities. Today there are plenty of legitimate companies and plenty of people willing to work for much less money, so the payments are not what they used to be. In 1978, I did my first mystery shop. Back then, there were not the companies there are today, so they were handled by private investigation companies. I received $25 for visiting an apartment complex to see about getting an apartment. Back then, that was excellent pay for about 30 minutes of my time. For anyone who is interested, there is an organization called Mystery Shopping Providers Association. This link gives a list of legitimate companies in North America. (The site also lists companies in Europe and Asia.) http://www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers/membercos.php For shoppers, there is the opportunity to be certified. One does not need certification for most shopping experiences. But if you ever wanted to do mystery shops for expensive hotels or cruise ships, certification would be suggested. The site mentions the money order scam and they also provide information about any other scams known as they start circulating the internet.

I would like to know how this one works, ParaTed. I know about the scam where you deposit a (dud) cheque or money-order in your bank but I don't see how that would work if you exchange a money order (in all good faith) at a bank for cash. Surely, you just walk away with the cash ... or do they require name and address and other ID? I understand that the smart thing to do with such scams is to cash the cheque or money order and to immediately place the money into a savings or deposit account (if possible, with another bank) until the transaction has been validated - or not, as the case many be. This can, I understand, take up to six days (and you can hang onto the cash a bit longer, I believe by querying the request the bank will make for you to return the money ... but that is grey-hat, if not black-hat behaviour!) The money will have earned a little interest for you and you will not have lost anything by just paying it back to the bank. They cannot do you for fraud because you did not spend the money and it is up to the bank to check whether the order is valid before accepting it.

hi ted. good for you that you didn't fall for the scam. others would have taken it hook, line, and sinker. the idea of earning such easy cash is to hard to say no to. i used to have a gig as a secret shopper. it paid well and i get a chance to keep half of what i had 'purchased'. aside from the written reports that i have to file, i was wired with a hidden camera so that made my work easier. it was a blast while the gig lasted but then i had to give it up. anyway, again, i'm glad that you didn't fall for this scam. by the way, what would have been your liability had you encashed the checks? just curious. thanks ted. by the way, how's the band going? got any new songs? do post a link if you got some new material for us to listen to. cheers!!!

We can't trust these guys but always jump to a new bussiness choosing carefully by their reputation. Thanks for sharing!

That is so smart. You really saved yourself a trip to the slammer. Never except money orders from these so called mystery shopping companies that tell you do an assignment for a Western Union location. I remember back in December when I still lived with my dad and getting a "mystery shopping" assignment from a so-called SS company in Massachussets. They gave me a check that looked fake for about $1200. They told me that the assignment was good for two or three days. Luckily by the time my assignment came, I couldn't do it anyway because it was past it's due date. The assignemnt was to visit a Western Union and pretend you're sending money to a friend of relative. They said I could make $300 a week from this, but I now konw the check and the assignment was a scam. With real mystery shopping jobs, you have to use your own money to pay for stuff but they reimburse you for it.

I did a couple of Mystery Shops some years ago. It was fun but I've never heard of this one. Wow. It's sad to say that I'm not the least bit surprised. Some people are such losers. Thank you for the heads up. It's a good thing that you were alert and didn't get into trouble.

Good for you for being so smart!! Wouldn't earning an extra $1800 just for cashing two money orders or checks be a great opportunity and the ideal job?!?! These scams make me so mad because some people will receive the real-looking check and think that it is an easy quick buck. Then they cash the check or money order and are out that quick buck and then some. It is so sad...and maddening! There are definitely legitimate SS companies, and I know because I have done SS in the past. I have never been offered or paid that much, so I tend to go by the rule "If it sounds to be too good to be true, it probably isn't."

It's a good thing your gut instincts told you to verify with the bank manager to make sure it wasn't a scam. I have seen many different people fall for this kind of a scam and others like it. They would have to wire their moneys from their Western Union bank to the person on the other end. Then when they find out its a scam, They can't really do a trace back to find where the money went. I hope other people don't fall for these types of scams.

It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that this is a scam. Think for a moment. What company in their right mind would send you $1800.00? I would have just tossed it.

Good job for being so clever. Most people are blinded by the amount of money they received they easily fall for it. I feel so sorry for those who have been victims already and i hope that the scumbag, whoever he is will be caught or at least stopped from fooling other people.

I see thousands of those websites and I get hundreds of spam mail from them. Most making money websites on the internet are scams. It's a shame. It would be real nice if they were legit. Well, at least we have MyLot.

I advise you to be more conscious of the numerous scam that is coming up this days. Most of us come across this fraudulent messages in our emails, mobile phones and other handheld devices. I just hope this is an eye openers to many of us. It reawaken our consciousness to be more carefull in future.

It's good you posted it. So many people are unemployed, more than ever looking for something on the Internet. I think you really can find those jobs if you apply directly to the businesses, stores I mean. Although there may be fewer available now, like everything else.

This scam in various forms has been around a while. I know of people wh have gotten cut up in some types of money exchange and lost tons of money trying to make a little. The documents look so real. I have received a money order for about $2400 and I was to buy a blouse at an expensive store, and wire some money and fill out the same report. I am pleased to not have fallen for it either.

Glad you were smart and spoke with someone at the bank instead of going through with it. There are several similar scams out there like that. It is amazing at the scams people come up with these days and even more amazing at the people who fall for them. Good heads up on your end!

For me yes it is not good to it so be good to determine if it is scam or not before go to the decision of not loosen your money.

Browse tru the site recently, it is only for US residents so it is unavailable here in Asia.

OOOO( Wow! I would have been really upset, but at least you found out before you cashed the money order in your account. I use to work for a call center and this older lady called in oneday ( she sounded like she was about 65 years old )and said she had been scammed when she deposited a check in her bank account. If I'm not mistaken the letter she got with the check said she had won some money and she was to deposit the check in her account to claim it. So, she did and it turned out to be fraud. She had to get a different bank account number, but I don't think she was charged with fraud, however she did have to filed a police report. Of course, they never got in contact with this company or person. Poor lady, but this is why you should do your research. jobsonlineworkingfromhome.com/p/victim-of-scams-online.html

It makes me so angry when I hear about all these scams. I hate people who are out there just looking to make money off vulnerable, naive people. WELL DONE on not falling for the scam and not getting suckered :) Keep an eye out and be careful with all these scams out there - they seem to target people who want to make money online especially!