Secret Shopper Scam

SECRET SHOPPER SCAM: DON’T BE DUPED

Scammers are targeting people with promises of easy and well-paid work, don’t be fooled.  The “secret shopper” scam is a combination of employment fraud and a wire-transfer scam. And unfortunately, it preys on people who actually need money the most. While some firms do hire legitimate secret shoppers, the “secret shopper” scam requires a financial transaction.  As part of their assignment, shoppers are supposed to cash a cashier’s check at a financial institution and then wire most of the funds to an address supplied in an official looking package.  A credit union member in Denver, Colorado earlier this month received such a package.

In a letter dated March 11, 2009, the member was advised that he had been selected to become a Secret Shoppers representative, and was provided a phone number to call to confirm receipt of the package.  Included in the package was a cashier’s check in the amount of $2,990.  His assignment was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of a payment system called “Money Gram,” offered at any Wal-Mart location. He was told to cash the cashier’s check at his financial institution, keeping $300 as his pay and remitting $2,630 to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.  The remaining $60 was to cover the service charge by Money Gram. 

The cashier’s check was drawn off a credit union in North Texas.  When the member presented the cashier’s check to his credit union in Denver, officials from that credit union contacted TCUL to verify if this credit union existed.  TCUL staff quickly determined that this credit union did not exist.  The distraught member later called TCUL, wanting to hear for himself that the cashier’s check was indeed fraudulent.  

Mystery shoppers tend to be people who need a little extra income to make ends meet, and the promise of good money for little effort is far too tempting.  While secret shopping is a legitimate way to make money, spotting the real shopping assignments from the fake ones can be difficult. 

On its website, (www.secretshopper.com) Secret Shopper, a mystery shopping company based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, warns consumers that there are disreputable companies scamming shoppers.  One of the latest and more serious secret shopping scams that Secret Shopper says it is aware of is a company sending out large advance cashier’s checks, advising shoppers to send a MoneyGram or Western Union to a person in Canada.  Secret Shopper states on its website that it has never charged a shopper to affiliate with it.

In a downward economy, cash-strapped consumers may not use their best judgment.  The following tips may help you avoid falling victim to a secret shopping scam:

•    If the company requires you to pay anything, it is not a job.  It really is as simple as that.  Real mystery shopping companies will never ask you to pay for training.  Always remember: you are working for them, it’s not the other way around;
•    While mystery shopping companies do need to collect some personal information such as: full name, address, telephone number and e-mail address, you should never provide your social security number;
•    Never send money to a stranger using a money transfer service;
•    Do not take on face value the validity of a genuine looking check;
•    Do not be pressured into sending your own money in any 'mystery shopping' exercise; and
•    Lastly, use common sense.  If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  If a company is offering to pay you more than $50 for one shopping assignment, be highly suspicious.