Free Checks for Secret Shoppers
By Bob McDonnell
Who wouldn’t want to be a “mystery shopper” – being paid to shop, and keeping all your purchases for free?
That’s the job that a woman in Central Virginia recently landed. Or so she thought.
Her first assignment: test a bank’s money-wiring service. She didn’t get to shop for clothes or eat at fine restaurants, as she expected. But she was told it was a secret shopping service for banks, and would lead to better assignments. Unbeknownst to her, it’s now a prevalent scam version of mystery shopping.
The scam artist called her and sent her a check for $3,875. She was instructed to keep $350 for herself, and simply wire the rest back to Canada through MoneyGram.
“A few days after cashing this check,” she told our office, “I was alerted by my bank that the check was no good, and now I am left paying back the bank.”
The scam artist got away with $3,525, while she owes the bank $3,875.
“Mystery shopping is a valuable tool that is being used by large retailers, restaurants and banks to understand the experience they provide their customers,” said John Swinburn, executive director of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. “However, it is not a quick and easy way to make a large sum of money and receive numerous freebies.”
If a mystery shopping assignment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The scammers sound like legitimate mystery shopping companies – be they clothing stores, restaurants or banks. But don’t fall for it.
If you receive a large cashier’s check in the mail – or if you fear you’ve already fallen for a similar scam – report it to your local police, then contact the Office of the Attorney General by calling our Consumer Hotline at 1-800-451-1525 or complete our contact form. We take consumer protection seriously in my office. No Virginian ever should be defrauded or conned. By working together and staying informed, all Virginians will benefit.