Mystery Shopper Scam: Fake Checks, Gift Cards, and Other Warning Signs

If you've searched online for mystery shopping jobs, you've probably seen offers that sound too good to be true.

Unfortunately, many of them are.

Over the years I've received countless emails promoting fake mystery shopping assignments. The most common scam involves a counterfeit check and instructions to wire money, buy gift cards, or purchase a money order.

If this ever happens to you, stop immediately.

Here's how the scam works.

How the Fake Check Scam Works

Step 1

A scam artist sends out an advertisement that says, "earn $350 per hour mystery shopping." The ad will ask for your name, address, and other personal information to be sent in an email. You respond and give the scammer the information.

You receive the email saying you've been selected as a mystery shopper.

Step 2

A check arrives for $1000 to $5000 or more. The check looks completely legitimate. It may even include the name of a real mystery shopping company and appear to be drawn on a real bank.

Step 3

You're instructed to go to a business where they cash checks. They want you to:

a. wire a portion of that money to an unknown third party. (They tell you to keep the rest.)

b. buy gift cards and take photos of each card to send to the unknown third party.

c. purchase money orders and send a portion to an unknown third party.

Step 4

The third party wants a short report on the service and for you to keep a couple hundred dollars for yourself.

Step 5

Days later...

The bank tells you the check is counterfeit.

Now you're responsible for the money you already sent.

Once the third party gets their money and gift card numbers, they're gone for good.

Listen to this podcast with Mystery Don and Jason Meza with the San Antonio Better Business Bureau about scams in the mystery shopping business.

The bottom line is, if you receive a check in the mail from a mystery shopping company for services you have not performed, it's probably a mystery shopper scam. The check is not real.

Ask questions and call authorities right away. They're hard to catch, but a few of these scam artists have been caught and prosecuted.

During all the years I've been mystery shopping, I have never had a legitimate company send me a large check before I completed an assignment.

Legitimate companies have always paid me after I completed the assignment and my report was approved.

Don't pay money to become a mystery shopper

You may find some companies that want to charge you money to be on their database of available shoppers. The fee may be as little as $2 or $3.

These may be legitimate companies, but there are plenty of great mystery shopping companies that don't charge a fee. Companies should pay you and not the other way around.

While many reputable companies belong to professional organizations such as MSPA, membership alone should not be your only test of legitimacy. Always research the company, verify its website, and never send money to apply for assignments.

Reimbursements

Many assignments require you to spend your own money for the mystery shop. You'll be reimbursed for all or a portion of them when you get paid.

I've completed assignments where my required purchase was only a soft drink that cost a couple dollars. These purchases were necessary because I had to submit the receipt showing the store, date, and time of my visit.

Many companies give you an option of taking a photo of the exterior of the business from a cell phone instead of an in-store purchase. The photo must include the required date, time, and location information, usually through your phone's metadata or the mystery shopping company's app.

Every shop is different, which is why it's important to read the instructions before accepting it.

The larger purchases will be for restaurants, where you can be reimbursed anywhere from $20 to $200 or more.

I've done many steak houses where I would be reimbursed up to $50 for a dinner for two. That means if I spent $60 on a meal, I would only be reimbursed $50. If I spent $47.45, I would be reimbursed $47.45.

Many of those assignments tacked on an extra $10 or $15 for my trouble. In the end, after I received my reimbursement and shop fee, it often felt like getting a free dinner.

🚩 Red Flags

This is a reminder to never trust a mystery shopping offer if it:

sends you a check before you've worked
asks you to wire money
tells you to buy gift cards
asks for cryptocurrency
charges a registration fee
pressures you to act immediately
promises hundreds of dollars for very little work

The good news is that legitimate mystery shopping companies really do exist.

I've worked with many of them over the years, and they never asked me to wire money, buy gift cards, or pay a membership fee.

If you're just getting started, take your time, ask questions, and never let anyone rush you into accepting an assignment.

Mystery shopping should help you earn money—not lose it.

About the Author

I'm Mystery Don, and I've completed mystery shopping assignments for restaurants, hotels, apartment communities, automobile dealerships, and new home builders.

I created this website to help people avoid the mistakes I've seen—and to show new shoppers how legitimate mystery shopping really works.

We're always looking for new faces to visit different places.

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