What is the "Mystery Shopper Scam"?

The Scam: You respond to an advertisement, or you are solicited to participate in Mystery Shopping. You receive a check and are given instructions as to what locations to make your purchases. You are given forms to fill out to rate the particular company or location visited. One of the services you are to rate is a wire service – perhaps Western Union or MoneyGram.

How it Works: The checks or money orders that the scammer sends you are counterfeit. They will instruct you to deposit the item(s) and wire a portion of the over-payment to another individual. They will give you a story or reason for this. It may be that the overpayment is to go to the shipper, some other third party, or perhaps they indicate this was a mistake. They may even tell you they will give you a little extra for your efforts. If you do deposit the check and wire the funds, the check may take at least (3) business days to be returned as counterfeit. Unfortunately, if you have already wired the funds, you will suffer the loss.

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