Thieves target victims in ‘Mystery Shopper’ schemes

A new scam promising you a way to make money fast and easy is just another form of theft in today’s expanding world of fraud. Thieves are cleverly luring people into mystery shopping opportunities online.

It might seem like an easy way to make some extra cash, but beware, scammers are using these opportunities to target unsuspecting people. CBS Local 2’s Alexandra Pierce shares one man’s story of how he was scammed and how you can make sure what happened to him doesn’t happen to you.

“I was looking to make a little bit of extra money because I was only working part-time at an Air and Space Museum,” Jerry Peterson said. When he saw an online ad for a mystery shopper job, he applied – giving them his name, address and number.

“One day I get this priority mail package with this letter saying congratulations, you know, we’ve accepted you as a secret shopper,” said Peterson.

Inside the envelope, he got a check for $3,830 and instructions on where to go and what to do.
He was told to go to Staples and Office Depot and spend a combined $180, keep $400 for himself and immediately wire the rest of the money back.

Mark Mancuso with the Los Angeles Division of the Postal Inspection Service says that’s where the problem starts.

“If you receive a check from, whatever company they purport to be, and you deposit that check and you endorse it, banks are required to provide you the money within a couple of days. But it might take longer than that to make sure the check is legitimate,” Mancuso warned.

Often, the scammer pressures you to wire the money fast.

Mancuso adds that, “A lot of the solicited services will ask you to do this in the next two days. ‘We’re looking for service in the next two days.’ And they make it a rush for you to do that and the consumer will do it sooner rather than later, thinking its a legitimate business.”

But when you wire the money from the fake check — you now owe the bank all of that money – in Peterson’s case — more than $3,000. Mancuso says if you’re not sure if the check is real, you should wait before you wire.

“If you are concerned and it doesn’t quite seem right, you wait for it to clear. And you ask your bank how long with it take to make sure this check is legitimate,” Mancuso advises. He says there’s some telltale signs of a scam.

“If you have to pay to participate it’s not a legitimate mystery shopper. You should be paid for your work, you shouldn’t have to pay to work for someone,” said Mancuso. If you’re unsure if the mystery shopper assignment is real, Mancuso suggests checking out mysteryshop.org. It’s accredited by the better business bureau and can give you a list of legitimate mystery shopping companies.

Mancuso says if you think you’ve been scammed, contact the Federal Trade Commission or the California Attorney General’s Office.

Fortunately for Peterson, he got out of the situation before it cost him any money. Now he’s sharing some experienced advice: “Don’t do anything until you talk to someone that you can trust.”