Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Avoiding the Scams!

Scams...they're out there. Scammers have surreptitiously succeeded in convincing many innocent people that they would earn a generous amount of money by completing a "mystery shop." These scammers have even had the audacity to pose as other legitimate trusted mystery shopping companies to persuade shoppers in...let's say...cashing a check! There are so many horror stories out there. Those that are truly interested in becoming mystery shoppers must wonder...how are these scams avoidable?

Let's start with the basics! If it sounds too good to be true...well it ain't true. DSG has received a number of phone calls from shoppers asking our representatives for advice on accepting a mystery shopping assignment from a mysterious company. We encourage our shoppers to sign up with multiple companies to open the door to more mystery shopping opportunities, but in some cases, we highly recommend shoppers to ditch the offer. Many stories we hear consist of receiving a check for a large amount, we'll say something like $3,000. Shoppers are often times asked to take the check to the bank. Maybe they're asked to cash it or complete a currency exchange and then keep a few hundred dollars for themselves. That's a No No friends.

In case shoppers do run into a situation where a scammer is disguising themselves as a real mystery shopping company...call the company! Let them know that you received this outrageous offer. You can always go to the company's website and find their contact information. Someone will get back to you and set the record straight, then of course report the situation.

Below is the link to a story on a family who did unfortunately fall for the mystery shopping scam. Take a look!

Don't let us scare you! If anyone is seriously considering signing up to become a mystery shopper, please visit the MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association) website to view the list of legitimate mystery shopping companies at http://www.mysteryshop.org/  

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