The Pitfalls of Mystery Shopping – How to Tell the Legit from the Scam?
Date posted: 2006-09-19
by Elaine Todd
No matter how experienced you consider yourself to be in mystery shopping, there’s always a chance to be misled by a concealed mystery shopping scam. Numerous scam schemes have been designed, and many good-faith mystery shoppers have burnt in these. Sometimes a shopping assignment may sound so good, that you will be tempted to do things you otherwise wouldn’t, in order to get it. Is it impossible to tell the legitimate mystery shopping dealer from the scam?
Are you asked for sensitive personal information – credit card or bank account details?
Be extremely careful when you respond to mystery shopping ads. If you are required to sign up by phone, don’t rush to accept conditions that you otherwise may not, if you had the time to think about them. The scams that contact you by phone usually rely on the fact that you have only few minutes to think, while they press you to agree to their terms immediately, or otherwise you’ll miss their “one-time amazing offer”. There have been reported scam victims, who were asked for their credit card or bank account information, and had money withdrawn from their accounts without permission. Whoever you think you might be talking to (some scam artists may represent themselves as someone you already know), do not provide sensitive financial information that might be used to your detriment. And be sure that once a scam is revealed, a new “improved” version is on the way!
Are you asked to give money upfront or pay before you are contracted for a mystery shopping assignment?
Professional mystery shopping actually requires some basic training in order to complete your shops not only proficiently (in a natural manner), but also ethically and legally. There are certain ethical guidelines that should be followed for the mystery shopping to be effective in providing reliable feedback to businesses. You may expect that your mystery shopping contractor will ask you to complete certain training.
However, some scam schemes have abused that, and have burnt people by asking them to pay upfront for some training, tutorial, or another charge in order to qualify for an assignment (appealing and allegedly lucrative). Once you pay, you either get nothing and never hear from the false contractor, or you are mailed some below-value item that is outright trash. The disappointment that you’ll never get the promised great shopping assignment is doubled by the fact that you also lost some honestly earned money.
Are you offered a mystery shopping assignment that is untypically great for your shopping area?
As I’ve done research on mystery shopping, I’ve come across many stories of burnt mystery shoppers who admit they accepted assignments that sounded too good to be true. People are especially vulnerable in small-sized shopping areas, where assignments are usually moderate-pay, and an unusually attractive ad can mislead many good-faith mystery shoppers who believe they’ve finally got their chance for greater profit. The scam scheme may be identical to the scenarios described above, or might employ an upgrade of the already infamous plots. Always inquire details when you are considering assignments that make great promises. You may check the firm with the Better Business Bureau, but keep in mind that scam artists also represent themselves for legitimate firms and abuse their reputation. In any case, always be critical to mystery shopping ads that make unrealistic promises, and do not agree to terms that you are uneasy with.
Read more mystery shopping tips in our Mystery Shopping resources.
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