For signing up, Shirley received a UPS shipment containing two MoneyGrams. Each was in the amount of around $865 which she was to deposit into her bank account. Then she was to shop at WalMart, spending no more than $100. As well, she was to retain $100 as payment for her shopping excursion, wiring the balance of the monies to an individual in Kentucky.
Doing all of this quickly would get her a $100 bonus on the next shopping assignment. There was never a survey form to fill out that referenced her shopping experience at WalMart.
After having gone to Western Union and wired the $1,530 to the individual in Kentucky did my wife explain the mystery shopper arrangement. As Shirley described it there were bells (and red flags) going off in my head.
I immediately called the FBI. An agent explained this was a known scam and the two MoneyGrams would come back to Shirley's bank as being fraudulent. Oh no! Now what to do?
Proactively, Shirley notified her bank about the MoneyGrams that would be bouncing.
Shirley had not paid additional fee to have the Western Union money delivered immediately, opting for "next day" delivery. This allowed sufficient time last night to cancel the transaction with Western Union. She got back the $1,530 from Western Union this morning.
Next, we went to her bank and deposited the refunded cash. As well, I put in $300 of my money to make her bank account good again. When the MoneyGrams do come back Shirley will call the agent who helped us and be forgiven any bank fees for the returned checks.
How did Shirley get hooked into this? She is overly trusting in many situations. This is a prime example. I wish she had run this by me when she initially received the mystery shopper offer. I wonder how many others have been caught up in this scam.
I am a misanthrope. Loosely defined, a misanthrope is one who is distrustful of humankind. My question is, have you ever been scammed? It is embarrassing to admit, but there are tons of victims who have fallen for similar financial offers.
A Mystery Shopper goes into establishments and poses as a regular customer. While there they may make a purchase, ask questions or make a return. After the visit the mystery shopper completes an evaluation report that summarizes their interaction during their visit. Mystery Shopping is used so companies can find out how their employees interact with customers.
ReplyDeleteIn Store surveys New England
Those who get hooked with the offer likely have no idea about the role of a mystery shopper. The first "assignment" was very vague about what to do on that shopping visit. I suspect that most of such shoppers work out of corporate or for a company that specializes in this service.
ReplyDeleteThis mystery shopping company is legit you should check them out. Their website will answer all your questions and they have videos
ReplyDeleteQ: How much does it cost to sign up?
ReplyDeleteA: You should never have to pay to sign up as a mystery shopper. Legitimate mystery shopping companies will not charge you a fee.
Having no start-up fee connected to this is an important first consideration. I shall check this out further to see what it is all about. Thank you for the link.