Lauren Pack of Journal-News has an important article describing the experiences of a 28-year-old woman from Hamilton, OH, who fell for a secret shopping scam. Schemes like the one described in the article are an unfortunate reality in our industry, and one you should be always on the lookout for.
Here are some tips for avoiding them:
- Mystery-shopping companies will not send an unsolicited check to you. In fact, they almost never send out anything ahead of a shop except instructions, and usually this is done electronically.
- Legitimate mystery-shopping companies will recruit through social media or classifieds, but always in posts and not in direct messages. If you receive an unexpected message from someone claiming to be a mystery-shopping company, be wary.
- Under no circumstances will a real mystery-shopping company ask you to wire money, purchase gift cards, or mail money orders.
- Mystery shopping is mostly concerned with customer service, as well as quality control, cleanliness, and the like. If you receive an assignment that doesn’t ask questions about these things, be suspicious.
And as Pack’s article describes, becoming a “shopper for a legitimate company does not cost anything.” Further, “legitimate companies don’t charge people to work for them—they pay people to work for them.” Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The Brandt Group has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and we’ve been in business for more than 25 years. If you are interested in mystery shopping, please feel free to reach out to us at https://thebrandtgroup.com/become-a-shopper or call 888-586-3036.
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