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5 years — 0 +0 / -0 Megan_15712637029500 13

Has anyone received an email from people claiming to be part of a mystery shopping company and offering you a job with them for $450 per assignment? Seems sketchy to me...

4 years (Edited 4 years) — 0 +0 / -0 Jtr112991 2

I don't believe I have to be honest, but just do your research as extensively as possible on the company and you can see if they are a legit company by visiting the link I've included. It will take you to the search page for the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, the official "head honcho", so to speak, when it comes to receiving training for certain types of shops, acquiring a certification level and number to boost your own image and likelihood of being offered and assigned to shops on other sites as well as the database to check the existence of such companies. A reliable, existing and functioning company within the MSPA, should each have a listing including, but not limited to, the name, logo, address and industry they are classified as, company description, industries served, services provided, website, fax number (not always applicable but will be more often than not), a named contact individual with their phone number (which typically will be the same as the main company contact number, sometimes with an extension listed) and finally an email address with which to contact that individual. Just search them here and you should be able to find all the info you would need to determine their legitimacy.

https://mspa-americas.org/search

Good luck! Hope this helped. MSPA is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in mystery shopping and even helps to improve the knowledge and ability of well-experienced shoppers, including tons of articles that tell you everything you need to know about the industry. A basic membership is totally free with different perks provided at each membership level such as a complimentary training course, discounts on subsequent ones and free webinars.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is EVER wasted" -Aesop

"After all is said and done, more is said than done" -Aesop

4 years — 0 +0 / -0 MFJohnston 388

Looking up a company name on any list (including MSPA) is useless. Scammers frequently use the names of real MSC's.

If you are receiving an email for several hundred (or several thousand) dollars or unsolicited check, it is a scam. Period. Only a few assignments will pay that much and they will pay after you complete the work - not before. Moreover, they tend to be more involved, requiring a significant time commitment (several days to a couple of weeks). Yes, sometimes you can get a significant bonus to drive to a remote location to do a simple shop. However, those offers will only come from companies with which you have a relationship. they will put the assignment on their official website for for you and pay you after the assignment.

There is a very common scam right now that has caught a lot of folks. It involves sending the shopper a check and having him/her use the funds from it to purchase gift cards. The shopper then mails the gift cards to the scammer. About two weeks later, the bank figures out that the check is fraudulent. The shopper is out the amount spent on gift cards plus whatever the bank charges in fees for depositing a bad check and the potential resultant overdraft.