Mystery shopping has long been used for market/customer experience research. Unfortunately, there are as many consumer scams as there are legitimate market research companies. Therefore, consumers who are interested in mystery shopping are advised to thoroughly research any company contacting them to perform mystery shops.
Tips for Avoiding Scams
- Be wary of any company which requires you to pay to be a mystery shopper.
- Be wary of any market research company that claims to pay in advance of shop completion.
- Be wary of any mystery shopping assignment with a large reward or cash payment. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
- Do not trust unsolicited emails or social media messages if you did not already directly sign up with a legitimate market research company; and do not trust emails that are not originating from a real company email account, i.e. Gmail, Yahoo, etc.
- Do not deposit paper checks into your personal bank account and then wire funds elsewhere and/or purchase gift cards to be forwarded, as this is a common mystery shopping scam.
- Take the time to thoroughly research any market research company you might wish to work with because scammers will often spoof popular mystery shopping company names. Always contact the company directly by doing a web search or searching the MSPA industry trade association website: https://mspa-americas.org/what-is-mspa/search .
IntelliShop’s Practices
- IntelliShop ONLY pays evaluators through PayPal.
- IntelliShop NEVER offers assignments that require check deposits or the purchase and forwarding of gift cards.
- IntelliShop NEVER assigns jobs to evaluators who have not applied through our official websites
- IntelliShop NEVER assigns jobs to evaluators who have not applied through our official websites
- Intellishop ONLY pays evaluators after assignments are completed NOT before.
- For additional information on legitimate mystery shopping companies, visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website at www.mysteryshop.org.
What to do if you are a victim of a consumer scam?
- File a report with your local police department. As many consumer scams are considered a federal offense, we recommend that you also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission:
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
- File a report with your local police department. As many consumer scams are considered a federal offense, we recommend that you also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission:
- If you are the victim of mail fraud, i.e. you received a fake check in the mail, file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by calling 1-877-876-2455, then press option “4” or say “Fraud.” You can also make a report on-line by visiting: https://www.uspis.gov/report/.
- If the scam originated online, i.e. you were contacted through social media, please also file a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation: https://www.ic3.gov.
- Lastly, if you want to warn others about the scam, please consider filing a complaint with the National Consumers League: https://www.fraud.org.
IntelliShop Alerts:
- 10/9/24: Checking Scam/Recruitment Scam
Please be aware that people misrepresenting themselves as employees of IntelliShop have been attempting to recruit individuals to participate in a fraudulent mystery shopping program. The scammers are recruiting on LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, as well as other job posting sites. They have gone as far as creating fake websites to recruit shoppers/victims.
The scams vary slightly, but the overarching structure is the same. After signing up, a packet is mailed to participants in this “program”. Included in the packet is a check or money order, which is to be deposited into the shopper/victim’s bank account. A portion of the funds is to be wired to a specific account, through a specific company/money wiring service or used to buy gift cards and the remainder is to be retained as compensation for the services rendered. The check/money order is not real and will bounce. The victim will then be responsible for covering the amount of the fraudulent check. The scammer, of course, pockets the portion of money that was wired back or has already used the gift card codes and disappears.
IntelliShop NEVER sends checks/money orders, we ONLY pay our shoppers through PayPal.
If you think that you have been contacted by a scammer or you do receive a check/money order in the mail, please report it to your local authorities. We also suggest that you contact your nearest Postal Inspection Service Office by calling 1-877-876-2455, then press option “4” or say “Fraud.” You can also make a report online by visiting postalinspectors.uspis.gov. We recommend blocking the scammers from your email and phone so they can no longer contact you. If you ever have questions about the legitimacy of a shop offer, please call our office directly at 419-872-5103.
