The Truth About Working as a Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping jobs are often available to applicants without a lot of work experience, including recent college graduates. Mystery shopping scams are common, and there are some typical red flags that provide warnings to a job applicant. There are also legitimate mystery shopping jobs, where the employee is paid to review various businesses.
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Description
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The typical mystery shopping job involves acting like a regular customer. The shopper checks to see if the retail clerks are friendly, that the store is clean, that items are in stock and in good condition, and records how long it took to go through checkout and purchase an item. The shopper also reports on the sales techniques that the retail clerks use, such as suggesting that the shopper purchase other useful items, also known as upselling.
Government Jobs
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Public agencies do hire mystery shoppers. State universities use mystery shoppers to review their dining services, and the U.S. Post Office hires mystery shoppers to evaluate the post office experience. The mystery shopper will need to learn about government regulations to perform these jobs, such as the food safety rules or the regulations on what packages can be sent through the mail.
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Check-Cashing Scam
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One very dangerous scam is a mystery shopping job where the applicant is told to analyze a check-cashing or a money transfer service. The bank will make the money available before thoroughly analyzing the deposit. According to the Federal Trade Commission, federal law requires the bank to make a deposit available within a few days. If the check is bad, the mystery shopping employee is liable for repayment of the check and additional charges.
Training
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The purchase of an additional license is not necessary for a mystery shopping job. According to the Federal Trade Commission, a reputable mystery shopping company will not charge an extra fee to job applicants. If a mystery shopping company asks for money, it is likely to be a scam. A legitimate mystery shopping employer will provide free training on the job.
Victim Assistance
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Federal and state regulators encourage job applicants to report mystery shopping scams. The Federal Trade Commission states that applicants can recover damages in a class action lawsuit from mystery shopping scams. According to the FTC, one scam operation was ordered by the court to return $535,000 to victims.
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References
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