Secret Shopper Scams Infest Arizona

July 13, 2006

• "Mystery Shopper" Scammers Settle with FTC • Feds Charge Mystery Shopping Promoters • Secret Shopper Scams Infest Arizona • Arkansas AG Warns Of Mystery Shopper Scams • Taking the Mystery Out of Mystery Shopping --- • Scam Alerts

Many people want to be Secret Shoppers because it sounds like an easy and fun way to make some money. The idea is a company pays you to go shopping and secretly report on the business' customer service.

While many secret shopper pitches are shady, at best, the concept can also be an outright scam.

In Arizona, Attorney General Terry Goddard has issued a warning to consumers in his state to be leery of any company that contacts with a shopping assignment, especially if it involves wiring money.

According to Goddard, the scammers send out an employment packet and a training assignment, along with a fake cashier's check for thousands of dollars. The victim is assigned to test a money transfer service, like Moneygram, sending the money back to a location in Canada within 48 hours.

To do that, of course, they must first deposit the fake check into their account, then withdraw the funds for transfer. But when it's discovered that the cashiers check is fake, that amount is deducted from their account. So victims have, in fact, wired their own money to a perfect stranger in Canada.

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