Mystery Shopper - Too Good to Be True?

I just want to say how proud I am of all of you who responded. Nice to know there are some smart moms(and dads) out there who know better and are so willing to protect eachother against scams! It always amazes me to hear about people being taken in by scams. I hope none of us ever fall for one. So, thanks for being so savy about this, and have a great day!

Similar things have been scams. You put the money in the bank and a few days later it bounces, but you've already sent most of it so you end up the loser.

This is one of the biggest frauds out there. There are legit mystery shopper gigs but you do not have to wire funds. If you are asked to wire, it is a scam.

It's a scam. The cashier's check is not real.

The FTC has a warning about scams like these:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre40.shtm

Yes, I have heard of frauds like that...DON'T do it!!!! You can't cash a check unless you have the money in your own account to do it, that's why they say take it to your own bank! In case the check bounces, as it surely will in this case, the check cashing bank requires you to have that money to "cover" it. This is most likely a scam to get you to send the money to the other people, something you will surely do before you figure out the check has bounced.

Rip up check and see if you can unsubscribe to future e-mails. A real mystery shopper is paid AFTER they shop a store and hand in their report. No real business would ask you to pay out other people, that's insane.

Yep. Agreed. Too good to be true.

I know I'm late on this one, and you obviously figured out it was a scam, but if you are interested in being a mystery shopper you can sign up with the following company: http://www.jancyn.com/work-for-jancyn. I began doing small jobs for them when I was pregnant and needed extra income while at home. They are a legit company and have job assignments quite often.

Hope this helps,
D.-

Um, no... do not do that.
It is a scam.

Sounds real suspicious to me!

You should report it...

That has scam written all over it. If they wanted to pay you, why would they overpay you and make you then send money to other people. The other people are in on the scam, by the time they get the cash, your bank has informed you that the cashiers check is fake and will want you to pay back all the money!

Sound SUPER fishy to me. Most scams involve fraudulent cashier's checks asking you to cash it at your own bank, send back some money and keep the rest. Problem is, the cashier's check is fake and you are left with nothing and unable to recover the cash you sent the crooks.

If you want to try it out, take the cashier's check to your bank and deposit it, but don't send any money until you are sure the check has cleared. If the check is fake, you won't be out any money. If the check is real, then go ahead with the instructions you were given. But wait until your bank gives you the go-ahead before you wire the money.

Seriously though, after reading your message, I had alarm bells going off in my head. I wouldn't do it if it were me. Just seems too good to be true.

Yes, is a scam, they try use that trick in Craigslist a lot.

This is too good to be true! I work in the credit union industry and hear about these types of scams all the time. That cashiers check is most likely a fraudulent check, going to bounce, or stolen, etc., and you will be left "holding the bag." Be careful especially with these types of offers found on the internet.

yes it's too good to be true. read this: http://www.snopes.com/fraud/employment/shopper.asp

DO NOT do this! I get these junk emails to be a mystery shopper ALL the time. They're scams just like the Nigerian banking and lottery winner scams. I would contact Bank of America's fraud division and find out their procedure for dealing with the cashier's check from their bank. It's not legitimate!

Huge scam!!!! The cashier's check is fake and you will be responsible for it!!!!

Yes, too good. The check will bounce!! It is a scam.

This was on the news and 20 20 a while ago, its a big scam. The check will be noticed as fraud but it will. Take a whole nine days to figure that out. Take every thing to the police including phone numbers and addresses and emails.

It is a scam! The check is probably stolen and will not show up as a bad check until after the 10 day time frame. you will have to pay the $2800 back to the bank and you will get bad check fees. You should call the local PD or FBI and they will tell you the same thing. Do not cash that check

Way too good to be true! Mystery shopping companies should pay you AFTER you have completed a job, not send you a $2800 check before-hand! A couple of huge red flags to spot a MS scam are if the "company" sends you a check AND THEN asks you to complete a shop, OR if they charge you to be a part of their company. Big no-nos! Here is a helpful article I read to help me find a legit company: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Legitimate-Mystery-Shopping... . The reason that I ended up falling into the "mystery shopping" craze is because I actually received one of those checks too. I did some research and found out it was a scam. (another thing I read about MS scams from the company I currently do shops for: http://www.bestmark.com/scam_alert.htm ). Then I found a legit company I have stuck with for a few months now and I actually really like it! It doesn't get me rich, but does put some extra money in my pocket, gives me reimbursements for meals out on the town, reimburses me for auto services, and sends me grocery checks. Not bad (especially since the listed things are priorities that I would have eventually needed to do anyway)! If you want to check them out, I would recommend it! http://www.bestmark.com/become_a_shopper.htm

take the envelope and all that was in it to your local police dept.
i agree it's a fraud do not cash the check!!!!

Scam! You deposit that check and they have access to your bank info.

Yea you willfind out that the cashiers check is a forgery. you will be out the money you have sent to England,plus the cost to send it. Think! It doesnt make any sense. Why if its lagit they dont send it themselves.Why would they trust you to do this for them? Dont dont.ljl

yes it's a fraud...Mystery shoppers get reimbursed for what they pay while shopping, or they have to return the merchandise with the receipt to match up with their experience and are paid a "per store" fee.

this is probably a fake check out of someone's bank account...don't do it.

It is a total SCAM. BEWARE. It is a fraudulent cashier's check written on a bad bank. You personally will be liable for the whole amount. DO NOT CASH IT. Most likely your bank will have the Fraudulent bank on their hot sheet. If they like you a lot they will not procecute you as they confiscate the check. You will be told to beware and do not engage in this type of activity again. There is a bank in Tennesee that is on the hot list.

My friend got a cashier's check in a similar way and went to his bank. Becuase he was a regular customer they told him it was a bad check and the bank was non-existant and any money they paid out to him would be deducted from his personal account as the cashier's check would returned bounced. He was embarrassed as he was a bussiness owner. It is good that you are asking before doing.
IF IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT IS'NT.
Good Luck

I am so glad that you didn't do this. If you are interested in this type of thing I was offered a job with 3 day blinds, and Nordstrom. So check with them and you can go to many temp agencies and they will have things like this. Even Kentucky Fried Chicken has shoppers that watch for service and food quality.
I have fiend that was burned by one of those sams of getting money into her account and then it took years to undo the damage.
Good Luck

THROW IT AWAY! This is a scam.

Oh yea big scam!! You cash the check at your bank, and then a few weeks later that check comes out to be no good. And since it was cashed with your endorsement you now owe the bank that money, and the other two guys get to keep the money you sent them. By SIL works in a bank and has seen this before. Call your local BBB and UPS and report this. NOtice they didn't use reaular mail because thats a federal crime.

GOD! DON'T DO THIS. I am currently in the same situation and the money order is fraudulent, and you will be nailed by your bank for cashing it and have to pay the whole damn thing. STOP, call the police and write a report, go online and do a complaint with the FBI, look up the name of the company being used on the Better Business Bureau and when the person calls you asking if you got the job done, tell them yes and you have reported them directly to the police!!!!

it is one of the biggest scams ever! RIP up the check and don't go any further!

Yes, it's all a fraud! The cashier's check is forged. Don't cash it!! Perhaps months later the banks will find out the check is a fraud and you, with the real bank account, will be responsible for the full balance. Way to go for checking this out before acting!!

Bank of America will cash the check instantly, because you are a customer. You will send money off to two strangers. A few days or weeks later, BofA will notify you that the cashier's check was forged, fake, stolen, etc. and charge your account for the full amount. You will be out the money you sent off to people you didn't know.

Do NOT fall for this!! This scam is used on eBay and Craigslist, too.

It really sounds like fraud....Although I used to work in retail and their are mystery shoppers but they don't work like that. It's a person that comes into the store and watches everything to see if the store is running properly and if everyone is following the rules. Like did the person at the dressing room count your cloths and make sure you didn't take in more clothes than aloud. Was the cashier and other sales asso. friendly, helpful and informative etc. So if you were really supposed to rate Western Union you would have to do more then just use them.....you would have to know all their rules and how everything works there to know if they are running properly. So yeah it does sound too good to be true.

I got a similar offer from a Craig's List ad I posted to sell a portable A/C. The person claimed they were moving cross-country and wanted to send their movers to pick up the a/c unit. He sent me a $12,000 cashier's check and wanted me to cash it, take my $300 for the appliance and give the rest to his movers so he wouldn't have to pay for 2 separate cashier's checks.
The e-mail had a lot of grammar and spelling errors - first red flag
I stupidly replied to his e-mail saying I wanted cash for the a/c and forgot to delete my signature line which includes my address.
So he sent the check even though I hadn't agreed to sell him the item. He threatened me with the police if I didn't cash the check - he didn't want the check back because he claimed I'd have to reimburse him for the cashier's fee, so I told him I mailed it to the San Joaquin County Sherrif's Office along with print-outs of his e-mails.
Guess what? Never heard from him again!
So now I know to include CASH ONLY in my craig's list ads. ;)
i signed up for a consumer ratings program that is legit and you usually get about 50 cents per review you write or maybe a coupon for something.

Its a scam!! Its a bad cahiers check that will end up costing you lots of money!! Dont do it!!!

Go on "snoops.com" also contact your local police departmentm chamber of commerce, etc.

Blessings...

THIS IS A SCAM. Though smart to go to where the check is written, it won't be honored. They are hoping you put it in your bank, get the money and proceed with their instructions. Then the check will bounce and your bank will charge you for it. I have read about this online and have seen warnings about it in the paper.

I got the same e-mail and also responded that I was interested. I got a check with instructions to go to two different stores and buy items totaling X amount and then go to western union and send a large western union to someone I can't remember where. So, I actually deposited their check in a checking account I had that didn't have any money in it. Two days later, my bank tells me the check didn't clear. I called my "contact" and he sounded mystified and said he would call me right back. I never received a return call. I was glad that I had deposited the check to an account that had no funds in it so if they got my account number, it wouldn't do them any good. About a week later, I got some sort of notice from my bank about not depositing that type of check into a business account. Anyway, it didn't work for me either and I haven't had any losses probably because I didn't use an account that had money in it. Glad I did it that way. They kept trying to get me to use my own funds while their check cleared which I adamantly refused to do (thankfully)! Like you, I really wanted it to be true but I guess the only saying "If it sounds too good to be true, then it is" is true!

A friend of mine, was caught up in what sounds like the same as your email.
BE AWARE..... IT IS FRAUD. DON'T DO ANYTHING BUT THROW THIS MAIL AWAY.

This is a scam. Whenever you are asked to deposit a check into your bank and then re-write a check from your own account it is a scam. It can take several weeks for the bank to determine the original check has no funds and by then your checks would have been cashed.

Another sign that it is a fraud is the non-use of usps. If they use usps (united states postal service) to perpetuate this fraud, then they break even more laws. By using UPS and western union they don't face this problem.

DO NOT DO THIS!!! This is a scam. There are plenty of great mystery shop companies to shop for. This is NOT one of them!!! You will essentially be sending this bogus company $2100 of your OWN money. And then you will be charged by your bank for the bad check that you deposit. Please message me personally for "good" mystery shopping companies that I have shopped for.
____@____.com

This is a SCAM....DO NOT cash the check....

I would also be concerned with the information that you gave them when you replied to their email.

Sounds like a scam to me. I would maybe report this to the police and not do anything with the check... or send it back. Mystery Shoppers go into stores and report back on different things that are going on and are usually paid around $50 per visit.

ANY TIME you randomly get mail, emails, or phone calls...that require you to deposit, cash, pay, or do anything at all involving YOUR money...it's a scam!! These people are professionals and they know how to make documents legit. The papers will always look convincing. They send it to thousands of people, don't take the bait!!!

No one is going to give you money for free. Access to your banking information can open up a whole slew of nightmares that could last for years. There's identity theft, banking fraud, mail fraud, the list goes on and on. Just throw it away.

Yikes, this sound way fishy. The check might bounce and you will be responsible for that loss. Watch out for that. Good luck!!

Yes unfortunately, these scams are too good to be true and are real, taken from one who lost money in a most similar way. My husband was unemployed and was hired to be a driver for a doctor and his family while supposedly on a trip to California from England to attend a convention. Same get up, cash the cashier's check which if you have good standing with your bank they will cash, send their portion to them via western union and then keep the rest waiting for further instruction. Well, when my husband cashed the check, our bank honored as we've been patrons for 20 years and then sent the larger portion back via western union and low and behold not a week later, the cashier's check came back to our bank with no funds...lost quite a bit of money $2k so it wasn't easy to lose especially when you have someone who was unemployed and desperte to work and earn some money. Whatever you do, don't fall for it!!! Hope this helps you cuz no we had learned the hard way :(

Updated

Yes unfortunately, these scams are too good to be true and are real, taken from one who lost money in a most similar way. My husband was unemployed and was hired to be a driver for a doctor and his family while supposedly on a trip to California from England to attend a convention. Same get up, cash the cashier's check which if you have good standing with your bank they will cash, send their portion to them via western union and then keep the rest waiting for further instruction. Well, when my husband cashed the check, our bank honored as we've been patrons for 20 years and then sent the larger portion back via western union and low and behold not a week later, the cashier's check came back to our bank with no funds...lost quite a bit of money $2k so it wasn't easy to lose especially when you have someone who was unemployed and desperte to work and earn some money. Whatever you do, don't fall for it!!! Hope this helps you cuz no we had learned the hard way :(

Updated

Yes unfortunately, these scams are too good to be true and are real, taken from one who lost money in a most similar way. My husband was unemployed and was hired to be a driver for a doctor and his family while supposedly on a trip to California from England to attend a convention. Same get up, cash the cashier's check which if you have good standing with your bank they will cash, send their portion to them via western union and then keep the rest waiting for further instruction. Well, when my husband cashed the check, our bank honored as we've been patrons for 20 years and then sent the larger portion back via western union and low and behold not a week later, the cashier's check came back to our bank with no funds...lost quite a bit of money $2k so it wasn't easy to lose especially when you have someone who was unemployed and desperte to work and earn some money. Whatever you do, don't fall for it!!! Hope this helps you cuz no we had learned the hard way :(

Updated

Yes unfortunately, these scams are too good to be true and are real, taken from one who lost money in a most similar way. My husband was unemployed and was hired to be a driver for a doctor and his family while supposedly on a trip to California from England to attend a convention. Same get up, cash the cashier's check which if you have good standing with your bank they will cash, send their portion to them via western union and then keep the rest waiting for further instruction. Well, when my husband cashed the check, our bank honored as we've been patrons for 20 years and then sent the larger portion back via western union and low and behold not a week later, the cashier's check came back to our bank with no funds...lost quite a bit of money $2k so it wasn't easy to lose especially when you have someone who was unemployed and desperte to work and earn some money. Whatever you do, don't fall for it!!! Hope this helps you cuz no we had learned the hard way :(