There Is A Mystery Shopper Fraud – Don’t Get Caught In It
You do not have to pay to become a Mystery Shopper. Let me say that again — You do not have to pay a fee to become a Secret Shopper. Anyone who tells you otherwise is perpetuating a Mystery Shopper Fraud. This is important. Don’t pay money to anyone to get into this business.Companies use shoppers for several reasons, such as:1. To learn how to improve the services they offer.2. To learn what and how their competition is doing3. To learn of any specific problem areas that need to be addressed4. To discover any employees that need special recognition or further trainingand many more.There are plenty of people who are willing, sometimes eager, to perform the service the company wants. And there are legitimate companies and groups and organizations who schedule and /or hire people to perform these shopper tasks. None of these charge to find their shoppers assignments.It is quite possible you will receive unsolicited email, see a newspaper ad or see commercials claiming that you can earn as much as $50 per hour when you become a Secret Shopper or a Mystery Shopper (same thing). Run the other way! Please, beware!These solicitations frequently promote websites where you register to become a shopper after paying a fee for information and training. You will find these places disappear very soon after your fee is paid. The information and training never seem to happen and there will be no one available to help you get a refund. Don’t sign up.Be very skeptical of any promoters who 1. advertise for Mystery Shoppers in Penny Savers or other free local throw away advertiser papers2. solicit through non referral emails3. guarantee you a mystery shopper job4. charge a fee to get an assignment5. sell directories of ms companies6. offer to send your name to hundreds of ms companies – for a fee or notThere are legitimate contacts to help you find assignments. And you can work for several registries at the same time. There are often local companies and there are large nationwide registries with many thousands of shoppers all across the country.I recommend you search the internet and see what appeals to you. And check your local community college or adult school. They often offer classes which may help you get started. Just remember, they will pay you, not charge you! Don’t get caught in the Mystery Shopper Fraud.If you live in California, you can find classes listed on the website Mystery Shoppers Training.com.
