Trying to make some extra money for the holidays? How about getting paid to shop and test customer service? Sounds great until you hear about people scammed by fake secret shopper job postings.
“Congratulations. You got approved for the job. We’ll send your task in a couple of days,” Stephanie says.
She thought she had found gold — a job where she could shop and get paid a lot for it.
“Ten tasks a month, $4,000,” she says.
Stephanie would be a mystery shopper.
She would buy money orders and send them back, testing customer service at the post office.
They sent her a $2,995 check and told her to keep $300 for the initial payment.
You can guess what happened next. The check was bad, and Stephanie’s money was gone.
She was another victim of a shopper scam.
But there is a thriving legitimate mystery shopper industry, where people are getting paid — and sometimes a lot!
“Depending on how complicated the assignment is, it can get into the hundreds of dollars,” says Rich Bradley.
Bradley is with MSPA-AMERICAS.org, an organization connecting businesses with shoppers.
“Any company listed has been vetted by us as a legitimate company,” Bradley says.
Their site lists open mystery shopping projects, including Arizona opportunities.
On the day I searched, one of the local jobs offered $12 if you go to Best Buy, Lowes, or Home Depot and ask about a front-load washer.
Another project gives you $25 to buy and return something at local shopping centers and share your experience.
“Go into a restaurant…
