Mystery shopping is a real, if small, kind of work. The scam borrows the friendly name and bolts a fake check onto it.
The rule
Real mystery shopping is occasional work you seek out and apply to, and it pays you after you complete and submit an assignment. It does not begin with a recruiter sending you a check and asking you to send part of it back. If money arrives before you have done anything, treat the offer as a scam.
How the scam works
You are "hired" to evaluate a store or a money-transfer service. A check arrives to cover your purchases and fee. You deposit it, the bank makes the funds available within a day, and you are told to buy items, test a wire or gift-card service by sending money, and keep your cut. The check is fake and bounces later, after your real money is gone. The FTC explains the mechanics in its guide to fake-check scams.
What it looks like
An unsolicited offer, a quick start with no interview, a check larger than you expected, and instructions to act fast "before the assignment expires." The urgency exists to get your money moving before the check bounces.
What to do right now
- Do not deposit the check, or if you did, do not send anyone money.
- Tell your bank the check is part of a scam.
- Keep the check and every message as evidence.
- Report it to the FTC and the FBI's IC3.
This is the fake-check scam under a different name, the same pattern as a job that sends a check to deposit. The complete guide has more. Unsure? Paste the offer into the free checker.