Mystery Shopping Int - Better than average scam

[email protected]

Many scammers give themselves away with bad grammar, signatures that don't match the email name, and script letters that never address the recipient by name.

This scammer may be more successful because of the quality and personalization of the letters (I hope not!). However, it quickly is clear that it is a typical mystery shopper scam since the business to be surveyed is a Western Union. A large check is sent to the shopper with instructions to deposit it into his/her account and send a large portion through Western Union in order to test service. Of course, the check is fraudulent and will eventually bounce, leaving the victim responsible to the bank for the full amount plus fees and penalties.

Thanks for your interest in becoming a mystery shopper with our agency. Please read the message below carefully and am sure you will find this job offer very interesting.

No commitment is actually made on this job, and you would have flexible hours as it suits you while you are still working at your present place of work. Though there is a certain level of responsibility and professionalism required to be an effective mystery shopper, you should never have to pay to get a job.

There are dozens of companies claiming that by paying them a registration fee they will send you job opportunities and teach you the steps to becoming a shopper. This may be true, but is also completely unnecessary. It is not our company's policy to receive registration fee before offering you a job as a mystery shopper with our agency. Our company will be responsible and bear all expenses to carry out any assignment allocated to you.

What is Mystery Shopping ?

As stated previous in my first email that a vast amount of companies are interested in knowing what their customers/clients think of their services and/or products in order to right what may be wrong and help them to improve customer service and productivity. To obtain this crucial data from a non-biased viewpoint they hire Mystery Shopping agencies/recruiters like us, who are trained market researchers, to gather the information on their behalf. We get hired to go to other peoples companies and act like customers in order to know how their staffs are handling their services in relation to their customers. This is where you come in..

Once we have a contract to do so, as a Mystery Shopper you will pose as a regular customer but will be collecting essential data set by the client and briefed to you. Assignments vary from restaurants to shops, banks to fitness centers, the list is endless. You would actually be directed to the company or outlet, and you would be given the funds you need to do the job (either purchase things or require services), after which you would write a comment on the staff's activities and give a detailed record of your experience.


Examples of details you would forward to us are:

1) How long it took you to get services
2) The intelligence of the attendant
3) Customer service professionalism
4) Sometimes you might be required to upset the attendant, to see how they react to
clients when they become tensed.

Mystery shoppers visit or call businesses posing as ordinary customers and provide detailed evaluations of their experience using written reports. Mystery shopping is used in a wide variety of industries such as retail, restaurants, financial institutions, convenience stores and gas stations, service providers, manufacturers, department stores, travel and entertainment, etc.

Sounds like fun? It is but it's no joke, your reports are vital material, so you've got to be committed and be able to complete each job as specified by us. It is important we bring to your attention that our management is always on the lookout for trustworthy and reliable people to carry out assignments for us.


What qualifications or skills do I need ?

You don't need any particular qualifications to become a mystery shopper, basically anyone can do it, any age, any background. However, you must be reliable, observant, have a good memory and be able to give an accurate, unbiased view of your findings. The job also requires discretion as in effect you are akin to an undercover reporter, therefore at no time must you reveal that you are a mystery shopper during an assignment.

How much money can I earn ?

You will be paid one hundred United States Dollars ($100.00) on every research information which you record for the company. You will also be given extra funds in a case whereby you are evaluating or studying the activities of a place where spending is required of you (e.g restaurants, clothing stores, bars or a situation where by mobility is required).

What to do after an assignment is completed ?

After completing an assignment you are usually required to email our representative a detailed record of your experience within a set time frame; this is usually between 8 - 24 hours of job completion. The best thing to do is contact our representative via email with your results as soon as you can while the details are still fresh in your mind.

I hope this information is sufficient for you to understand how mystery shopping works. Kindly send in your full name, mailing address and telephone number for our record purposes and also so we can look at your distance from the locations of any assignment you are to put your services. Your details will also be needed for payment issuance.

I hope you understand the scope of this program and that your are still interested so I look forward to receiving your quick email.

Many thanks,
Melissa Ripple
For: Mystery Shopping Int.

Hello xxxxxx,

Thanks for your response and am happy you are still interested in the mystery shopping job with our agency.

Your details were received and forwarded to our customer service; through careful background checks (of a fake name and address) and processing your application was approved. Therefore, it is my pleasure to inform you that you have been cleared for employment as a mystery shopper in our company.

It is pertinent to bring to your attention that your details have been stored in our database so you will be contacted as soon as we have any assignment for you to carry out. Please be informed that you shall be covering your area and some close cities around you for assignments.

In the meantime, the management will like to know what your SCHEDULE is so we can be sure what days to fix you in when we have assignments for you. You will be given full details of the activity to carry out and you will be informed what to keep for records. You will first start handling smaller shopping contracts and when you have displayed an ability to perform at an augmented level, you will start to oversee larger activities and this would also mean an increase in your payment. I have no doubt of mind that this job will be of great pleasure to you.

We envisage within one week upon the receipt of this email your first assignment will be allocated and all necessary information with instructions needed will be forwarded to you .

Please get back to me ASAP with your schedule and hope to read from you at your best convenience.

Many thanks, Melissa Ripple For: Mystery Shopping Int.

Hello,

Thanks for getting back to me promptly. I have no doubt in mind that you are ready for this job . Your details together with your time schedules have been forwarded to our customers service .

Presently, Mystery Shopping Int. has contracts with two prominent multinational companies in the US. We are to carry out evaluation on the quality of services in some of their erring outlets. There have been reports about lapses concerning services and customer relations of the below named companies. Complaints were based on reports that customers forwarded anonymously and phone calls made to their respective head offices.

You will run survey on these two companies :

i) Western Union
ii) McDonald's


Some Western union outlets were reported for evaluation for the following reasons:

i) Customers missing funds
ii) Poor services
iii) Unbalanced transfer charges

Some McDonald's outlets were reported to be rendering:

i) Poor services
ii) Rudeness to customers
iii) Excess charges


Your first survey will be an evaluation of a Western Union outlet around you. (Of course it is) The details of the Western Union outlet will be provided to you later and instructions on how to go about the evaluation will also be forwarded to you too.

I would be grateful you confirm the receipt of this message so that I can be sure we are on the same sheet of this program. I look forward to receiving your message soonest.

Surely yours,

Melissa Ripple
For: Mystery Shopping Int.

Hello xxxxx,

I have a good news for you...! I will like to bring to your attention that the payment for your first assignment has been issued out. You will be notified and as soon as the payment is mailed out to you.

As stated in my most previous email that your first assignment will be an evaluation of a Western Union outlet, below are the details of a STORE that operates Western Union service and you are expected to carry out your first evaluation at this outlet :

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The above western union outlet has been alleged for misconducts. The scope of this western union evaluation is for you to make western union transfer from the Western Union outlet above, customers have actually made complaints of unbalanced/excess transfer charges at this outlet to another mystery shopper where customers reported their funds missing. The funds shall be picked up by the other mystery shopper at another alleged Western Union outlet . In the course of the evaluation, your transaction at the outlet you are keep the following report:

i) Name of the attendant
ii) The time taken to complete the transaction at this location
iii) The attendant's intelligence
iv) The Western Union charges on the funds transferred
v) Name and address of the sender (YOU) as written on the Western Union form/receipt
vi) The Western Union money transfer control number (MTCN) which is a ten digit #
vii) Total amount sent after Western Union charges


More instruction will be forwarded to you on what to keep as survey report . The information of the other mystery shopper whom to transfer the funds shall be forwarded to you upon the receipt of a confirmation email from you that payment is received.

In the meantime, feel free to locate this store at your leisure pending when the payment to carry out the survey is delivered. By doing so, I believe that lesser time/workload will be required of you when completing your assignment.

I must confirm that it has been a great pleasure communicating with you . Please make sure you confirm the receipt of this message.

I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience.


Many thanks,
Melissa Ripple
For: Mystery Shopping Int.

It appears to me that the text for this scam does actually come from Mystery Shoppers, it is quite well wrtten and has very few mistakes, the only one I saw that may be obvious is the use of "am" instead of "I am".

A search on some of that text will show many other similiarly worded examples of scams Click Here