Mystery shopping is by far one of the most sought after consumer questions we get at Bill TV. Is it real? Is it a good way to make a quick buck?
Ask Ivan Saez from Utah. He tells KSL-TV he learned the hard way. His way to make a quick buck left him extremely short on cash.
Western Union was the business he was to mysteriously evaluate. The scammers sent Saez a $980 check. To earn his payment he was to wire $860, keeping $120 for himself.But soon after Saez realized he was not getting $120, instead he would end up owing $980 to make up for the check that bounced.
“We get calls all the time on mystery shopping opportunities, 99% of the time it’s a scam,” Jane Driggs, President of the Utah Better Business Bureau tell KSL.
Many of these scams hinge on something we used to regard as good as cash – cashier’s checks. Cathy Smover, chief risk officer at mountain American credit union in Utah says the crooks go into a bank or credit union and get a legitimate cashier’s check.
They scan it in to a computer, and then alter to it – making it payable to anyone for any amount. So at one time that cashier’s check was good but by the time the victim would go to cash the check, the money is long gone.
