Undercover, overcharged

"You've been chosen. YOUR valued insight could help us determine if their service is worth YOUR time. We've already sent you the money, and you can keep what you buy! All we ask for in return is that you tell us how they treated you during your visit. All you do is shop - it's simple and easy and you keep what you buy!"

This seemingly painless process, known as "mystery shopping," actually aims to drain your pocket. Fake mystery shopping companies recruit victims to either cash fake checks or give their bank account numbers in the belief that the victim will act as a secret informant of a company's customer service. But don't channel 007 just yet.

The Process

A mystery shopping company will either contact victims by mail or through their online resume. If the company contacts consumers through a posted resume, they'll approach them with a job opportunity to mystery shop and ask for the victim's bank account number so that they can deposit the money to be shopped with in your account. In reality, the scammers will then withdraw from the account, rather than deposit money in it.

If a company sends a fake check in the mail, they'll direct a consumer to cash that check and spend a portion of it. After their suggested portion is spent, they require that the victim send the remaining, even larger portion of that check back to the company via Western Union or Money Grant.

Eventually, the bank finds that the check, which the mystery shopping agency sent, bounces and the victim is then left to pay upward of $4,000, depending on how much the cashed check was worth. The scammers get away with the portion sent through Western Union because money sent through Western Union is untraceable and is usually sent out of the country to the supposed mystery shopping agency.

How to protect yourself

"First, use common sense. If it's too good to be true, it probably is," Trish Powell, president of the Permian Basin Better Business Bureau, said. "Second, look and find out with the BBB or another industry association, like mysteryshop.org. The business doesn't have to be a member of the BBB but can check out with them."

Googling the company can also provide useful information to the mystery shopping agency's validity. "If the company's a fraud, there'll be a blog about the scams," Powell said. "Real agencies usually don't send thousands of dollars, but just $15 or $20."

Victims could also be punished for enacting the process.

"Consumers, just by cashing the check, can face federal charges," Powell said. "If it's their first time, and they were legitimately scammed, the fines might not be so bad, but a second instance would guarantee that the victim would face harsher charges."

People fall for this?

"It depends on the consumer: if they want to make extra money or ‘get rich quick,' then sure," Powell said.

Most mystery shopping agencies are hired by companies themselves to gather feedback from consumers. "There are also survey-type agencies that post their results, but that isn't normally the case," Powell said.