A check-cashing scam has been targeting the mystery shopping industry for well over a year. The scam takes advantage of the allure of mystery shopping and wrongly uses legitimate company names to take money from consumer hands.

ShopMetrics is the latest company name falsely used in this scam. As a reputable company concerned about our good name and, more importantly, the consumers being scammed, ShopMetrics wants to be sure our customers and other stakeholders are aware of this illegal practice.

Mystery shopping is a legitimate industry servicing many of the country’s leading brands. Here are a few tips to be sure a mystery shopping opportunity is not a scam:

• Work with companies that are members of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. It’s a trade association that requires its members to follow a strict code of ethics prohibiting them from charging shoppers a fee or misleading them on job opportunities. A list of MSPA member companies is available at www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers.
• Before responding to a mystery shopping job opportunity, verify the contact information you received in the mail is the same as the contact information listed on the company’s Web site and the MSPA Web site.
• Never pay to become a mystery shopper and be cautious of any offer that promises large sums of money for simple tasks.

 The following news release explains how the cashier’s check scam works as well as additional tips for becoming a mystery shopper for legitimate companies.

  Press Release