Comments on: 12 Signs of a Fraudulent Mystery Shopping Company

By: Concerned Shopper

Concerned Shopper — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:38:37 +0000

The MSPA is a scam, they took my money for a shopper certification and that was it. Worthless Scammers! just like the article mentioned.
You don’t need a certificate to shop… and the MSPA has scammed over 50,000 people making them believe this. Many of the shopping companies I work for don’t belong to MSPA and said they are a joke offer little to no value. I also joined the National Association of Mystery Shoppers and they aren’t much better.

By: Mystery Shopper

Mystery Shopper — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:11:04 +0000

Generally good advice, especially about avoiding the fraudulent check scam. I have mystery shopped since 1995 and I have trained thousands of mystery shoppers. Here are a few things I would add:

The MSPA offers Silver and Gold Certification, and those certifications can help you to get assignments with MSPA member companies. However, no company requires MSPA certification.

Some companies have their own certification that you must complete before getting assignments from them. This usually covers specific information about their clients and the shop requirements, and there is no charge to complete these certifications.

Mystery shopper applications ask for gobs of personal information. This may include your Social Security Number. They ask for a legitimate reason (they must report to the IRS) but I would exercise caution here. Often, you can enter a dummy number and let them know that you will provide it if needed (e.g., they must file a 1099 reporting your earnings).

Other personal information requested may include your age, marital status, race, if you have children and their ages, the model of car you drive, your household income, and more. They ask these questions because they have a client who requires shoppers with certain characteristics. For example, non-discrimination testing may require that they send shoppers of various races to the same location to make sure they are not discriminating.

The MSPA is a great resource for shoppers. There are legitimate companies that do not belong, but the companies that do belong have met stringent requirements and agreed to uphold ethical standards.

You can get free mystery shopping jobs with the nearly 200 companies listed at http://www.MysteryShoppersManual.com/mystery-shopping-companies

By: Karen

Karen — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 03:06:39 +0000

The companies that pay people to be mystery shoppers need to have social security numbers because they have to report to the IRS what they pay each person.

Also, it is helpful for someone who wants to start mystery shopping but doesn’t know how or where to start to either do an online search for companies that provide shopper jobs or to purchase a guide that gives them links to and information about various companies. That can save them a lot of time. When doing their own searches they may get confused and waste a lot of time.

Most mystery shopping companies have you register before they reveal the types of shopping jobs they have. So the beginner could spend days doing searches and goint to sites and registering. Purchasing a guide can give them info about different companies and they types of mystery shops they provide. So I don’t agree that paying for a list is the sign of a scam.

By: The Saving Freak

The Saving Freak — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:24:51 +0000

Wow this is all great advice. Who knew being a mystery shopper could be so complicated. It seems like a great way to get some free meals and a little extra cash. Maybe around Xmas this is a good idea.

By: Anonymous Shopper

Anonymous Shopper — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:50:43 +0000

*MSPA* =)

By: Anonymous Shopper

Anonymous Shopper — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:49:33 +0000

Great list; I wish everyone could understand that mystery shopping isn’t a career, but is a lucrative second income! I’ve been doing it for about three years, and it really can be a great venture if you have an eye for detail, good organizational skills, and enjoy interacting with people.

As a sidenote, there are some reputable companies that require the social security number for registration in their databases. This is because if you make more than $600.00 from one employer (or contract) in one year, they are required to report that income to the IRS. Some companies prefer to get the information up-front rather than deal with tracking down individuals at tax time and running the risk of violating a tax law. This is where the guideline of only going with MPSA-certified companies is absolutely necessary. They are very thorough and you can work with their companies with confidence!

By: jim

jim — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:20:36 +0000

Yeah, the difference is the MSPA is separate from any of the shopping companies. If a company requires you get certified from themselves, then it’s shady. If they say, we want you to be certified from MSPA, then that’s a little better.

By: Posco

Posco — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:25:40 +0000

Interesting! I didn’t even know there could be such a thing as the MSPA. I briefly looked at their site, and the first thing I noticed is that there is such a thing as certification for mystery shoppers. Amazing! I know your post says that a company may be illegit if it requires certification — it’s a slight twist on the fact that certification is an option.