Who wouldn’t love to try luxurious products for free? It’s this premise that entices many people to become mystery shoppers.
Market researchers often solicit real consumers to anonymously evaluate the quality of a product or service by purchasing it and then reporting back. It’s a seemingly great deal for consumers — mystery shoppers are reimbursed for their expenses and get to keep the product.
But beware: There are a number of fraudulent mystery-shopping promoters waiting to pounce. In fact, last week the Federal Trade Commission charged a company called Mystery Shop Link with promoting fraudulent claims to consumers who lost millions of dollars because of the service.
So how do you find a legitimate mystery shopping gig? First of all, know that you will almost never have to pay to become one. If you come across an ad promoting a mystery shopping service that requires you to fork over any cash, move on.
To make sure you’re not swindled, follow these steps from the FTC to find a real mystery shopping job:
- Do a Web search of mystery shopping companies. Look for ones that are accepting applications — and don’t charge a fee for you to complete it.
- Do your homework. There are many books available on the subject, such as “The Mystery Shopper’s Manual” and “How to Become a Mystery Shopper.” Read up and understand what it takes to be a good mystery shopper.
- Start with the Mystery Shopping Providers Association Web site at mysteryshop.org. You can find out how to register with an MSPA member company, browse available jobs and feel confident that the ones represented there are legitimate.
Photo by MSDesign.
Neo on March 18th, 2008 at 6:18 am
ryan sheckler
Bill on March 19th, 2008 at 11:49 am
lopez luscious
GreenMachines on May 2nd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Rich,
Indeed it is true that the mystery shopping industry is riddled with pariah. But, I have found hope. I am work at home dad. My primary gig is internet marketing, which I love, and is considerably less prone to scams as long as one does their research than mystery shopping is.
Yet let me make a point. Mystery shopping is a part temp job at most. One cannot count on it as their main source of income. But as a supplemental source I have found it quite perfect. The key here is where one gets their mystery shopping information from. As you stated in the article, DO NOT PAY for mystery shopping leads.
When looking to find good intel on mystery shopping companies and opportunities it is important to see if the page is cached in google, if it has a PageRank above 3, if it has received any comments, and if so, if they are positive or negative, if home work type blogs and forums mention the company and in what regard. These are a few ways to narrow down your focus. Also, check with the Mystery Shopping Providers Association and see if they have any info or feedback on whatever companies you may have found best from your other research.
Finally, I could not help but offer a resource I have found after years of rummaging through mystery shopping internet alleys to be of great utility. I believe anyone who reads this article may also be interested in this resource and that is the only reason why I am posting it as my website and below (this is not meant to be spam and if it offends anyone in any way email me at spidergourmet@gmail.com and let me know so I can reconcile it):
http://www.coylehospitality.com/secretmysteryshopping/free-no-fee-mystery-shopping-jobs-opportunity.asp
Good luck folks!