Shoppers Confidential – Response to Mystery Shopping Email Scam

Dear valued Mystery Shoppers,

It has come to our attention, that a new email scam is circulating that uses our legitimate business Name, “Shoppers Confidential”.

Shoppers Confidential is a proud member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association of North America and does not solicit new 'employees' through email.

If you receive this message, please do not respond or provide your personal information:

Top of the day to you, I am reaching you from Shoppers Confidential where we hire survey agents to help meet our client’s expectations, which in essence provides you a good supplementary income  and part-time earning job. At Shoppers Confidential We are a well established Private Evaluating Firm with our Primary focus to provide exceptional Customer Service Evaluation and research to support our clients businesses.  You can learn more about Legitimate Mystery Shopping Companies here.

- Basically your task is to conduct surveys at any of our client's outlet assigned to you; In other words you pose as a normal customer like in everyday situation where you make purchases then file reports on  your experiences. You will be conducting little survey in regards to the customer relationship of the staffs, observe and measure product quality and the general environment of the establishments location  assigned to you.

During a typical survey session, you will make observations at convenience stores, restaurants, financial institutions and gas stations while acting as an average customer. Then provide detailed evaluations of  your experience in the form of written report to help motivate staffs to offer a positive customer experience to each customer.

Most companies employ our services to help develop, monitor and alter their approaches to customer service with a great desire of improving and making their products/services the best in the market. You will earn 500usd weekly with added incentives and favorable Employee benefits on the long run working with us, which is not a bad offer... Is it?

DO CONFIRM YOUR INTEREST IN THIS POSITION BY PROVIDING THE BELOW DETAILS. HOWEVER SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO DECLINE THE OFFER, KINDLY SEND AN EMAIL STATING THAT; SO THE APPLICATION CAN  BE KEPT OPEN FOR ANOTHER APPLICANT

Full Name
Current Address
Phone Number
Current Occupation

Upon receipt of the above information, you will be contacted for further details. Thank you for your time and do have a splendid day ahead

Please remember the following tips to avoid Mystery Shopping scams:

If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. When was the last time you got offered a $500 a week job with no interview?

If someone you don’t know sends you money, then asks for you to send it back. That is a scam!

Always research Mystery Shopping Companies. Any legitimate company will be a member of the Mystery Shopping Provider Association of North America (MSPA). Be aware that scammers will often use legitimate business names (as above). When in doubt, contact the company through the contact information listed on the MSPA website (not the contact information provided in an email).

Legitimate Mystery Shopping companies NEVER ask you to send money or charge a fee, and will not pay you before you complete a job.  Always be very suspicious of checks. We would never ask you to wire-transfer money.

To Report Mystery Shopping Scams visit MSPA-na.org/scam or file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission in the US or The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada.

***UPDATE NOVEMBER 13th, 2020***

There has been a new scam that has been reported to us by concerned shoppers who have been contacted by 'Teresa Watson' from 'Shoppers Confidential' both by email and through LinkedIn.

Shoppers Confidential does not work with a person using the name 'Teresa Watson'. The email address is also suspect, 'teresa.watson@ipso-s.org' as it uses a version of another MSP, IPSOS which is not an authentic IPSOS email address. 

This email promises flat-fees, furnished expenses and money up front, which are key-points to identify a scam.

The scam email reads as the following: