By: Sentry Marketing Group

November 28, 2014

In any industry and on any platform, there are those who try to take advantage of others by putting on a façade, making false promises, or just selling outright lies. In our experience, companies advertising big bucks for a small fee are almost certainly running a scam.

Mystery shopping, unfortunately, has not been immune to the schemes and scams of dishonest people, but it is, fortunately, an area in which the risk of being cheated can be greatly diminished, if not eliminated, my understanding a few simple truths about how legitimate mystery shopping agencies, like Sentry Marketing, conduct business.

Companies advertising big bucks for a small fee are almost certainly running a scam.

Most of the time mystery shopping is undertaken as part-time work in the shopper’s spare time, usually to supplement a regular income.  But those interested in becoming mystery shoppers often aren’t sure how to go about it.  Maybe they do a Google search for “mystery shopping” or see an advertisement on a site they visit or in the back of a magazine.  The ads promise big bucks in exchange for a relatively small registration fee, but once the fee is paid and a good amount of personal information submitted, at best nothing happens and, in some cases, the individual becomes a victim of identity theft.  So how do you get your first mystery shopping assignments without getting ripped off or worse?  Here are some telltale things to look out for:

1. Legitimate agencies will never require a fee to register.

Because every shopping assignment requires something different, we know that there is no way to guarantee you will be asked to go out on a shop or how much assignments you do go on will pay.  Charging a fee for you to apply to be a shopper just wouldn’t be fair.  Besides, we want as wide a range of shoppers as we can get.  We’re not interested in narrowing that range to those who are willing to pay to participate.  And, since there is no “shoppers union”, there is really no reason you should ever have to pay to become a mystery shopper.

2. Legitimate agencies will not guarantee you assignments or huge payouts.

As we mentioned above, companies that use mystery shoppers can never be sure to have assignments to suit every shopper, even once we get to know you, never mind before you have even applied.  Besides this, almost all mystery shopping assignments pay less than $100, and some as little as $5 or $10.  With very few exceptions, mystery shopping is not a full-time job, even for those who shop for several different agencies.  Consequently, if a single agency—even one that claims to have contacts with lots of large chains and big, well-known companies—guarantees hundreds of dollars a month or promise to replace your regular income, you can be pretty sure it’s a scam.

3. Legitimate agencies will not seek shoppers through classified ads or online pop-ups.

Companies like Sentry rely on our field evaluators to provide vital information that is essential to our clients’ success.  We need people who are genuinely interested in helping businesses improve their services, not just looking to make an extra buck.  For this reason, prospective shoppers are recruited through sources like websites dedicated to mystery shopping, referrals from other shoppers, and professional organizations like the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (see below).

4. Legitimate agencies will be registered with legitimate organizations.

The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) is the largest and most established of these, with some 260 member companies (including Sentry Marketing Group), all of which have been identified as legitimate mystery shopping firms.  You can also check with the Better Business Bureau which, in addition to having a publicly accessible register of accredited business (again, including Sentry), has records of complaints filed against even those that are not BBB accredited.  This can be a great way to ascertain the legitimacy of a good company or confirm you suspicions of a scam.  If the BBB has no record of a company, chances are you don’t want to be doing business with them.

So where should you start if you’re interested in becoming a mystery shopper?

Try looking for mystery shopping companies as through you were a company trying to hire one, using terms like “service”, “firm”, “analysis”, etc.  Remember, mystery shopping firms are usually marketing or consulting firms.  They will come up as such when you look for them online.  Once you have a few in mind, dig deeper.  Look through their website, see what kinds of services they offer.  Alost all legit firms will provide information on their websites for both clients and shoppers.  Look for both.  No firm needs shoppers if they don’t have clients.

You should also visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website.  They have a database of assignments that you can search for free as well as a lot of helpful tips on getting started, what to expect, and what to look out for.  And, while they do offer certification programs for a fee, they would never claim that you need to complete the program in order to get started as a shopper or apply for assignments in the database.