Shopper Blog

There was a second  fake mystery shop offer that we learned of today, for a gig paying $300 for Marriott International assignment.  The offer was delivered via LinkedIn messaging. These fake positions are advertised through LinkedIn and possibly other sites as well. The scammer, who goes by the name of Toby Phillips, falsely claims to works for Confero.  The email listed is Tobyphillips.10@aol.com.

WE DO NOT HAVE AN EMPLOYEE OR WORK WITH A CONTRACTOR NAMED Toby Phillips!

Please do not contact this person on LinkedIn or elsewhere as "Toby Phillips” as this person is trying to scam people.  These scams almost always result in consumers becoming duped into a fake check scam. In fake check scams, shoppers are sent checks to deposit, then told to wire most of the funds elsewhere and keep the difference. Ultimately, the check the scammer sent the shopper turns out to be worthless and the shopper is on the hook to cover the entire check with the bank. Some of the checks look quite real – so real in fact that bank tellers see them all the time. BE CAREFUL! 

We learned today about a fake mystery shop offer for the position offered via Linkedin messaging. These fake positions are advertised through Linkedin and possibly other sites as well. The scammer, who goes by the name of Will George, falsely claims that he works for Confero. 

WE DO NOT HAVE AN EMPLOYEE OR WORK WITH A CONTRACTOR NAMED WILL GEORGE!

Please do not contact that person on Linkedin or elsewhere as "Will George" is trying to scam people.  These scams almost always result in consumers becoming duped into a fake check scam. In fake check scams, shoppers are sent checks to deposit, then told to wire most of the funds elsewhere and keep the difference. Ultimately, the check the scammer sent the shopper turns out to be worthless and the shopper is on the hook to cover the entire check with the bank. Some of the checks look quite real – so real in fact that bank tellers see them all the time. BE CAREFUL! 

And, just so you know:

We learned today about a fake mystery shop offer for the position offered via Linkedin messaging. These fake positions are advertised through Linkedin and possibly other sites as well. The scammer, who goes by the name of Will George, falsely claims that he works for Confero. 

WE DO NOT HAVE AN EMPLOYEE OR WORK WITH A CONTRACTOR NAMED WILL GEORGE!

Please do not contact that person on Linkedin or elsewhere as "Will George" is trying to scam people.  These scams almost always result in consumers becoming duped into a fake check scam. In fake check scams, shoppers are sent checks to deposit, then told to wire most of the funds elsewhere and keep the difference. Ultimately, the check the scammer sent the shopper turns out to be worthless and the shopper is on the hook to cover the entire check with the bank. Some of the checks look quite real – so real in fact that bank tellers see them all the time. BE CAREFUL! 

And, just so you know:

We learned today about a fake mystery shop offer for the position of personal shopper/secret shopper. These fake positions are advertised through Workable and possibly other sites as well. The scammer, who goes by the name of David Foster, invites people to interview with him through Skype and claims falsely that he works in Human Resources at Confero. Please do not follow the steps for setting up the Gmail account, sending your resume or participating in the interview, as this is a scam.Â

We want to remind everyone to please be aware of scams!Â

• The scammers often fake an email address from a legitimate mystery shopping company. Â

You have finished your mystery shop, have your notes and are ready to write your report. How much detail should you include? Was that an important detail or not? 

Here are some tips to help you when you fill out your next report.