Is it safe to work as a mystery shopper for a company I found online?
Most online mystery shopper job offers are either money mule recruitment or cheque fraud schemes. Legitimate mystery shopping companies are few and typically recruited through established industry bodies.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Fake mystery shopping jobs have followed a consistent script for decades. You are recruited — often with no application process or interview — and sent a cheque or bank transfer to 'fund' your shopping assignments. The instructions involve purchasing gift cards, money orders, or wiring part of the funds elsewhere and keeping the remainder as your fee.
The core fraud is the cheque or transfer: the funds deposited are fraudulent and will be reversed by your bank after a few days. But you will already have sent money to the scammer — gift card codes, a wire transfer, or a money order — from your own funds. The deposit reversal leaves you in deficit.
Legitimate mystery shopping is a real industry. Genuine companies are typically members of trade bodies such as the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (MSPA). They recruit through application processes, do not send funds in advance for you to forward, and assignments involve evaluating customer service — not moving money.
If a mystery shopping job offer arrived unsolicited, requires no prior experience or screening, and involves receiving and forwarding money, it is fraud without exception.
Common red flags
- You were recruited with no application process or screening
- The 'assignment' involves depositing a cheque and forwarding funds via Western Union, wire, or gift card
- You are instructed to keep the assignment confidential
- The company cannot be verified as a member of any recognised mystery shopping trade body
- The job offer arrived unsolicited via email, social media, or text
What to do now
- Do not deposit any cheque or accept any transfer related to the job
- Do not forward any funds for any reason
- Report the recruitment attempt to your national fraud authority
- If you have already deposited a cheque, contact your bank to warn them before it reverses
- Discard any materials received and cease all contact with the recruiter
Frequently asked questions
How do I find legitimate mystery shopping work?
Look for companies listed with the Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (MSPA) or equivalent national body. Legitimate companies pay from their own accounts after assignments are completed — they never send advance funds.
If I cash the cheque and keep it in my account for a week, will I know if it is fake?
Unfortunately, no. Banks show provisional credit quickly but the fraud investigation that reveals a cheque is fraudulent can take 10 days or more. The money looks real before the reversal. Never treat deposited funds as yours until your bank confirms the cheque has fully cleared.